Swirled and Moist

I whipped up another batch of Paula Dean's Almond Danish Swirls yesterday to sooth myself and my aching head (bond-ratings! alternative capital financing strategies, pork! pork! pork!) with every intention of eating every last one. From the ingredient list, that's two full tubes of cresent rolls and a whole package of cream cheese mind you. Loveless chicks with spoons and pints of Ben & Jerry's have nothing on me.

I had a change of plans about half way through this orgy though, when the glob of confectioner's sugar glaze I licked off the back of my hand turned out to be the Neutrogena moisturizer I had just slathered on. Brought up short by this assult on my hungry inner child and left with a taste of Alpha Hydroxy well into the evening, I saved myself the estimated 2534 calories left in the almond swirls and packed them away for another day.

Almond Danish Swirls
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup slivered almonds, chopped fine
2 (8-ounce) cans refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 egg white
1 teaspoon water

Glaze:
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
4 teaspoons milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, almond extract, and sugar until fluffy. Fold half of the chopped almonds into the cream cheese mixture. Separate 1 can of dough and assemble into 4 rectangles. Firmly press the perforations to seal. Press or roll each piece of dough to form a 7 by 4-inch rectangle, and spread each with about 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese filling to within 1/4-inch of the edges. Starting at the short end, roll each rectangle tightly into a cylinder. Repeat with the other can of dough and remaining filling.

Place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F while the rolls are chilling.

Remove from the refrigerator and cut each roll into 4 slices. Place 1/2-inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. In a small bowl, combine the egg white with 1 teaspoon water. Brush over the swirls. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped almonds. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until light brown.

While the swirls are baking, combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Cool the swirls for 3 minutes on wire racks placed over a sheet of waxed paper. Drizzle the icing over the warm swirls.