New Tradition!

I love love love Christmas and especially the traditions that I have taken from my family while growing up. Those include things like cheese grits and breakfast casseroles.... holiday poppers for an after dinner surprise.... watching It's a Wonderful Life... midnight mass... getting our tree from a mountain tree farm.... wearing new Christmas jammies... sending out photo Christmas cards... and lots more! This year I was thinking back to my Christmases in Kentucky and a friend would always bring her children to my aunt and uncle house and drop off a cheese danish during the week of Christmas. I always admired that and thought it would be fun to start that tradition with my own family. So this year was THE year of the cheese danish tradition!

And they turned out wonderfully! 

Here's the recipe that I used....

Almond Cheese Danish

Ingredients:

1 tube of crescent rolls

1 8oz pack of cream cheese (softened)

3 T of flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 t vanilla

1 t almond extract

Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 t almond extract

4 T heavy cream

Almonds - optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375

Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray

Unroll and lay out the crescent rolls on pan and press them together so that there are no openings. This makes a long rectangle shape.

In a medium bowl or a mixer, mix together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, vanilla and almond extract. I used a mixer, much easier process.

In big heaping spoonfuls, add the filling to the center of the crescent - spread to about 2 inches wide.

Cut 1/2 inch strips on the "wings" of the crescent at an angle. Then braid the strips over the filling and make sure that it fits snuggly over the filling on the sides. Correct tears by pressing together.

Baked for 20 minutes until golden. Cool for a few minutes and then put on wire rack. 

Mix the Icing up. Drizzle over the danish. Top with almonds if you'd like to!

To wrap these bad boys...

You'll need a pack of turkey cooking bags from the grocery store, aluminum foil, ribbon, and a cardboard box. Cut the flaps of the cardboard box and wrap them in the foil. Place danish on foiled tray, put into bags, and tie with a pretty ribbon :) Voila! Done!