Cherry Strudel

Ingredients

Filling:

• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 4 cups pitted, tart, fresh or frozen, thawed cherries
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• 1/3 cup water
• 2 tsp. grated lemon or orange zest
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla or almond extract
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

Pastry:

• 8 sheets of phyllo pastry, thawed if frozen
• 3 Tbsp. butter, melted

Topping:

• 1 Tbsp. confectioners' sugar

Directions

To prepare filling, in a medium saucepan, mix together granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cornstarch. Stir in cherries, water, lemon zest, and vanilla.. Cook over medium heat until bubbling and thickened. Reduce heat to low, add allspice and cinnamon, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Cool completely. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet.

To prepare pastry, unfold sheets of phyllo so they lie flat. Stack 4 sheet on plastic wrap. Brush top sheet with 1 Tbsp. melted butter. Keep remaining sheets covered with plastic wrap and a damp cloth to prevent them drying out. Spread half filling along a short side of top pastry sheet. Starting with short side and using plastic wrap as a guide, roll up pastry, jellyroll style. Fold ends under.

Place strudel, seam-side down, on prepared baking sheet. Brush with 1/2 Tbsp. melted butter. Repeat with remaining phyllo, melted butter, and filling to make a second strudel. Bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Transfer strudels to a cutting board to cool completely. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

By Robin from Washington, IA