Pie Crust Kringle

I’m on a constant quest for my next Cheap Bastid creation.  Sometimes I stumble across something and sometimes I don’t.  So recently I came across something that extolled the virtues of the convenience of store-bought refrigerated pie crust for a Danish Kringle recipe.

And I thought to myself—“Self, you can do that and save a bunch by making up a batch of your lard pie crust.”  This was a recipe for a Danish Kringle using pecans, brown sugar and butter as a filling.

So, a couple of things come to mind.  I did a search for the ingredients in refrigerated pie crust.  My homemade crust has flour, salt, lard and water (and rather than lard you can use butter or shortening or cooking oil).  The ingredient list for the most popular brand of refrigerated pie crust lists a dozen ingredients.  That alone kind of puts me off.

And I also checked out “real” Danish Kringle recipes.  It’s a multi-step process that can take up to 3 days of rolling and folding dough to build up layers of buttery pastry which sounds incredible but which is way beyond Cheap Bastid’s skill and patience level.

But, I’m always interested in creating new dishes, especially desserts that are homemade and fill the category of “special”.  And this fits both of those.  Plus, it’s not going to hurt my feelings at all if you’d rather use refrigerated/store-bought pie crust to make this.  It’s going to add to the price, of course, but it’s going to reduce time and a bit of aggravation.

The other thing, is that I had a pound of fresh pecans in the freezer courtesy of my Mom who for the last 35 years or so has been the matriarch of her church’s annual pecan sale to raise money to help out needy families.  Mom sent me a couple of bags last December and this was a good use of some of it.  And there should still be enough for my homemade Cheap Bastid pecan pie that I’ll make for my birthday later this month.

Oh, and last but not least, I went just a little bit more decadent with this.  It’s Chocolate-Pecan Pie Crust Kringle.  And it’s goooooood!

Recipe: Pie Crust Kringle

Summary: Here’s an inexpensive and quicker way to treat your family with a version of Danish Kringle. This chocolate pecan confection is really tasty!

Preparation time: 30 minute(s)

Cooking time: 20 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 6

This was a bit of work because it was the first time I made it.  But it was really, really tasty.  A little like a chocolate-pecan pie.  And you can make any filling you want for it—fruit, cream cheese, etc.  This can be a dessert or it could be a weekend breakfast pastry.  With all due respect to the Danish bakers out there, it’s easier and faster than traditional Danish pastry—although not as flaky and delicate.

Give it a try.  You’ll enjoy it and so will your family.

The Cheap Bastid Test:  Let’s see, the pecans were free but they’re about $8/lb at the grocery store and I used about $2.50 worth.  The pastry uses about $.50 worth of ingredients and the other filling ingredients cost about $1.50.  Total price:  $4.50 for a dessert or breakfast pastry that serves 4-5 people.

That’s the Cheap Bastid Way:  Eat Good. Eat Cheap. Be Grateful!