It's All About the Cheese Filling

I have a weakness for good cheese danish, or those cheese filled coffee-cakes. I love that cheese filling. It's been forever since I've found a good cheese danish in this town, and one day when I had a hankering I went looking for a recipe. I'm not about to attempt real pastry dough; it's very involved to do properly and I don't usually have that kind of time. Besides, it's really about the filling!

This recipe fills that desire quite well. Unlike the recipes I usually post, this recipe really had no redeeming value at all, except for the cheese filling! It's kind of a cross between a cake and a pastry.

Cheese Filled Coffee Cake

1 Package Dry Yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
1/4 Cup Lukewarm Water
1 Teaspoon Sugar
1 Egg -- lightly beaten
2 Cups Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
3/4 Cup Butter Or Margarine
---Filling--
2 Packages (8 Oz.)Cream Cheese -- softened
1 Cup Sugar
1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice

Mix yeast, water and sugar and let stand 10 minutes. Mix together flour and salt and cut in butter. Add egg to yeast mixture and add dry ingredients. Mix well. Divide dough into 2 pieces and roll out (on floured surface) into 2 8x10-inch rectangles. Mix filling ingredients together and spread down center of each rectangle. Fold long ends to cover filling, fold sides in. Flip over onto cookie sheet. Bake immediately for 25 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Cool. Sprinkle top with powdered sugar.

YUM!

Okay, because I feel guilty for pretty much eating one of those coffee cakes, single-handedly, let's try and make it a little less guilt-inducing:

Redeemed Cheese Filled Coffee Cake

1 Package Dry Yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
1/4 Cup Lukewarm Water
1 Teaspoon Sugar
1 Egg -- lightly beaten
1 Cup Flour
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
3/4 Cup Butter Or Margarine

---Filling 1--
2 Packages (8 Oz.) low-fat Cream Cheese or Newfchatel Cheese -- softened Splend or other low-calorie sugar substitute to equal 1 cup of sugar
1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice

--Filling 2--
1 Package (8 Oz.) low-fat Cream Cheese or Newfchatel Cheese -- softened Splend or other low-calorie sugar substitute to equal 1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
1 cup sugar-free fruit spread or preserves

Mix yeast, water and sugar and let stand 10 minutes. Mix together flour and salt and cut in butter. Add egg to yeast mixture and add dry ingredients. Mix well. Divide dough into 2 pieces and roll out (on floured surface) into 2 8x10-inch rectangles. Filling 1: Mix filling ingredients together and spread down center of each rectangle. Filling 2: Mix filling ingredients together except fruit. Spread half the filling on each square and top with fruit. Fold long ends to cover filling, fold sides in. Flip over onto cookie sheet. Bake immediately for 25 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Cool. Sprinkle top with powdered sugar.

This way we have whole grain, low-sugar, low-fat, and if you use the fruit filling a little bit of real fruit.

Oh, if you substitute butter flavor shortening for the butter you'll get a very pie-crust like result. I'll do that and make these Hostess Pie sized, because they travel well and make good "hand food."