Easy Apple And Pecan Danish Recipe

It's hard not to love a flaky pastry with its buttery layers of feather-light dough and infinitely versatile fillings. These easy apple and pecan Danishes, courtesy of Mashed recipe developer Patterson Watkins, fit the bill, brimming with sweet, spiced apples and a crunchy crumble. Though crafting a Danish might seem challenging, Watkins tells us, "This was really fun to make. It was a 'recipe-testing-first' for me, crafting up Danish. Making laminated pastry-type dough from scratch is not my ideal; sooo many steps (and so many occasions where something can go wonky). I wanted to avoid all that; that's why I deployed pre-made puff."

Danishes are traditionally made with a yeasted dough, and though this swap is simpler with fewer potential issues, if you're the kind of person who loves a baking challenge, Watkins says, "Folks can absolutely make their own yeast-based laminated pastry dough!" Once you've sorted the dough, the rest is all just fun. "I loved making the cutie little twisty spirals. I loved making my own apple filling. (I bought a bag of Fujis the other day, and there were a few that got bruised — perfect contenders for fruity filling)." The final step that really takes these danishes to the next level is a pecan streusel topping and a drizzle of glaze over top for an extra hint of sweetness.

For the apple filling, you'll need water, cornstarch, unsalted butter, Fuji or Gala apples (cored and diced), granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. Watkins prefers these apple varieties here and describes, "They are firm and crisp, not mealy, and have a balanced sweet-tart flavor. They take to simmering well and, by keeping the skins intact, they maintain a lot of structure." That said, if you want a hint of tartness, Granny Smiths work too. And if you're not too fussy about it, Watkins says, "In all honesty, any apple will suffice, peeled or unpeeled."

Next, to make the pecan crumb, get all-purpose flour, chopped pecans, brown sugar, and unsalted butter (melted). You'll need a puff pastry sheet (here's what you can do with the remaining pastry) and a beaten egg to assemble the danishes. Finally, to make the glaze, get powdered sugar, whole milk, and vanilla extract.

Place the water and cornstarch in a small bowl and whisk to combine the slurry.

Place the butter in a medium saucepan and melt it over medium heat.

Once melted, add the apples, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer.

Cook for 6 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender and have released most of their juices.

Add the slurry to the pot and cook for 3 minutes or until thickened. Set aside.

To make the pecan crumb, place flour, pecans, brown sugar, and butter in a medium bowl, stir until crumbly and combined, and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mark or dock the puff pastry sheet in 1-inch increments (I used a bench scraper that has a ruler etched on the side and a pairing knife).

Using a pizza cutter, cut the puff pastry into long strips.

Twist the strips and roll into a spiral, and then place each spiral on the prepared baking sheet.

Pat or press the centers of each spiral to create a well.

Spoon the apple filling into the centers of each.

Brush the exposed puff pastry with egg wash.

Sprinkle each Danish with the pecan crumb and place the tray in the oven.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden and the filled centers are a little bubbly. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the glaze by placing the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Whisk to combine.

Once the Danishes have cooled enough to handle, drizzle them with the glaze, and serve.

Even if you're buying ready-made puff pastry, you'll want to keep a few things in mind to ensure it behaves as it's meant to. Plus, it's worth noting that different brands will have different qualities that may affect results. Watkins tested two popular brands — Pepperidge Farm and Whole Foods — to see how they varied. "The Pepperige Farm puff was thicker, squat, and almost white-ish. The Whole Foods puff was thinner, longer, and yellow-ish," she describes. She also noted that the Pepperidge Farm dough was quite floury.

Because the Pepperidge Farm dough was so thick, she rolled it until it was about the same thickness as the Whole Foods option, which came out to ⅛ inch. Watkins adds, "I brushed much of the flour off (this helped keep the dough spirals intact)." After making these adjustments, the baked results were similar. "So, if you find yourself with puff dough that is squat and super-flour-dusted, roll and brush before preparing this recipe," she recommends. 

Spiced apples with a pecan crumble is an iconic combination, but Watkins says, "You can get all sorts of creative with the filling portion of this recipe." In this case, she made a pretty standard fruit pie filling — and it's easy to swap in your favorite fruit. You can adjust the filling according to what's in season or even try a mix of fruits, like apple and pear or even quince or peach and berry. "Juicier or more water-based fruits (peaches, blueberries, cherries, etc.) will need a little more cornstarch to compensate. Start with an increase of a teaspoon (cornstarch) and adjust (adding more slurry) as needed (once the slurry has had time to simmer and thicken in the saucepan)."

As for the topping, she goes for a classic flour, butter, pecan, and sugar trio, but there's room for experimentation, too. "You can swap in your favorite nuts (walnuts and almonds would be super tasty)," she suggests and notes that dry oatmeal works too, to make more of a crumble topping. On the flip side, she says, "You can omit all nuts (or oats) and go with a streusel-like topping."