This recipe is from my father-in-law’s mother who was born and raised in Denmark. It is a wonderful holiday pastry treat that is both beautiful and delicious. Plan your dough at least 1 to 2 days in advance. Making the dough is very simple. It takes just a few minutes to prepare and refrigerate. Creating the kringle takes more time, but it is worth it!
Original recipe makes 3 braids
Ingredients
1 cup butter
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 cup sour cream
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups chopped English walnuts, divided
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons water
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PREP
45 mins
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COOK
30 mins
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READY IN
13 hrs 15 mins
Directions
- In a large bowl, cut 1 cup butter into flour until crumbly, leaving pea-sized chunks. Stir in sour cream, and mix well; dough will be very sticky. Form dough into a ball. Cover tightly, and refrigerate 8 hours, or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet. Prepare the filling by combining 1 cup butter, brown sugar, and 1 cup chopped walnuts.
- Divide dough into three equal parts; return two parts to the refrigerator to keep cold. Quickly form 1/3 of the dough into a rectangle, and flour lightly. On a heavily floured surface, roll out to approximately 12×17 inches. Position lengthwise on the work surface. Along the long edges of the dough rectangle, use a sharp knife to cut 4 inch long angled lines about 1/2 inch apart. Spoon 1/3 of the filling along the length of the rectangle’s uncut center. Alternating from one side of the dough to the other, fold each 1/2 inch wide strip towards the center, crisscrossing the filling in a braid-like fashion. Lightly press together the ends of the strips to seal. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the remaining walnuts. Repeat with remaining ingredients to form 3 braided danishes. Arrange danishes on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Cool for approximately 30 minutes. While the danishes are cooling, prepare the icing: mix confectioners sugar and water until smooth. Drizzle in fine streams over warm danishes.
Nutrition
Calories: 411 kcal
Carbohydrates: 35.2 g
Cholesterol: 60 mg
Fat: 29.6 g
Fiber: 1 g
Protein: 3.6 g
Sodium: 157 mg