Crazy-Delicious Cheesy Cherry Danish

By pattie_d

Ingredients

• Icing
• 1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• 1 drop vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp. Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme
• 1 tbsp. Cool Whip Free, thawed
• Danish
• Half an 8-oz. tub fat-free cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
• 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp. light vanilla soymilk (or your milk of choice)
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• 1 cup frozen unsweetened dark sweet cherries, thawed
• 1 package refrigerated Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations Seamless Dough Sheet (or HG Alternative!)

Details

Servings 8
Adapted from hungry-girl.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray.

To make the icing, in a small microwave-safe bowl, combine powdered sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract, and 1 1/2 tsp. cold water. Mix until ingredients have dissolved. Add marshmallow creme and microwave for 5 seconds, or until creme is soft enough to fold into the mixture. Stir until smooth. Stir in Cool Whip. Cover and refrigerate.

To make the Danish, in a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, oats, granulated sugar, soymilk, and almond extract. Fold in cherries and set aside. This is your filling.

On the baking sheet, roll out dough into a large rectangle of even thickness. Arrange sheet with the short sides on the left and right. Spoon cherry filling lengthwise across the middle third of the dough, leaving 1/2-inch borders on the left and right.

Starting from the top, make 12 vertical cuts -- about 1 inch apart -- along the top section of the dough, stopping about 1/2 inch from the filling. Repeat with the bottom section of the dough. This will create 1-inch-wide strips of dough on both the top and bottom of the filling.

Alternate folding the 1-inch strips from the top and the bottom over the filling, covering the filling completely and creating a crisscrossed, "braided" appearance. When you reach the last few strips, cross them toward the middle of the Danish. After all strips have been folded, fold the left and right sides of the dough in toward the filling, so the filling cannot escape, and pat firmly to seal.

Bake until crispy and golden brown, 15 - 20 minutes. Let cool completely.

Just before serving, stir icing and drizzle it over the Danish. Slice and enjoy! (Refrigerate leftovers.)

MAKES 8 SERVINGS
HG Tip! Lightly spray your measuring spoon with nonstick spray to prevent the marshmallow creme from sticking to it.

HG Alternative! If you can't find the Recipe Creations dough, go for Pillsbury Reduced Fat Crescent roll dough. (The products are nearly identical.) Then just pinch/seal up the perforations for a seamless sheet.

PER SERVING (1/8th of recipe, 1 slice): 147 calories, 5g fat, 312mg sodium, 22.5g carbs, 0.5g fiber, 10g sugars, 4g protein -- PointsPlus® value 4*