Easy Crescent Danish Rolls

My boss at work gave me this recipe and said I "had" to try it (Thanks, Kathy!) and she was right! Easy Crescent Danish Rolls was the Pillsbury Bake-Off Winner in 1978 and it hasn't lost an ounce of ooph since them. Chock full of ooey gooey deliciousness (as you will see from the photos) it's a winner from start to finish. Best yet, it's quick to prepare even when you make you own apple filling, like I did (recipe included). Great with my afore-published breakfast patties for a totally decadent, yum-filled brunch of champions (or something like that).

Easy Crescent Danish Rolls

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients

• 1 8 oz package of Neufchatel cheese (1/3 less calories than cream cheese)
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 cans Crescent seamless dough sheets
• 4 (or more) tbsp of your favorite fruit preserve (my recipe follows)

Icing

• 1 tsp vanilla (I used rum extract because I had no vanilla in the house)
• 1/2-1 c powdered sugar (depending on how runny you like your glaze)
• 2-3 tsp milk (I used about a tablespoon or 2 with about 1 c of powdered sugar)

My imperfectly perfect spiral coils

Preparation

1. In a small bowl, blend Neufchatel, sugar and lemon juice.
2. Roll out crescent dough, one can at a time, and cut into 4 rectangles.
3. Spread rectangles of dough with about 3 tbsp of the cream cheese mixture.
4. Starting at long side, gently roll and twist at the same time until the roll is about 10 inches long. Coil loosely into spirals with seam inside. Seal ends (ok, I am not a perfectionist and my rolls aren't all that neat, but they sure look good!)
5. There should be an indentation in the middle of the coil, but use your thumb to make it slightly larger and fill with half a tablespoon or so of preserves (we like lots of filling).
6. Arrange on parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 25 to 30 minutes (until deep golden brown)

The cream cheese is oozing out - more ooey gooey deliciousness!

Mix the powdered sugar, rum or vanilla extract and milk. Drizzle over warm rolls. Serve and enjoy!

Jealous yet? Yum!

Apple Filling

Peel, core and finely chop 2 Granny Smith apples. Place in small saucepan with enough water to cover the apples. Cook on 'medium' heat on stove until the apples are tender (about 15 minutes). Add 1/2 c sugar, 1-2 tsp cinnamon and 2-3 tbsp cornstarch, mixed into a paste with 1/2 c of water. Cook mixture together on 'medium' heat until thickened - approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to stop from sticking and scorching. Remove from heat and use to fill the danishes. Since you will only use half, the rest can be canned, frozen or kept in the fridge until you need apple preserves for pancakes, waffles or (most likely) another go-around of this recipe!