Very Cherry Crescent Ring
A delightful dessert combining maraschino cherries and creamy cheesecake wrapped in flaky crescent roll dough, perfect for brunch or family dessert nights.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 320kcal
Ingredients
Filling and Topping
- 1 jar (10 ounces) maraschino cherries, drained well and chopped
- 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans
- 2 tubes (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent rolls
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 to 2 tablespoons 2 percent milk
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (for icing)
- to taste pieces additional pecans (for garnish)
Instructions
Preparation
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius).
- Reserve 3 tablespoons of the chopped cherries for topping later.
- In a mixing bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese, sugar, and almond extract until smooth. Gently stir in the remaining chopped cherries and chopped pecans.
- On a lightly floured surface, unroll the crescent dough into one long rectangle, pressing the perforations to seal. Fold the dough lengthwise in half and roll it into an 18 x 12-inch rectangle.
- Carefully spread the cherry-cream cheese filling over the dough, leaving about 1 inch of space from the edges.
- Roll the dough up tightly, jelly-roll style, starting from one long side. Pinch the seam to seal and transfer the rolled dough to a greased baking sheet, placing it seam side down. Shape it into a ring and pinch the ends to seal.
- Using kitchen scissors, make cuts in the ring, about 1 inch apart, cutting two-thirds of the way through. Twist each section slightly to expose the filling.
Baking
- Bake the crescent ring in your preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 to 30 minutes. If it browns too quickly, cover with foil.
- Once baked, carefully remove the ring from the baking sheet and transfer it to a wire rack to cool.
Icing and Garnish
- In a separate bowl, mix the confectioners' sugar, milk, and almond extract until smooth. Spoon this icing over the warm ring.
- Top with the reserved cherries and sprinkle additional pecans over the icing.
Notes
Consider serving with fresh fruit or whipped cream. You can prepare the filling and shape the ring the night before and store it in the refrigerator until ready to bake.