NORWEGIAN CREAM PUFF PRETZEL

NORWEGIAN CREAM PUFF PRETZEL

Norwegian friends love to make a quick coffeecake this way. Often they spread cream-puff paste on a base of flaky pastry to make what they call "Danish." (This recipe omits the base pastry, which is found in the recipe for Walesbrod.) The paste is pressed through a pastry bag to make a pretzel, the shape of which on a storefront indicates to Scandinavians that baked goods are sold inside.

Makes 12. servings    

1 cup water 1\2 cup butter 1 cup all-purpose flour 4 eggs

FILLING (OPTIONAL)   

1/2 cup finely pulverized almonds 1/2 cup chopped golden raisins 1/2 cup sugar

ICING    

1 1\2 cups powdered sugar 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice grated rind of 1 lemon 1 teaspoon softened butter

In a saucepan, bring water and butter to a boil. Remove from heat and add flour all at once. Stir quickly. Place back on heat and stir until it forms a ball. Beat in the eggs one at a time, remove from heat, and cool.

Combine the filling ingredients, if desired, and set aside. Preheat oven to 42.5°F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease generously.

Turn paste into a large pastry bag and press out onto a baking sheet in the form of a large pretzel.

Or, using a spoon, you may drop spoonfuls in the design of a pretzel. If you choose to add the filling, press small, evenly spaced spoonfuls of it onto the top of the pretzel. Bake for 2.0 minutes, reduce heat to 32.5°?, and bake 15 minutes longer, until the pastry is golden. Check for doneness by pressing to see if it feels firm. Do not overbake. Remove from oven and cool on a rack or serving plate. Drizzle with the icing while pretzel is still a little warm.

For the icing, combine the powdered sugar with enough lemon juice to make a smooth, rather thin mixture. Add the lemon rind and blend in the butter. To serve, cut into chunks. how to make chex mix