Cherry Danish

Total Time

Prep: 30 min. + rising Bake: 15 min.

Makes

40 pastries

Updated: Apr. 07, 2022
These ruby-studded pastries will be the first to disappear from your brunch table. I won an award when I first made them for a 4-H competition years ago. You can use apple pie filling with equally good results. —Christie Cochran, Canyon, Texas

Ingredients

  • 1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
  • 1 cup warm 2% milk (110° to 115°)
  • 3/4 cup shortening, divided
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature, divided use
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon each ground mace, lemon extract and vanilla extract
  • 4 to 4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling
  • GLAZE:
  • 1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons 2% milk
  • 1/3 cup chopped almonds

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the milk, 1/4 cup shortening, sugar, 2 eggs, salt, mace, extracts and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
  2. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
  3. Punch dough down. On a large floured surface, roll dough out to a 24x16-in. rectangle. Dot half the dough with 1/4 cup shortening; fold dough lengthwise. Fold the dough another 3 times lengthwise, then 2 times widthwise, each time dotting with some of the remaining shortening. Place dough in a greased bowl; cover and let rise 20 minutes.
  4. On a floured surface, roll dough into a 16x15-in. rectangle. Cut into 8x3/4-in. strips; coil each strip into a spiral shape, tucking ends underneath. Place spirals in 2 greased 15x10x1-in. baking pans. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
  5. Preheat oven to 375°. Beat remaining egg. Make a depression in the center of each roll; brush with egg. Fill each depression with 1 tablespoon pie filling. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Combine confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and milk; drizzle over rolls. Sprinkle with almonds.

Nutrition Facts

1 pastry: 137 calories, 5g fat (1g saturated fat), 17mg cholesterol, 70mg sodium, 21g carbohydrate (10g sugars, 1g fiber), 2g protein.