Raspberry Cream Cheese Danish

Some people like receiving chocolate or roses for Valentine's Day. I do not happen to be one of those people. Instead, the keys to my heart involve baking me something in the kitchen. Valentine's Day is this Sunday, and I cannot think of a better way to start it than a lazy morning and showering my family with a warm baked pastry. What could express the message that they are loved and appreciated more? Flowers are nice too, but soft warm pastries have a remarkable way of making people feel good and special. 

Today, I have a very simple Danish recipe for you that is very easy to pull together. No special equipment required, and children can easily help or even do most of the work with a little adult supervision. These pastries are made with a can of pre-made crescent roll dough. All you do is roll it out on a floured surface so that it is just slightly bigger then the size it came in and keeps its rectangular shape. 

Down the left and right sides of the dough cut horizontal strips about 2 inches wide, starting from the outside and moving in, and stop so that there is a an uncut center about a 4-inches wide from top to bottom. From there you mix your cheese filling of cream cheese, powdered sugar and almond extract. Using the back of a spoon spread the filling to the edges of the 4 inch uncut center portion of the dough. Dot the filling with a pint of raspberries. To finish the pastry before baking, cross the strips in an alternating fashion inward to form a braid, and pinch the ends to seal them. After baking drizzle with the remaining frosting and slivered almonds. This recipe will be great for Valentine's Day, but is also great all year round. After all, the love within families should be celebrated every day of the year. Enjoy!