
Kringle, a traditional Danish pastry (the word actually means “pretzel”) is one of my very favorite holiday treats. I used to only be able to find it at Christmastime, when we would go to Wight’s Home and Garden on the day after Thanksgiving and pick out a Christmas ornament. They would always serve hot coffee and kringle samples, which you could purchase for a whopping twenty-something dollars per kringle, which, incidentally, was totally worth it because it was soooo good.

Times have changed, and now you can buy a just as good kringle at Trader Joes during certain times of the year (almond at Christmas, raspberry at Easter, pecan at other times) for $7.99 which is a nice change.

But nothing, nothing compares to homemade.
Basically, kringle is a flaky, buttery pastry filled, often with almond paste, often with fruit, and formed into a ring or a rectangle, and then covered with a glaze. This was my first time making it homemade, and I can’t wait to try filling this dough with other things.
I used a Dalmatia Sour Cherry spread for mine. I love their stuff. Homemade cherry pie filling would be fabulous, if you have the time. Apple would be good. Almond. Cinnamon butter. The possibilities are endless.
I adapted this recipe from Serious Eats. At first, I was pretty worried watching it bake. It looked questionable there for a moment. Filling was oozing out around the edges, it was bubbling and oozing a lot, but I persevered, and as time went on, it started to look absolutely perfect. I did need to cook mine for longer than was recommended in the recipe. Mine went for closer to 20-25. You’ll know it’s done when it is a golden brown on the outside.
Ingredients:
- For the Kringle:
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick salted butter, chilled
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 cup sour cherry jam
- For the Icing:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
- In a small bowl mix together sour cream and vanilla. Set aside.
- Using a pastry blender or (several pulses with a food processor) cut together flour and butter so butter is reduced to small pea-sized bits. Stir in sour cream mixture. Blend well to form a dough. Make into a disk, flatten slightly, and cover and chill at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. In a small bowl whisk together egg and sugar for your egg wash. Set aside. On a floured work surface, roll out dough disk into a long rectangle. Spread filling down center in a thin strip leaving two inches clear on each side and an inch and a half at both ends. Fold sides over center then fold ends up, press lightly to seal. Leave in a rectangle or form into a ring. Place on a parchment lined jelly roll pan (don’t use a flat cookie sheet, or you’ll get a mess in your oven.) Brush with egg wash.
- Bake for10 to 15 minutes (mine took more like 20) or until golden brown. Drizzle icing over warm kringle. Cool on wire rack. Store in a covered container. Best within a day.
Yum! I came for the Mimi’s recipes but I’m glad I stayed to browse! Mimi’s is one of my favorite Disneyland area restaurants too!