Apple Danish

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This apple puff pastry danish is made with individual squares of buttery, flaky rough puff pastry topped with thinly sliced apples and a warm cinnamon sugar finish. The base stays crisp, the apples turn perfectly tender, and each square bakes up looking like it came from a proper bakery.

Prep Time25

Cook Time30

Total Time55

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 125kcal

Author: Katalin Nagy

Equipment

Ingredients

Apple Danish

2 packs Puff pastry Store-bought or 1 portion of my homemade rough puff pastry
4 Apples Granny smith
Lemon juice
100 g Granulated sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
4 tablespoons Almond flour
1 Egg for the egg wash
Splash of milk for the egg wash

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Prepare one portion of my rough puff pastry, or thaw store-bought puff pastry in the refrigerator until pliable but still cold.
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to roughly 3 mm (⅛ inch) thick. Cut into 8 equal squares, approximately 15 x 15 cm (6 x 6 inches) each. Transfer to two parchment-lined baking trays, spacing about 2 inches apart. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
Peel, core, and halve the apples. Slice each half thinly, about 2 to 3 mm (⅛ inch) thick, keeping the slices together. Sprinkle with lemon juice as you go. In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon until combined.
Working one square at a time, fold diagonally to form a triangle. Using a sharp knife, make one cut parallel to each of the two open sides of the triangle — start ½ inch (1.5 cm) from the base corner and stop ½ inch (1.5 cm) from the top point, leaving the point attached. Gently unfold back into a square.
Sprinkle ½ tablespoon of almond flour across the center of the square. Place one half apple on top. Lift the left-hand border strip and fold it diagonally across to the opposite side; repeat with the right-hand strip, crossing it over to frame the filling. Press gently where the strips cross.
Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the apple slices. Brush the pastry frame with egg wash.
Repeat with the remaining squares. Refrigerate or freeze the assembled danishes while preheating the oven to 200°C / 400°F (no fan).
Bake on the center rack for 30 to 35 minutes, until the border is deeply golden and well puffed and the apples are tender. Cover loosely with foil if browning too quickly. Check the base; it should be deep golden brown before removing. Cool on the tray for 5 minutes before serving.
Storage
Best served fresh on the day of baking. Store at room temperature for up to 1 day, or refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat at 180°C / 355°F for 6 to 8 minutes.
Make-ahead: cut and refrigerate the pastry squares up to 1 day ahead. Slice and refrigerate the apples separately. Assemble just before baking.

Notes

Ingredient notes

Use all-butter puff pastry only, whether store-bought or homemade. Pastry made with vegetable shortening lacks the butter flavor that makes these danishes worth making.
Granny Smith apples are the best choice here. Firm, tart, and low in water, so they hold their shape when sliced thin and baked raw. Braeburn or Pink Lady are the closest alternatives.
Use fine-ground almond flour, not almond meal, which is coarser and oilier. It is what keeps the base crisp, so do not skip it. Fine plain breadcrumbs work as a nut-free substitute.
See my full egg wash guide for ratios and dairy-free alternatives.

Technique notes

Keep the pastry as cold as possible throughout. If it warms up and becomes sticky at any point, return it to the fridge or freezer for a few minutes before continuing.
Leave the top point of the triangle attached when cutting. The cuts should stop about ½ inch (1.5 cm) from the point — this is what keeps the border strips joined after unfolding.
The oven must be fully preheated before the tarts go in. Use a digital oven thermometer if you have one, as most home ovens run hotter or cooler than the dial indicates.
Check the bottom of the pastry before removing from the oven. It should be deep golden brown throughout, not pale or doughy.

Nutrition