Around this time last year, my 7-year-old and I scoured Pinterest looking for the perfect Christmas breakfast. We settled on a recipe for lemon buns that looked amazing. Then proceeded to spend four hours making them.
Guess how they turned out?
Gooey. Drippy. Tasty but a totally laughable mess.
This year, we’re making one of these 3-ingredient pastry rings. I love baking from scratch but sometimes having a young family (in our case, four kids under the age of nine) means taking shortcuts for success. You know, physically and emotionally.
One of the things I want my kids to have is confidence in the kitchen. To spend a little time on something and experience the satisfaction of feeding something wonderful to people you love. It’s not gourmet and not particularly healthy, but this starter recipe is sure to please. And every once in a while, that kind of shortcut is worth its weight in frosting.
In fact, our shortcut pastry rings are easier, more reliable and actually less expensive to make than last year’s scratch recipe.
Plus, they’re delicious.
What you need to make shortcut Danish pastry
- Crescent rolls
- Pie filling
- Icing
Optional: Nuts or sprinkles
How to make shortcut Danish pastry
Technique 1:
- Open a can of crescent dough. Separate the triangles.
- Apply pie filling generously.
- Carefully roll individual crescent shapes.
- Arrange in a ring on a VERY WELL GREASED pan.
- Bake at 375 degrees F for 15-17 minutes.
- Carefully move to a platter (Tip: Because they’re individually baked and only nestled next to each other yet not connected, your rolls can actually be moved one or two at a time. Just reassemble the ring on your platter.)
- Drizzle with icing. I bought this bottle but you could certainly combine powdered sugar and water and get exactly the same result!
- Optional: Top with chopped or slivered nuts.
Technique 2:
- Open a can of crescent dough. Arrange dough in a ring on your VERY WELL GREASED pan, like a star.
- Apply pie filling generously.
- Roll the tips up and over the filling, tucking them into the dough underneath the other side.
- Bake at 375 degrees F for 15-17 minutes.
- Carefully move to a platter (Tip: Consider using a parchment sheet on your pan, which would allow an easier transfer to a platter.)
- Drizzle with icing. I bought this bottle but you could certainly combine powdered sugar and water and get exactly the same result!
- Optional: Top with chopped or slivered nuts.
3-Ingredient Shortcut Breakfast Pastries in Cherry & Apple
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
Ingredients
- 1 can of crescent rolls
- 1 can of pie filling
- 1 tube of icing
- Optional: nuts or sprinkles
Instructions
- Either separate the triangles, apply pie filling generously, carefully roll individual crescent shapes and arrange in a ring on a VERY WELL GREASED pan OR arrange crescent dough in a ring on your VERY WELL GREASED pan, like a star. Apply pie filling generously. Roll the tips up and over the filling, tucking them into the dough underneath the other side.
- Bake at 375 degrees F for 15-17 minutes.
- Carefully move to a platter.
- Drizzle with icing.
- Optional: Top with chopped or slivered nuts.
Not bad for three or four ingredients, right?
p.s. Another contender for Christmas breakfast is the classic Dutch Baby. And unlike most, our recipe makes enough for a hungry crowd!
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