Danish Kringle

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Description

This recipe is from my father-in-law’s mother who was born and raised in Denmark. It is a wonderful holiday pastry treat that is both beautiful and delicious. Plan to make your dough at least 1 to 2 days in advance–but it’s very simple. It takes just a few minutes to prepare and refrigerate. Creating the kringle takes more time, but it is worth it!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter
  • 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 1 ½ cups chopped English walnuts, divided
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 tablespoons water

Instructions

  1. Sift flour into a large bowl; cut in 1 cup of butter with 2 knives or a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly
  2. leaving pea-sized chunks. Stir in sour cream and mix well to form a sticky dough. Cover dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate 8 hours
  3. or overnight.
  4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease or line a baking sheet. Prepare the filling by mixing 1 cup softened butter
  5. brown sugar
  6. and 1 cup chopped walnuts in a bowl until well combined; set aside.
  7. Divide dough into three equal parts; return two parts to the refrigerator to keep cold. Quickly form 1/3 of the dough into a rectangle
  8. and flour lightly. On a heavily floured surface
  9. roll out to approximately 12×17 inches. Position lengthwise on the work surface. Along the long edges of the dough rectangle
  10. use a sharp knife to cut 4-inch long angled lines about 1/2 inch apart. Spoon 1/3 of the filling along the length of the rectangle’s uncut center. Alternating from one side of the dough to the other
  11. fold each 1/2 inch wide strip towards the center
  12. crisscrossing the filling in a braid-like fashion. Lightly press together the ends of the strips to seal. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the remaining walnuts. Repeat with remaining ingredients to form 3 braids. Arrange braids on the prepared baking sheet.
  13. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown
  14. about 30 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for approximately 30 minutes. While the pastries are cooling
  15. prepare the icing: Mix confectioners sugar and water together until smooth and thin enough to drizzle; spoon or drizzle over cooled pastries.

Prep Time: 45 mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

Total Time: 13 hrs 15 mins

Servings: 18

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