Easy Apple Danish

Warm and sweet cinnamon apples covered in a buttery and flaky puff pastry crust, this Apple Danish recipe literally takes minutes to prepare!

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About This Recipe

This apple danish recipe is super quick and easy to make, It requires straightforward ingredients and can be made by anyone no matter the skill level. It’s perfect for breakfast or a late autumn brunch, or even for holiday parties!

For this recipe I used store-bought puff pastry dough sheets, they’re very easy to find in all supermarkets in the freezer section. The filling consists of a few simple ingredients but results in a mouthwatering and scrumptious cinnamon apple filling that I would eat just by itself! You could also use store-bought apple pie filling if your not in the mood to make it yourself.

What You Need To Make Apple Danish

Apples: tart apples work best for this recipe, I used 3 large granny smith apples for this recipe, some other options are Pink Lady and Honeycrisp. One thing to keep in mind is that your apples should not be soft and mushy, rather they should be nice and crisp!

Puff Pastry Dough: using store-bought puff pastry sheets makes this recipe quick and easy, just don’t forget to thaw them completely before starting the recipe using the packaging instructions.

Powdered Sugar & Milk: these are for making the icing to drizzle on the baked apple danish, this is optional but I highly recommend it.

Brown Sugar: I like to use brown sugar for the apple filling because it gives them a rich molasses flavor but you can always use granulated sugar.

Egg: It’s not in the picture above but a whisked egg brushed on the apple danish before being baked gives them a beautiful golden crust.

How To Make Apple Danish

Step 1: Prepare the apple filling.

In a small pot combine the butter and brown sugar, and melt on high heat while stirring. Add in the peeled and chopped apples and give it a mix. Finally, add some ground cinnamon and stir. Let this simmer on medium heat for 5-7 minutes until the apples are fully cooked and the juice released by the apples has slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and let the filling cool down.

Step 2: Divide the pastry dough sheet into 4 squares. Roll each square slightly then fold in each side to create a square bowl. See pic below.

Step 3: Repeat this process for the remaining pastry dough to make 12 squares.

Step 4: Fill each pastry square with 2-3 tablespoons of the apple filling. Whisk an egg with 1 tablespoon of water and brush over the side of the apple danish.

Step 5: Bake in an oven preheated at 180 °C / 350 °F for 20-22 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and fully baked. Let them cool slightly then transfer to a cooling rack to cool down completely.

Step 6: Combine powdered sugar, also known as confectioner’s sugar, and milk to form an icing. Drizzle over the cooled apple danish and enjoy!

Storing The Apple Danish

Although these pastries are best enjoyed when fresh you can store any leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a microwave for 30-60 seconds.

Pro Tips

Make sure to thaw the puff pastry sheets before starting the recipe. Remove the pastry sheets from the freezer and from the packaging at least 30 minutes before starting.
Preheat your oven! Baking the apple danish in a cold oven will result in them baking unevenly and you won’t get that perfectly golden brown crust!
Ensure that the apple filling is cool before adding it to the pastry.
Spread a tablespoon or 2 of softened cream cheese before adding the apple filling to make cream cheese apple danish!
To make mini apple danish, divide the pastry sheet into 8 squares into four and add 1 tablespoon of apple filling on each.
Make the apple filling ahead of time and store in the refrigerator so you have it ready to go.

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