Christmas Crescent Ring

I saw Sandra Lee make this on the Food Network and thought it looked lovely. I made it this morning to go with our coffee, and it is delicious! The almond and raspberry flavors are fantastic together! This is easy, attractive and very tasty. You don't have to wait for Christmas to enjoy it!

• Ready In: 25 mins
• Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 2 (8 ounce) packages  crescent roll dough
• 1 (7 ounce) container  pure almond paste
• 1⁄4 cup  seedless red raspberry jam or 1⁄4 cup  cherry jam

• Glaze

• 1  cup powdered sugar
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons water
• 1⁄4 teaspoon  almond extract
•  sugar dipped cherries and small pear (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
3. Unroll crescent dough; separate along dough perforations into 16 triangles.
4. Overlap 8 dough triangles on prepared baking sheet, forming a 10-inch-diameter dough disk that looks like the sun with a hole in the middle.
5. Press edges together to seal the dough "disk".
6. Using a rolling pin, roll out almond paste between 2 sheets of waxed paper into a 9-inch diameter disk.
7. Place almond disk atop dough disk.
8. Spread jam over almond paste.
9. Using remaining 8 dough triangles, arrange second 10-inch diameter dough disk atop jam.
10. Pinch edges of dough disks to seal; tuck edges under.
11. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
12. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes.
13. While ring is baking, make glaze by stirring powdered sugar, water, and almond extract together in a medium bowl until smooth.
14. Drizzle half of glaze over warm crescent.
15. Let glaze set for 10 minutes and then drizzle remaining glaze over.
16. Decorate with sugar-dipped cherries and small pears, if desired.