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Kringle Recipe: How to Make a Cherry Almond Kringle

Written by MasterClass

Last updated: Jan 13, 2023 • 4 min read

This flaky Scandinavian pastry is like a giant ring-shaped danish you can slice and share with friends. Learn how to make it at home with an easy kringle recipe.

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What Is a Kringle?

A kringle is a ring-shaped Scandinavian pastry made from yeasted, layered dough, stuffed with filling, and topped with icing. Some popular fillings for this pastry include fruit, almond paste, chopped nut filling, and cream cheese. This buttery pastry made its way to the United States of America via Danish immigrants, who brought it to Wisconsin in the mid-nineteenth century. Today, kringle is the official state pastry of Wisconsin and a local tradition in Racine County, where the baked dessert usually takes the shape of a large oval ring. (A traditional Danish kringle is more pretzel-shaped.) Kringles are especially popular around Christmastime.

4 Tips for Making a Kringle

Follow these tips if it’s your first time making a kringle.

  1. 1. Use a food processor. To save time and energy, pulse the dry ingredients together in a food processor, followed by the butter for ten to twelve pulses. The dough comes together in a matter of seconds.
  2. 2. Swap in puff pastry for homemade dough. Another time-saving option is to use premade puff pastry from the freezer aisle instead of making kringle dough from scratch. It will still result in a flaky, buttery kringle with less preparation involved.
  3. 3. Return the dough to the fridge if it gets too sticky. The butter in pastry dough will melt if the dough becomes too warm, causing your dough to become sticky and challenging to handle. When this happens, sprinkle the dough with flour, cover it with plastic wrap, and return it to the fridge for at least fifteen minutes.
  4. 4. Experiment with different kringle flavors. Traditional kringle filings include sweetened almond paste, cream cheese, nuts, or fruit preserves. Try apple pie filling for a fall kringle or cream cheese and cherry preserves for a cherry cheese kringle. A raspberry kringle would be perfect for Valentine’s Day. Combine chopped pecans with brown sugar for an easy pecan kringle.

Cherry Almond Kringle Recipe

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3 Ratings | Rate Now

makes

prep time

35 min

total time

55 min

cook time

20 min

Ingredients

For the dough:

For the filling and assembly:

Note: The total time does not include up to 6 hours of inactive time.

Make the dough:

  1. 1

    In a large bowl, whisk the active dry yeast, sugar, and warm milk to dissolve. Set the bowl aside until the mixture bubbles, about 2–5 minutes.

  2. 2

    In a food processor, pulse together the flour, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cardamom.

  3. 3

    Add the butter and pulse until the largest butter chunks are no bigger than a pea and completely coated in flour.

  4. 4

    Add the egg to the milk mixture and whisk to combine.

  5. 5

    Slowly add the butter and flour mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until mostly combined.

  6. 6

    Use your hands to finish mixing, kneading, and pressing the dough until it comes together.

  7. 7

    Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 4 hours and up to 48 hours.

  8. 8

    Lightly flour a work surface and roll the chilled dough into an 8x16-inch rectangle.

  9. 9

    Fold the dough into thirds, bringing the short sides toward the center like a letter so that you have an 8-inch dough square.

  10. 10

    Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill it for 15 minutes.

  11. 11

    Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it back into an 8x16-inch rectangle.

  12. 12

    Repeat the folding and chilling process 2–3 more times to laminate your dough.

Make the filling and assemble:

  1. 1

    In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the almond paste, butter, and 2 tablespoons of the confectioners’ sugar until smooth, about 2 minutes.

  2. 2

    Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  3. 3

    Remove the chilled pastry dough from the fridge. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a 6x24-inch rectangle.

  4. 4

    Using a spoon, spread the almond paste mixture in a long, even strip down the middle of the pastry.

  5. 5

    Using a small spoon, dot the cherry preserves on top of the almond mixture all the way down the length of the pastry.

  6. 6

    Fold the sides of the dough over the filling to cover and pinch to seal the seam.

  7. 7

    Transfer the dough log to the prepared baking sheet, seam-side down.

  8. 8

    Connect the two ends of the filled dough to form an oval and pinch to connect the edges.

  9. 9

    Cover the kringle loosely with a clean, slightly damp towel, and let it rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

  10. 10

    Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

  11. 11

    In a small bowl, beat together the egg and 1 tablespoon of the water.

  12. 12

    Using a pastry brush or silicone brush, brush the egg wash over the oval pastry to coat the top.

  13. 13

    Bake the kringle until the top is light golden brown, 15–20 minutes.

  14. 14

    In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and the remaining tablespoon of warm water until the mixture is smooth and liquid.

  15. 15

    Drizzle the icing over the warm kringle and immediately top with slivered almonds. Serve warm or let the pastry cool to room temperature on the baking sheet.

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