Cranberry Chocolate Braid

1a. Make the filling first to give it time to cool. Mix the water and sugar in a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the cranberries and bring back to a boil, reduce the heat slightly and let it cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour into a heat safe bowl like a Pyrex and let it cool in the fridge while you make the dough.

1. Preheat your oven to 425 F.

2. In a bowl/food processor, blend together or cut in using a pastry cutter the flour, baking powder, salt, cream cheese and butter. Add the milk and vanilla extract and mix until the dough just comes together. It will be loose/crumbly.

3. Flour your work space generously. Pour the dough on the floured surface and gently knead it 4-5 times. The dough will still be pretty “rough” looking. Don’t over work the dough! That’s the important part.

4. Between 2 sheets of wax paper or 1 big sheet of parchment paper roll the dough into a 8 x 12 rectangle. (I placed mine on a piece of parchment paper and used a well floured rolling pin to roll it out, but then I just left it on the parchment paper during baking and it slid right off at the end.)

5. Once you have it as a rectangle, cut about 2 inch long x 1 inch wide strips down each side at an angle. Leave a 3-4 inch aisle down the center to spread your filling.

6. Spread the filling down the center of the dough and fold the strips over it alternating sides, in a basket weave fashion. Transfer the parchment paper and pastry onto a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove it from the oven, pick up the parchment paper with the pastry on top and let it cool on a wire rack.

7. Once your dough has cooled slightly to room temperature, add the chocolate chips and milk into a microwave safe dish. Heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds and stir together until smooth. If it’s too liquidy add some chocolate chips and stir in until melted to thicken it. Then using a knife end or a fork, or whatever you like, drizzle the chocolate over the pastry. Licking the bowl clean is optional.

* We ate this cold and loved it!

Enjoy!

Adapted from Willow Bird Baking for her Challenge Series).