This shortcut peach danish recipe is made with pre-packaged puff pastry, almond cream and either canned or fresh peaches depending on the season. This impressive morning treat makes a beautiful addition to a fancy brunch or even an indulgent afternoon snack. And although this Danish recipe isn’t made with the traditional dough, it is the fastest way to indulge in a bakery-style treat that tastes like it came from a viennoiserie in Paris. Allons-y!
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I’ve made my fair share of labor-intensive baking projects. I bake sourdough bread almost every weekend during the winter, I try to make croissants 2x a year, and I enjoy a good butter brioche or homemade sticky rolls as much as the next person, but mornings are also my ‘me’ time. I love to cozy up to a cappuccino and finish a show on Netflix, read a chapter of a good book or even simply menu plan for the week ahead. I can get lost in those activities and only when the toddler wakes up do I peel myself away and realize we don’t have anything for breakfast.
This recipe is for those mornings. The mornings that call for easy recipes. A great way to get a head start is to prepare the almond cream for this recipe the night before.
Traditional Danish Pastry Dough Vs. Puff Pastry
Puff pastry, danish dough and croissant pastry are all laminated doughs, which means that you fold butter into the dough multiple times to create flaky layers. The differences between these doughs are subtle but will slightly alter the taste and texture of whatever you’re making.
Puff pastry dough is made from flour, water and salt while croissant dough replaces water with milk and also uses salt and sugar. Danish dough is similar to croissant dough, but also adds eggs to the party. As a result, the peach danish we are making today will be flakier and crunchier than pastries made with traditional Danish dough.
Ingredients for Almond Peach Danish Pastry Recipe
Peaches: It’s not quite peach season here yet, but I did this recipe with canned peaches. I will definitely be trying this recipe with fresh summer peaches as soon as they come in season.
- Puff Pastry: I’m using store-bought puff pastry here, but you can use your favorite rough puff pastry or puff pastry dough.
- Almond Cream One of the things I love about this recipe is that there is no cream cheese mixture. (Call me crazy, I’m just not a huge fan of cream cheese pastries.)
Anyway, instead, you’ll find a recipe for homemade French almond cream in this recipe. It is made with almond flour, butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract, and flour that are whipped together to create a fluffy mixture. It’s delicious in pastries, tarts and all kinds of baked goods.
Simply make as directed and store in an airtight container. Give it a quick stir with a fork if needed before using it the next morning.
- Peach Halves: Either canned or fresh peach slices will work in this recipe.
- Sliced Almonds: Complement the flavors of this danish and add a little crunch.
- Peach Preserves or Apricot Jam: Peach preserves or apricot jam gets thinned with a little water to give your pastries that glossy sheen that truly makes it look like you bought them in a French bakery. If you’re feeling extra fancy, replace the water with a little cognac or orange liqueur. (A true French cook never shies away from the added depth of flavor a splash of alcohol adds to a recipe.)
How to Make these Danish Pastries
If using canned peach halves, drain and pat dry. If using fresh peaches, peel and halve. Cut canned or fresh peach halves into slices. Keep the slices from each peach half together, but set aside.
In a large mixer bowl, a medium bowl, or a food processor combine sugar and butter until light and creamy. Then add the rest of the ingredients for the almond cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is fluffy. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This mixture can be made overnight.
Place dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry to 12-13 inches long. Cut puff pastry into 6 equal rectangles. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and place rectangles onto the baking tray. Using a sharp knife, cut a smaller rectangle, leaving approximately 1 inch for the outer border. Brush rectangle edges with egg wash.
Fold the border to the opposite side of the rectangle on each side, so that they cross in the middle. Gently press down to seal. Use a fork to prick the inside of the rectangle (where the filling will go). Brush the outer border with egg wash so it browns in the oven.
Spread 2 teaspoons of almond cream into the center of each rectangle. Top with 3-4 slices of peach, using slices that were cut together if possible. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.
Slide the baking tray in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F and bake until puff pastry is golden brown, approximately 25-27 minutes. (Note: each oven is calibrated slightly differently, so to be safe, start checking at 20 minutes.)
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan warm ½ cup peach preserves with 2 tablespoons of orange liqueur or water. This is simply to make it easier to stir everything together and sieve it through the strainer into a small bowl. It should take 30-60 seconds. Pour through a fine-meshed sieve to rid the glaze of any fruit.
When your sweet treats come out of the oven, use a pastry brush to liberally brush peach preserve glaze over the tops of the danish pastries.
📖 Recipe
Easy Peach Danish With Puff Pastry
Ingredients
For the Danish
- 1 package puff pastry
- 1 28 oz can peach halves
For the Almond Cream (Frangipane)
- ¼ cup butter room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup almond flour
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch or flour
For the Glaze
- ½ cup peach or apricot preserves
- 2 tablespoons water or orange liqueur
Instructions
- If using canned peach halves, drain and pat dry. If using fresh peaches, peel and halve. Cut canned or fresh peach halves into slices. Keep the slices from each peach half together, but set aside.
- In a large mixer bowl, a medium bowl, or a food processor combine sugar and butter until light and creamy. Then add the rest of the ingredients for the almond cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is fluffy. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This mixture can be made overnight.
- Place dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry to 12-13 inches long. Cut puff pastry into 6 equal rectangles. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and place rectangles onto the baking tray. Using a sharp knife, cut a smaller rectangle, leaving approximately 1 inch for the outer border. Brush inside rectangle edges with egg wash.
- Fold the border to the opposite side of the rectangle on each side, so that they cross in the middle. (See step-by-step pics in the post.) Gently press down to seal. Use a fork to prick the inside of the rectangle (where the filling will go). Brush the outer border with egg wash so it browns in the oven.
- Spread 2 teaspoons of almond cream into the center of each rectangle. Top with 3-4 slices of peach, using slices that were cut together if possible. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.
- Slide the baking tray in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F and bake until puff pastry is golden brown, approximately 25-27 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan warm ½ cup peach preserves with 2 tablespoons of orange liqueur or water. This is simply to make it easier to stir everything together and sieve it through the strainer into a small bowl. It should take 30-60 seconds. Pour through a fine-meshed sieve to rid the glaze of any fruit.
- When your danishes come out of the oven, use a pastry brush to liberally brush peach preserve glaze over the tops of the danish pastries.
