Description
Apple Danish Two Ways offers a delicious twist on a classic pastry, featuring crescent roll and puff pastry variations filled with apple pie and cream cheese.
Ingredients
Scale
- For Crescent Roll Danishes:
- 2 tubes refrigerated crescent rolls (8 total triangles; each tube yields 4 rectangles)
- 570 g canned apple pie filling
- 28 g butter, melted
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 8 g ground cinnamon
- 60 g powdered sugar
- 5 ml vanilla extract
- 10–15 ml milk
- For Puff Pastry Danishes with Cream Cheese:
- 1 box (490 g) puff pastry, thawed just until pliable
- 1 can (570 g) apple pie filling or homemade apple pie filling
- 226 g cream cheese, softened
- 67 g granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk, room temperature
- 5 ml fresh lemon juice
- 5 ml vanilla extract
- 1 whole egg, beaten (for egg wash)
- 30 ml water (for egg wash)
- 60 g powdered sugar (for glaze)
- 2.5 ml vanilla extract (for glaze)
- 15 ml milk (for glaze)
- For Apple Pie Filling (from scratch):
- 5 Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled, diced
- 354 ml water
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 32 g cornstarch
- 8 g ground cinnamon
- 15 ml fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment or lightly grease with non-stick spray.
- Open the cans of crescent rolls and separate into 4 rectangles per tube. Pinch seams to seal triangles together as rectangles.
- Brush each rectangle with melted butter. In a small bowl, combine granulated sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle generously over the dough.
- Roll each rectangle lengthwise into a log, then coil into a spiral shape, tucking the end underneath. Use fingers to make a well in the centre of each spiral.
- Divide apple pie filling into 8 portions and add 2–3 tablespoons to the centre of each well. Sprinkle remaining cinnamon sugar across the tops.
- Bake for 16–18 minutes until golden brown. Remove and allow to cool.
- Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth. Drizzle glaze over slightly cooled pastries before serving.
- For puff pastry danishes, preheat oven to 220°C.
- If making apple filling from scratch, in a saucepan, combine water, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, whisking continuously.
- Reduce to simmer until sauce thickens, then stir in the diced apples, cover and simmer for 8–10 minutes until tender.
- In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Incorporate sugar, egg yolk, lemon juice, and vanilla, mixing until silky.
- Unfold puff pastry and cut each sheet into 6 squares. For twisted border effect: fold a square into a triangle and trim dough along edges, leaving a 2.5 cm border; unfold, then twist opposite corners together to form a pocket.
- Spoon 1 tablespoon cream cheese filling into each pocket. Top with 1–2 tablespoons apple pie filling. Brush visible pastry with egg wash.
- Bake for 12–14 minutes at 220°C until golden and crisp. Cool slightly on a wire rack.
- Mix powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle over cooled pastries before serving.
Notes
- Feel free to use store-bought apple pie filling for convenience.
- For a homemade apple pie filling, the provided recipe can be used.
- Adjust the cinnamon sugar to taste if you prefer a sweeter or spicier flavor.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Danish
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 16 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg