Apple Danish (Homemade Dough or Puff Pastry)

Apple Danish (Homemade Dough or Puff Pastry)

Indulge in a sweet and flaky treat with this homemade apple danish recipe. Buttery soft pastry dough, or puff pastry, is topped with apple pie feeling than baked to a golden brown. Finish it off with a drizzle of a simple powder sugar-based glaze.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Apple Pie Filling, Puff Pastry

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 20

Rising Time (If Using Homemade Dough) 12 45

Total Time 13 35

Servings

Calories 326kcal

Author Darcey Olson

Cost $15

Ingredients

PASTRY (Option #1 - Puff Pastry)

1 box puff pastry, 2 sheets *Note 1

PASTRY (Option #2 - Homemade Dough)

½ oz active dry yeast
½ cup milk, warmed to 110-115°F
6 cups all-purpose flour
⅓ cup granulated sugar
2 tsp salt
1 cup cold butter, cubed
1½ cups half and half cream, warmed to 70-80°F
6 egg yolks

FILLING

1 21 oz can apple pie filling *Note 2

GLAZE

3 cups powdered sugar
2 tbsp butter, softened
¼ tsp vanilla extract
4-5 tbsp half and half cream

Instructions

USING PUFF PASTRY

Remove the puff pastry from the freezer 30 minutes before using to defrost.
Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Use a rolling pin to gently roll the puff pastry into a 1/4" thick sheet. Use a sharp knife to cut each pastry sheet into 6 equal rectangles. Gently slice/score a 1/4" border around the edge of each rectangle - make sure you do not cut through the dough. Carefully transfer to the baking sheet.
Place 1/2 cup of apple pie filling down the center of each rectangle, inside the border area.
Whisk together 1 egg with a tbsp of water. Use a pastry brush to brush the crust with the egg wash.
Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 20-22 minutes.
While the danishes are cooking, make the glaze. In a medium sized mixing bowl, beat together the powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, salt and cream until your desired consistency is reached. Drizzle over the hot danishes.

USING HOMEMADE DOUGH

Place the warm milk in a small bowl and sprinkle the yeast over the top until frothy.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Cut in the cubed butter until crumbly.
Add the yeast mixture, cream and eggs to the flour/butter mixture and stir until a soft dough forms.
Refrigerate overnight (about 12 hours).
Punch down the dough and turn onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 4 equal sections.
Roll each section into a 18" x 4" rectangle and cut into 4" x 1" strips.
To form the danish, place two strips together and twist. Shape into a ring/circle and gently pinch the two ends together. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat until there is no more dough strips left. The danishes should be spaced 2" apart to allow for rising.
Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for about 45 minutes (in a warm place).
When ready to cook: preheat the oven to 350°F
Using your pointer finger, gently push down in the middle of each danish to form a small indentation for the apple filling. Top each danish with 1-1.5 Tbsp. of the apple filling.
Bake for 15-16 minutes until slightly browned. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack.
While the danishes are cooking, make the icing by beating the powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, salt and cream until your desired consistency is formed. Drizzle over the hot danishes.

Notes

Note 1 - If using puff pastry you do not need to make the homemade dough and vice versa.

Note 2 - Cherry pie filling, peach pie filling and blueberry pie filling also work well.

Nutritional information is only estimated and not exact. It's calculated using the homemade dough.

Nutrition