Knockout Brunch

• Icing
• 1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• 1 drop vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp. Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme
• 1 tbsp. Cool Whip Free, thawed
•  
• Danish
• Half an 8-oz. tub fat-free cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
• 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp. light vanilla soymilk (or your milk of choice)
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• 1 cup pitted unsweetened dark sweet cherries (fresh or thawed from frozen)
• 1 package refrigerated Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations Seamless Dough Sheet (or HG Alternative!)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray.

To make the icing, in a small microwave-safe bowl, combine powdered sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract, and 1 1/2 tsp. cold water. Mix until ingredients have dissolved. Add marshmallow creme and microwave for 5 seconds, or until creme is soft enough to fold into the mixture. Stir until smooth. Stir in Cool Whip. Cover and refrigerate.

To make the Danish, in a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, oats, granulated sugar, soymilk, and almond extract. Fold in cherries and set aside. This is your filling.

On the baking sheet, roll out dough into a large rectangle of even thickness. Arrange sheet with the short sides on the left and right. Spoon cherry filling lengthwise across the middle third of the dough, leaving 1/2-inch borders on the left and right.

Starting from the top, make 12 vertical cuts -- about 1 inch apart -- along the top section of the dough, stopping about 1/2 inch from the filling. Repeat with the bottom section of the dough. 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 over the filling, covering the filling completely and creating a crisscrossed, "braided" appearance. When you reach the last few strips, cross them toward the middle of the Danish. After all strips have been folded, fold the left and right sides of the dough in toward the filling, so the filling cannot escape, and pat firmly to seal.

Bake until crispy and golden brown, 15 - 20 minutes. Let cool completely.

Just before serving, stir icing and drizzle it over the Danish. Slice and enjoy! (Refrigerate leftovers.)

1. * A version of this recipe can be found in the "Crowd Pleasers" chapter of Hungry Girl 300 Under 300: 300 Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Dishes Under 300 Calories!

2. Hungry for More? Click here for the latest Danish recipe to come out of the HG kitchen -- Cinnamon Apple-Cranberry Danish! And here's another one (because we love you).

*The PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® values for these products and/or recipes were calculated by Hungry Girl and are not an endorsement or approval of the product, recipe, or its manufacturer or developer by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the PointsPlus® registered trademark and SmartPoints® trademark.