Super-Easy One Pan Cheese Danish

One Pan Cheese Danish
from JJ

Vegetable oil spray
2 8oz packages refrigerated crescent rolls
2 8oz packages cream cheese, room temp
1 ½ cups sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Flour, for dusting the work surface
6 T. butter, melted (I didn’t need this much)
¼ tsp. cinnamon
1 c. chopped pecans

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350.  Lightly mist a 13 x 9 metal baking pan with spray.

Open one can of crescent rolls and spread them out flat in the bottom of the prepared baking pan, using your fingers to press the seams together and press the dough about ¾ inch up the sides of the pan.  The dough will be thin.  Set aside.

Place the cream cheese, 1 cup of the sugar, and the egg and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.  Beat with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about one minute.

Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the dough but do not allow it to touch the sides of the pan.  Open the second can of rolls.  Spread them out on a lightly floured work surface and press the seams together.  Shape the dough into a 13 x 9 inch rectangle.  Gently lift the rectangle of dough and place it on top of the cream cheese mixture.  Using a dinner knife, carefully pull the bottom layer of dough away from the sides of the pan, just enough to allow you to pinch the 2 layers of dough together.

Brush the melted butter over the top layer of dough.  Combine the remaining ½ cup sugar and the cinnamon and pecans in a small bowl.  Sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over the buttered dough.

Bake the Danish until puffed and golden brown, 30-35 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let stand for about 15 minutes.  Slice and serve at room temperature.

Homemade Pop Tarts

Homemade Pop Tart by Barb

Ingredients
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour plus additional for shaping and rolling
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 tablespoons ice water
12 tablespoons strawberry preserves (preferably organic homemade)
Powdered sugar
Fresh strawberries


Preparation

Whisk 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour, coarse salt, and sugar in large bowl. Add butter. Using fingertips or back of fork, blend in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add ice water by tablespoonfuls, tossing until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball. Divide in half; shape each half into disk. Wrap in plastic. Chill at least 1 hour.

Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out dough on floured surface to about 13×11 inches. Trim to 12×10-inch rectangle, then cut into eight 5×3-inch rectangles.

Arrange 4 rectangles, spaced apart, on each sheet. Spoon 1 1/2 tablespoons preserves in row down center of each rectangle. Top preserves with second dough rectangle. Using fingertips, gently press all edges of each tart to seal; press all edges with tines of fork to double-seal. Using toothpick, poke a few holes in center of top dough rectangle. Cover; freeze tarts on sheets at least 2 hours and up to 1 week.

Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 375°F. Bake frozen tarts uncovered until golden, reversing sheets after 15 minutes, 25 to 30 minutes total (some preserves may leak out). Immediately transfer tarts to rack. Sift powdered sugar lightly over. Serve warm or at room temperature with fresh berries.