These Apple Cheese Danish are a great way to show off seasonal produce! Homemade pastry dough filled with cream cheese and tart apples!
I have more apple recipes on my own site than any other kind of recipe. Like… there are more apple recipes than chicken recipes. That’s how much I like them.
I like apple recipes so much that I even add them to dinner! Chicken and Apple Cheddar Dumplings are – OMG THEY ARE SO GOOD. Also winning: Caramel Apple Pork Chops. That one is a 30 minute meal. You’ve gotta try it.
Apple Cheese Danish are NOT a 30 minute meal, guys. I’m sorry. Except not really.
This is a recipe meant for lazy Saturdays. I totally took my time and made these on the first day of school with the TV blasting because… NO CHILDREN. And then when they came home they thought I was some kind of extra fancy mom that makes homemade treats just for them!
Really it was more that I had no one here asking me for things and interrupting. AND I had a day off of work.
This is a yeasted dough but don’t be scared! It’s simple and doesn’t require much in the way of kneading. And it’s really easy to make ahead of time. If you don’t have a whole day sans children and work, you can put the dough together the night before, refrigerate, and then roll out / fill / bake in the morning.
You can make the apple filling ahead of time, too.
Perfect for weekend mornings on the porch with a cup of hot coffee and that new fall crisp in the air. Wear a sweater.
And wish that fall lasted more than a month.
If you have some apples and some time, you should absolutely try these Baked Apple Fritters. If you are short on time, try this Quick Apple Crisp. Whatever you do, take advantage of apple season!
Planning a dinner party and need some inspiration?
How about looking for a new slow cooker dinner idea?
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We’re chatting cooking techniques, dessert ideas, and everything in between. If you’re already a member, invite your friends to join us too!
Apple Cheese Danish Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast 1/4 ounce package
- 1/4 cup Warm Water read the yeast package for exact temp recommendations
- 5 cups All-Purpose Flour plus additional for the work surface
- 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Lemon Zest
- 1 cup Cold Butter 2 sticks
- 1 cup Milk warmed to the same temp as the water
- 2 Egg lightly beaten
- 2 cups Chopped Apples preferably a tart variety
- 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons Melted Butter
- 8 ounces Cream Cheese softened
- 3/4 cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 Large Egg Yolk
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1/8 teaspoon Salt
- 1 Egg
- 1 tablespoon Water
Instructions
- In a liquid measuring cup, measure out the warm water and dissolve the yeast
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and lemon zest. Cut the cold butter into the flour mixture. Then incorporate the butter into the flour with your fingers until coarse crumbles form. Stir in the yeast/water mixture, the warmed milk, and the eggs.
- Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead for about 2 minutes. The dough will be tacky. Add a little flour as needed while you knead the dough. Form the dough into a ball, place in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Make your filling by stirring together the chopped apples, sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter.
- When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400°F and butter a baking sheet, or line with parchment paper.
- Make the cream cheese filling by beating together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, egg yolk, vanilla, and salt.
- Punch down the dough and divide it in half. Cover the half you aren’t working with. On a floured surface, stretch and roll the dough into a rectangle that’s about 1/4-inch thick.
- Cut the dough down the middle lengthwise, and then cut it into 8 squares.
- Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture into the center of each square. Add a spoonful of the apples on top of the cream cheese.
- Pinch the 4 corners of the dough towards the center and press them together. They will expand when baked but this gives each piece an edge and some shape.
- Brush each piece with the egg wash, place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet, and bake for 12-15 minutes.
- Repeat with the 2nd half of the dough.
- Cool the danish completely on a wire rack before serving.