Cinco de Mayo is such a fun 'holiday'. When else do you get to have an excuse to drink a margarita at any time of day? Okay, so maybe if you are in Mexico or use the "it's 5 o'clock somewhere" excuse, you already drink margaritas at any hour. But to me, today means yummy mexican food, drinks and dessert. Usually we don't do dessert on Cinco de Mayo, but I found a fun idea that is great if you're short on time.
Sopapilla is a traditional Mexican bread, usually fried. It can be served as a dessert by adding honey to the fried sopapilla. If you visit the Cactus restaurants in the Seattle area, they serve a similar appetizer called "Navajo Fry Bread with Amber Honey" (which tasted more dessert-y than appetizer to me, and was fantastic).
I found a sopapilla style recipe, but using cream cheese for a more hearty flavor. It is about as fast to make as any dessert I know, aside from scooping ice cream... And no frying necessary! Plus, it could be used as a special breakfast treat in addition to dessert item. I guess we'll call this recipe Creamy Sopapilla? Or Sopapilla Dessert (or Breakfast) Bars?
Grab a container of Pillsbury (or store brand) crescent roll dough. Carefully unroll the dough and divide in half (four 'triangles' per half) and pinch any seams together so you end up with two square pieces of raw dough. Lay one square in an ungreased 8x8" baking dish. Set the other square aside. You may need to stretch the dough a bit to get it to cover the bottom of the dish.
Take one 8oz package of cream cheese and soften in the microwave (keep a close eye on it while heating... maybe 1-2 minutes at half power). Mix in 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tsp good vanilla. Spread over the dough in pan.
Melt a couple tablespoons of butter and spread across the dough, then sprinkle with some sugar and cinnamon. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned and slightly firm.
Let it cool slightly before cutting and serving. I cut in to nine squares and served with a small scoop of chocolate ice cream. This dessert was a big hit and I plan to make it again for our Mother's Day fiesta next weekend.
Other ice cream flavors that would be tasty are coconut, mexican chocolate and dulce de leche. Don't skimp on these ice cream flavors... go with a brand that uses fresh ingredients so the flavor isn't flat.
*This recipe can be doubled. Just use a 9x13" pan, 2 cans of crescent rolls, 2 8oz packages of cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons good vanilla, and about 1/4 c melted butter.
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