Work For Me Wednesday and Chocolate-Chippy Cheese Danish

I'm going to share a little tip I learned a long time ago. I use coffee filters to cover things in the microwave. They are so cheap! I buy a big package of them at the dollar store and I just keep them in the cupboard above the microwave. Once in a while I have to use two to cover something, but most of the time one will do the job. We don't drink coffee, so they last a long time.

Be sure and stop by We Are That Family and see what great ideas other are sharing for Work For Me Wednesday!






Chocolate-Chippy Cheese Danish

This is a recipe I got in my Hungry Girl Newsletter. It looked so yummy I had to try it. I looked at two stores and I couldn't find the Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations Seamless Dough Sheets so I finally gave up and just bought two tubes of Reduced Fat Pillsbury Crescent Rolls. Here's what Hungry Girl says about the danish- Is it breakfast? Dessert? A snack? YES!!!! Check out our latest guilt-free wonder, the Chocolate-Chippy Cheese Danish! It is really yummy.
I'm not sure of the calorie count if you substitute the reduced fat crescent rolls, but I included it below and I put mine together a little different, but I included her directions too.


For Icing

1 1/2 teaspoon Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
1 teaspoon powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 drop vanilla extract
1 tablespoon Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme
1 tablespoon Cool Whip Free, thawed

For Danish

Half an 8-oz. tub fat-free cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
1 tablespoon light vanilla soymilk, I used skim milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
2 tablespoons mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 package Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations Seamless Dough Sheet, I used 2 tubes of reduced fat crescent rolls, I couldn't find the sheets

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make the icing, combine Splenda, powdered sugar, and cornstarch in a small microwave-safe bowl. Add vanilla extract and 1 1/2 tsp. cold water, and mix until ingredients have dissolved. Add Marshmallow Creme and microwave for 5 seconds, or until creme is soft enough to combine with mixture. Stir until smooth. Add Cool Whip and stir again, until evenly combined. Refrigerate until you're ready to ice the Danish.

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, Splenda, soymilk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon, and stir until thoroughly mixed. Fold in oats and chocolate chips, and set aside. This is your filling. Open the other tube of crescent rolls and lay it over the top.

Here's what I did for the crescent rolls- spray a cookie sheet with Pam. Lay out 1 tube of crescent rolls on the cookie sheet and pinch it together to make one sheet. Spread with the filling. Open the other tube of crescent rolls and lay it over the top. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Here are the directions if you use the sheets.

Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray. Lay out your dough on the sheet and (using a rolling pin, a can, or your hands) lightly roll it out into a long rectangle of even thickness. Arrange baking sheet so that the short sides are on the left and right and the long sides are on the top and bottom. Spoon filling lengthwise across the middle third of the dough, leaving 1-inch borders on the left and right of the filling.

Starting from the top, make vertical cuts -- about 1 inch apart -- along the top section of the dough, stopping about 1/2 inch above the filling. Repeat with the bottom section of the dough, cutting upward toward the filling. This will create 1-inch-wide strips of dough on both the top and bottom of the filling.

Alternate folding the 1-inch strips from the top and the bottom sections over the filling, covering it completely and creating a criss-crossed or "braided" appearance. After all the strips have been folded, fold the left and right sides of the dough in toward the filling, so filling cannot escape, and press firmly to seal.

Bake in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes, until pastry is crispy and light golden brown. Allow to cool completely.

Just before serving, drizzle entire Danish with icing. Cut into 8 slices and indulge! (P.S. Refrigerate leftovers.)

MAKES 8 SERVINGS


Serving Size: 1 slice
Calories: 141
Fat: 6g
Sodium: 313mg
Carbs: 18.5g
Fiber: 0.5g
Sugars: 6g
Protein: 4g

POINTS® value 3*