Apple Danish

Looking for a tasty breakfast treat? Look no further than this easy Apple Danish recipe! These easy danish feature layers of flaky pastry and a sweet homemade apple filling, making them a perfect sweet start to your day.

What’s in an Apple Danish?

Looking for a sweet and simple treat? These easy apple danish are made using buttery puff pastry filled with a sweet apple filling. They’re a modern variation of a Danish pastry that originated in Denmark.

Easy Apple Danish Recipe

Apples have never been sweeter or easier to prepare than in these delicious Apple Danish. Channel your inner baker with light and crispy puff pastry, topped with soft, sweet homemade apple pie apples with a hint of cinnamon and a simple confectioners sugar glaze. Celebrate autumn and apple season with these handheld pastries.

Checkout this quick list of ingredients you’ll need to make easy homemade Apple Danish: (Scroll down for full printable recipe card.)

• Pastry – Frozen puff pastry forms the pastry for these apple danish.
• Apples – Granny Smith apples have a tart flavor that holds up well to the cooking process for the filling.
• Sugar – Granulated sugar for sweetness.
• Liquid – A small amount of water adds moisture to cook the apples.
• Cornstarch – Thickens the apple mixture.
• Spices – Ground cinnamon or apple pie spice, 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg (omit if using apple pie spice).
• Butter – Salted or unsalted butter for a rich flavor.
• Whole Egg – You’ll need one large egg for the egg wash.
• Powdered Sugar Glaze – Powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar) and heavy cream or whole milk.

How to Make the BEST Apple Danish Recipe

• Make the Apple Filling – Cook diced apples with sugar, water, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook per the recipe then add butter. Stir to combine.
• Heat Oven and Prepare Pan – Preheat the oven to 375°F.  Line a large sheet pan or two standard sheet pans with parchment paper
• Puff Pastry – Thaw puff pastry rolling to roughly roughly 12×14-inches rectangle. Cut into strips twisting each strip. Pinch the ends of 2 strips together to create one long strip then twist.
• Form the Danish – Wind the twisted strip into a spiral and place circles onto the pan. Repeat with the remaining strips, pressing two strips together, then twist and form into a circle.
• Form the Centers – Push down the middle of each pastry, creating a little well. 
• Assemble – Spoon the cooked apples into the center of each pastry. Brush exposed puff pastry with egg wash.
• Oven – Bake per the recipe cool on the pan for 5 minutes then move the danishes to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Drizzle with glaze and enjoy!

Kitchen Equipment to Make Puff Apple Danish Pastry

• Large baking sheet pans. You’ll need two lined with a sheet of parchment paper.
• Medium saucepan for making the apple filling.
• Apple corer and peeler or sharp knife and chopping board.
• Measuring cups and spoons.
• Pastry brush and small bowl plus a whisk for the egg wash.
• Wire rack.

Recipe Variations, Tips and Substitutions

• Puff Pastry – You can find puff pastry in the freezer section of your local grocery store.  It is usually kept where you find whipped topping or frozen fruit and pie crusts. 
• Follow Package Directions for Thawing – When using frozen puff pastry, you should follow the package directions for thawing it properly. If your puff pastry is refrigerated, keep it chilled until ready to use, or per the package recommendation. Frozen puff pastry usually takes between 20 and 30 minutes to thaw and refrigerated puff pastry can be used straight from the fridge.
• Apples – If you can’t find Granny Smith apples, substitute another firm apple like Honeycrisp, Gala, JonaGold or Bramley.
• Make the Apple Mixture in Advance – For a timesaver, you can make the apple danish filling in advance and chill it until assembling the danish.
• Spices – There’s plenty of room to customize these easy apple danishes. You can use other spices for the filling of these easy danish recipe such as ground ginger and cardamom in addition to the cinnamon ands nutmeg. You could also add chopped nuts like almonds, pecans or walnuts to the apple pie filling and drizzle the top with a cream cheese glaze. You could also use fresh peaches to turn these into a homemade peach danish.
• Apple Pie Filling – If there’s no time to make your pie filling from scratch, you can use a quality canned apple pie filling. You’ll need to chop the apple slices in the can.

Storage and Leftovers

• Freezer – You can freeze these danish in an airtight container or Ziploc bag for up to 3 months.  Try to avoid stacking the danish.  If you need to stack them, place a piece of parchment paper between them. Thaw in the refrigerator.
• Leftovers – Store leftover apple danish in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days and chilled in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
• Reheating Apple Danish – You can reheat individual danish in the microwave in short bursts. You could also reheat in a preheated 350°F oven. The glaze may melt when reheating. Feel free to glaze it again before serving!

More Apple Recipes to Make

• Start your day with a stack of Apple Pancakes.
• Southern Fried Apples can be served as a side dish or a topping for pancakes and pound cake.
• Easy Fried Apple Pies just like Mom used to make.
• Apple Pie Bars are a must-make fall dessert.
• These glazed Apple Fritters are impossible to resist.
• Sweet Harvest Apple Bread.
• Crockpot Apple Dump Cake with vanilla ice cream is comfort food for dessert.
• Apple Jelly from Kraft.

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

• Cooling Racks
• Measuring Set
• Sheet Pan
• Saucepan