Easy Apple Danish Recipes

Steps:

• In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt and lemon zest; cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in the yeast mixture, milk and eggs until blended. , Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead about 20 times (dough will be slightly sticky). Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. , For filling, combine the apples, walnuts, sugar and cinnamon; set aside. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Roll each portion into an 18x15-in. rectangle; brush with butter. Sprinkle filling to within 1/2 in. of edges. , Starting with a short side, fold a third of the dough over filling; repeat with other side, making a 15x6-in. rectangle. Pinch seams to seal. Cut each into 15 slices. Twist each slice a few times; pinch ends together, forming a small circle. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. , Bake at 400° for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks. Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over warm rolls.

Steps:

• Combine 1 cup flour, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and instant yeast in a mixing bowl. Add the water and room temperature butter and beat for 1 minute. Stir in the remaining cup of flour and mix well. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball and transfer to an oiled bowl, turning to coat the surface of the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make the filling. Place the chopped apples and 3 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan. Combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix well; add the mixture to the saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the apples are tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the filling to cool.
• Transfer the Danish dough to a floured surface and punch the dough down. Let the dough rest, covered, for 15 minutes. Roll the dough out into a 13 x 8-inch rectangle. Place the dough on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Turn the baking sheet so that you face the short side of the dough. Spread the apple filling down the center third of the dough. With a sharp paring knife, make cuts in the dough along the right side, starting each cut about 1/4 inch from the apple filling. Cut to the edge of the dough strip, with each cut angled to about 4 o'clock. Each strip of dough should be about 1-inch thick. Repeat on the left side of the dough, angling the cuts to 8 o'clock.
• Starting at the top, fold the dough strips across the apple filling, alternating left and right. The pastry will look like a long braid. Pinch the top and bottom ends of the braid to seal in the filling. Cover the pastry and let it rise at room temperature until the dough is puffy, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bake the braid for 20 minutes, covering it with aluminum foil during the last 10 minutes of baking to prevent over-browning. Remove the pastry from the oven and allow it to cool.
• To make the glaze, heat the 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Swirl the pan occasionally and cook until the milk solids turn brown and give off a nutty fragrance, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl to cool slightly. Stir in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Mix in the milk a teaspoon at a time until the glaze is thin enough to drizzle. Decorate the Danish braid with the glaze.

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine flour and salt; cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Combine egg yolk and milk; add to flour mixture. Stir just until dough clings together. Divide dough in half. , On a lightly floured surface, roll half of dough into a 15x10-in. rectangle; transfer to a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Set aside. , In a bowl, toss together filling ingredients; spoon over pastry in pan. Roll out remaining dough into another 15x10-in. rectangle. Place over filling. Brush with egg white. Bake at 375° for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. , For glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and enough water to achieve a drizzling consistency. Drizzle over warm pastry. Cut into squares. Serve warm or cold.

Steps:

• First make the filling: melt the butter and 3 tbsp of the sugar in a medium saucepan. Stir in the apples and spices and cook for 5 mins, until the fruit is slightly softened but not cooked. Remove from the heat and stir in the blueberries.
• Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to £1 coin thickness. Cut out 8 x 11cm squares. Prick the squares all over with a fork and transfer to a baking tray.
• Divide the filling between the pastry squares, spooning it into the centre of each square. Bring the four corners into the centre of each square and pinch together edges using a little of the egg to help stick. Brush all over the danishes with the rest of the egg. They can be covered and chilled for a few hours now.
• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Dust with the remaining demerara and cook for 20 mins until the pastry is golden. Don't worry if they pop open while cooking - they look even prettier.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
• Separate dough into eight rectangles. Seal perforations.
• Using a brush or spoon, spread melted butter all over crescent rolls. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture (2 tablespoons white sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon).
• Roll up from long side; pinch edges to seal. Holding one end, loosely coil each.
• Now you want to get in there with your fingers and spread out the dough some to make room for the filling. Just pull and stretch to make a nice dent in the middle.
• Open can of apple pie filling and using a knife, cut apple slices into smaller chunks. Just keep poking and slicing around until all your apples are cut into more manageable pieces.
• Place on cookie sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Top each coil with about 2-3 tablespoons of apple pie filling.
• Sprinkle the tops with a bit more cinnamon sugar mixture.
• Bake at 350(F) for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown.
• For the glaze, in a bowl, combine powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. Stir until smooth and drizzle over each warm danish. These taste best when served warm.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together; set aside.
• Unroll one can of crescent roll dough and pat together on the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
• Beat cream cheese, white sugar, and vanilla together until smooth. Spread over the dough. Layer the apple filling over the cream cheese layer. Top with second package of crescent roll dough, patting the seams together. Drizzle butter on top and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden and bubbly, 40 to 45 minutes.