Recipe for delicious Apricot Danish Pastries
We absolutely adore:
- light, creamy, not too sweet cream cheese topping
- slightly tart, yet naturally sweet apricots
- flaky, perfectly baked buttery puff pastry
- serve it for breakfast, brunch, dessert, or snack on the go
- kids and adults love it
- quick and easy pastry made using store-bought puff pastry
- an easy recipe made in less than 40 minutes
How to make Apricot Cream Cheese Danish Pastries
Making these Apricot Danish Pastries at home is incredibly quick and easy. The prep will only take about 15 minutes, and this is how we make it:
- Make the cream cheese filling. Using a food processor or an immersion blender, combine cream cheese or ricotta, sugar, vanilla, flour, lemon zest, and heavy cream.
- Take the puff pastry from the fridge. Always use cold puff pastry.
- Sprinkle the dough with sugar and cut it in rectangles.
- Prick the dough with a fork and spread the cream cheese filling over the dough.
- Add the apricots and place them in the oven to bake.
- Serve at room temperature.
Can you use fresh apricots in this recipe?
Sure, use fresh apricots if they are in season or use a store-bought apricot compote or preserved apricots. It is important to drain and dry the apricots well before using in this recipe.
What kind of puff pastry should you use?
Feel free to use rolled, ready to use puff pastry or frozen puff pastry, that is thawed. If you are using thawed puff pastry, roll the dough to a 30 cm x 40 cm (12-inch x 16-inch) rectangle, that is about 3 mm thick, then use it. It is super important to always work fast when we are baking with puff pastry or place it in the freezer for 5 minutes so that it stays cold. We love using butter puff pastry because it is rich and delicious.
How to upgrade the Apricot Danish Pastries
We love these danish pastries without any additional toppings, however, feel free to sprinkle the pies with:
- chopped pistachios
- almond flakes
- icing sugar
How to store these pastries
Store any leftover pastries at room temperature, in a bag, for up to two days.
Try these simple apricot recipes too
- Apricot Compote
- Apricot Jam with Vanilla
- Apricot Tart with Hazelnuts and Mint
- Apricot Crostata
- Apricot Swirl Buns with Candied Fruits
- No-churn Vanilla and Apricot Ice Cream
METHOD
-
cream cheese filling
Make the cream cheese filling. Using a food processor or an immersion blender, mix the cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, vanilla paste, all-purpose flour, grated lemon zest, and heavy cream. Mix for approximately 2 - 3 minutes or until smooth and creamy. Preheat the oven to 200 °C / 390 °F or if you are using a fan-assisted oven, preheat it to 180 °C / 350 °F.
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puff pastry
Always use cold puff pastry, straight from the fridge. Unwrap the rolled butter puff pastry and place it on a sheet of parchment paper. Cut the dough in half horizontally and sprinkle the bottom half of the dough with sugar. Place the upper half over the sprinkled half. Cut in six equal rectangles and transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using a fork, prick the dough all over, leaving out 1/2 cm or 1/4-inch edge. Gently press the dough down using the fork.
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add the apricots and bake
Spread the cream cheese filling all over each puff pastry rectangle, leaving out the edges. Place two jarred and drained apricot halves on top of each pastry. Place in the preheated oven on the middle rack. Bake for 15 minutes at 200 °C / 390 °F or if you are using a fan-assisted oven, bake at 180 °C / 350 °F or until the puff pastry is flaky and the filling is creamy and baked. Remove from the oven and sprinkle two tablespoons of sugar all over the pastries. Place back in the oven, on the top rack, and switch the settings to low broil. Bake for 3 - 5 minutes or until the sugar caramelizes. Keep an eye on the pastries when they are on broil.
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serve
Remove the baked apricot danish pastries from the oven. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool to room temperature. Serve for breakfast, brunch, snack, or dessert. Keep in a bag, at room temperature, for up to 2 days.
