February 14, 2013

Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Cream Cheese Danish

Store bought Danish?

Really good.

In fact, if I go more than 6 months or so without making fresh, from-scratch Danish, I think store bought Danish is better than anything I could make myself. As if my tastebuds are ticked off at me for denying them the real thing, and so they convince my brain that homemade Danish isn’t worth the time.

Those tastebuds. Liars, they are.

Because until you’ve had your hands in that gorgeous dough, slicing perfectly thin strips, braiding one tab over another over the creamy filling, and then watching it rise up and bake to a golden perfection? You’ve not had a Danish.

And you’ve not even tasted it yet.

One bite – you are a goner.

Store bought Danish doesn’t offer those crispy, yeasty, flaky, buttery layers. You can not BUY the ingredients for the perfect Danish for what you PAY for a store bought Danish. $3.99?

You get what you pay for. And trust me – this Danish is worth every single penny.

Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Cream Cheese Danish

Ingredients

1/2 Recipe Danish Dough, prepared (Step by Step recipe & directions HERE, Freeze other half)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 egg
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 can Lucky Leaf Red Raspberry Pie Filling
1 cup Hershey’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 cup Hershey’s Semi-Sweet Baking Melts

Instructions

Roll out prepared dough into large rectangle (12×18 is a good size.)
In small bowl or in stand mixer beat cream cheese, egg, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add in Lucky Leaf Pie Filling. Mix until combined.
Spread cream cheese filling down the center length of the dough, leaving 4 inches unfilled on each long side. Cut slits 1/2 inch wide evenly down each side.
Top cream cheese filling with chocolate. Begin "braiding" the strips of dough across the filling.
Once braided, allow dough to rise for one hour. If desired, apply egg wash and sanding sugar to risen braid, then bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Rotate pan at 10 minutes, then lower temperature to 350 and bake for 15-20 additional minutes. Serve and enjoy!

As you can see in the recipe, I used Lucky Leaf Raspberry Pie Filling. Why?

Lucky Leaf Premium Red Raspberry Pie Filling Well, it’s easy. It’s convenient. It’s winter, and raspberries aren’t quite in season. And? It tastes great, and works really well in this kind of application. I was fortunate enough to attend a media tour of the Lucky Leaf factory last summer, and was really impressed with the quality and simplicity of the company. Real ingredients. Real people. Kind of refreshing! Plus, they have a huge variety of different fillings. I wish more were available here, because there are a LOT of exciting ones! (Dark Sweet Cherry? Blueberry? Strawberry? Any of these would be excellent used in this Danish. Mix it up!)

I also have to say a big THANK YOU to my friend Anna at Hershey! She introduced me to these Baking Melts recently – and YUM! Sure, you can use all chocolate chips if you like, but if you can find the Baking Melts in your grocery, I do highly recommend them – perfect for baking, so melty and delicious! Thanks sweet girl!

Now – get to baking, kids! And Happy Valentine’s Day!!

For more tasty Lucky Leaf Valentine’s Treats, check out my friends posts: