Cherry-Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

This coffee braid  looks bakery-fancy,  but Pillsbury®  crescents make it  flaky, delicious and easy.

I'm the first to admit that although I love cooking and baking from scratch, semi-homemade cooking is so convenient when you are short on time or motivation.  Through the years I have learned many little tricks to make cooking and baking faster and easier . . . the use of awesome convenience products like Pillsbury Crescents is one of them.

The Pillsbury website has lots of these type of recipes . . . this one comes from the section "Morning Favorites."

prep time 20 min
total time 1 hr 15 min
ingredients 8
12 servings

Ingredients

1 package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1/4 cup chopped maraschino cherries, well drained

1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 

1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons milk


Directions

Heat oven to 375°F. Grease cookie sheet with shortening. In small bowl, beat cream cheese and granulated sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Stir in almond extract, almonds and cherries; set aside. 

If using crescent rolls: Unroll dough onto cookie sheet; press into 13x7-inch rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal.

If using dough sheet: Unroll dough onto cookie sheet; press into 13x7-inch rectangle.

Spoon cream cheese mixture lengthwise down center 1/3 of rectangle. On each long side of dough rectangle, make cuts 1 inch apart to edge of filling. Fold opposite strips of dough over filling and cross in center to form a braided appearance; seal ends.

Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

In small bowl, mix powdered sugar and milk until smooth; drizzle over coffee cake. If desired, garnish with additional sliced almonds and cherries.

Source:  Pillsbury Morning Favorites