Raspberry Kringle

Raspberry Kringle! A beautiful version of the traditional Danish pastry, this kringle is less time-consuming and just as delicious. Filled with fresh, plump raspberries and drizzled with an almond-scented glaze and melted white chocolate, it makes a wonderful pastry to serve for a holiday brunch.

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Raspberry Kringle is the holiday show stopper you didn’t know you needed for your Christmas breakfast buffet.

I discovered this recipe for a classic Kringle pastry a few years ago and have since then adapted it and made several variations that have never let me down. Based off of the traditional Danish Kringle pastry (but made a bit more easily) this beautiful treat is made from basic ingredients, but is far from boring!

Fresh raspberries are enveloped in a buttery dough then finished with a white chocolate and almond-scented drizzle and a flurry of sliced almonds.

Looking for more Christmas breakfast ideas? Try my Eggnog Danish Kringle, Cranberry Streusel Coffee Cake or Spiced Pear Oatmeal Bake!

What is a Kringle?

A Danish Kringle is a classic pastry hailing from Denmark, made with a delicate, buttery dough filled with a variety of fillings such as almond paste, fruits, or nuts.

Its distinctive oval or pretzel-shaped design, sometimes topped with icing or glaze, makes it a beloved treat in the US, especially in the Midwest (specifically, Racine, Wisconsin the home of O&H Danish Bakery), where it’s savored as a delightful breakfast or dessert option.

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter
• All-purpose flour
• Sea salt
• Cold water
• Raspberries
• Eggs
• Vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
• White chocolate chips
• Coconut oil (or neutral oil like canola)
• Confectioners’ sugar
• Half and half cream (or milk)
• Almond extract
• Sliced almonds

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

For the bottom layer:

In a stand mixer or (large bowl with a pastry blender), blend cold butter, flour, and salt until crumbly.

Add cold water and mix until it forms a smooth dough.

Wet your hands and shape 1/4 of the dough into a rope, forming an oval ring on the baking sheet.

Repeat with another 1/4 of the dough, connecting it to the first to create a closed oval.

Flatten slightly and top evenly with halved raspberries.

For the top layer:

Heat water, butter, and salt in a saucepan until boiling. Quickly stir in flour until it forms a dough.

Transfer to a bowl and let it cool slightly. Beat in eggs one at a time and add vanilla bean paste.

Spread this batter over the bottom layer evenly.

Bake for 50-60 minutes until golden brown, then let it cool.

Prepare the toppings:

For white chocolate drizzle: Microwave white chocolate chips and coconut oil in short intervals until smooth.

For the glaze: Mix confectioners’ sugar, half & half, and almond extract until pourable.

Once the Kringle is cool:

Drizzle melted white chocolate over it, followed by the almond glaze.

While the drizzle is still wet, sprinkle sliced almonds on top.

Let the drizzle set if desired and add extra raspberries for garnish before serving.

Recipe FAQ’s

Variations & Substitutions

Try these variations!

• Apple Cinnamon Kringle: Add a layer of spiced apple pie filling between the dough and top. Drizzle with a vanilla glaze and top with chopped nuts for added texture.

• Chocolate Hazelnut Kringle: Spread or pipe a layer of chocolate-hazelnut spread over the bottom dough. Drizzle with a dark chocolate ganache and sprinkle chopped toasted hazelnuts on top.

• Pumpkin Spice Kringle: Make a filling of 1/4 cup pumpkin puree blended with 1/2 a block of cream cheese and 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice and spread over the bottom layer. Top with a cream cheese glaze flavored with a hint of maple syrup.

Raspberry Kringle

Raspberry Kringle! A beautiful version of the traditional Danish pastry, this kringle is less time-consuming and just as delicious. Filled with fresh, plump raspberries and drizzled with an almond-scented glaze and melted white chocolate, it makes a wonderful pastry to serve for a holiday brunch.

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Course Dessert

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Servings 8 servings

Author Dianna Muscari

Ingredients  

Bottom layer:

• ½ cup {8 tablespoons} cold unsalted butter
• 1 cup flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup cold water
• 6 ounces raspberries rinsed, dried and halved

Top layer:

• 1 cup water
• ½ cup {8 tablespoons} unsalted butter
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup flour
• 3 eggs room temp
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste {or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract}

For White Chocolate Drizzle

• ½ cup white chocolate chips
• 1½ teaspoons coconut oil {or neutral oil like canola}

For Almond-Scented Glaze

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons half and half cream or milk
• 3 drops almond extract
• ¼ cup sliced almonds
• Optional: Extra raspberries for garnish

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Make bottom layer of kringle:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer {or in a large bowl}, beat together cold butter, flour and salt until it becomes crumbly. Add cold water and beat until it forms a smooth, soft dough.
• Now comes the tricky part: Wet your hands and scoop out about 1/4 of the dough. Mold it as well as you can into a “rope” and place on the lined baking sheet. Keep in mind, the end goal here is to form an oval ring shape that is about 12 inches long and 8 inches wide.
• Wet your hands and scoop out another 1/4 of the dough and do the same thing, attempting to connect to the previous piece and slowly forming that oval ring shape.
• Continue to wet hands and arrange the dough until it forms a completely closed oval, then pat it down slightly to flatten it out to about 1 1/2 inches wide.
• Top it with the halved raspberries, as evenly distributed as possible, pressing lightly to adhere them to the dough.

Make the top layer:

• In a small saucepan, heat the water, butter and salt over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil. {Be careful, once it boils it'll bubble over quickly if you're not paying attention.}
• Dump in the flour all at once and stir it in quickly until it comes together into a dough.
• Scoop the mixture into a large bowl {you can use the same one that you used for the other bowl} and beat it for about 30 seconds to let out some of the heat, then add the eggs one by one, stopping after each addition is fully incorporated. Add the vanilla bean paste and mix to fully incorporate.
• Scoop the batter out and spread it over the top of the bottom layer ring shape with your spatula, covering the raspberries and the dough completely. {You can also scoop the batter into a zip top bag and snip a large opening to easily pipe the dough out over top to make it easier to distribute it evenly.}
• Bake for about 50 minutes to 1 hour until the kringle is golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool completely. While the kringle is baking, prepare your drizzle and glaze.

For white chocolate:

• Simply place the white chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small, microwave-proof bowl and heat in 15 second intervals, stopping to stir. Continue to do so until completely smooth. Set aside.

For the glaze:

• Beat together the confectioners' sugar, half & half and almond extract until a thick, but pourable, consistency is reached. {You may want to pour in a little bit of the liquid at a time until you get the right consistency. If it becomes too runny, just add more sugar.}
• When the kringle is completely cool, drizzle with the melted white chocolate, followed by the almond glaze. While the drizzle is still slightly wet, sprinkle the sliced almonds over the top. Allow the drizzle to set, if desired. Garnish with extra raspberries before serving.

Dianna’s Tips

Variations

• Apple Cinnamon Kringle: Add a layer of spiced apple pie filling between the dough and top. Drizzle with a vanilla glaze and top with chopped nuts for added texture.

• Chocolate Hazelnut Kringle: Spread or pipe a layer of chocolate-hazelnut spread over the bottom dough. Drizzle with a dark chocolate ganache and sprinkle chopped toasted hazelnuts on top.

• Pumpkin Spice Kringle: Make a filling of 1/4 cup pumpkin puree blended with 1/2 a block of cream cheese and 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice and spread over the bottom layer. Top with a cream cheese glaze flavored with a hint of maple syrup.