Apple Cinnamon Danish

These apple cinnamon danish are braided pastries made from refrigerated crescent roll dough, filled with tender cinnamon apples and a thin layer of sweetened cream cheese, then baked until deep golden and finished with an optional glaze. The apples cook in a skillet first so they turn glossy before they go on the dough, and the batch bakes in about 15 minutes once the filling has cooled.

Why You’ll Like This Apple Cinnamon Danish

The dough bakes flaky at the edges while the apple filling stays thick enough to stay inside the braid. A little cream cheese, sweetened with powdered sugar, sits under the fruit so each bite is not only apples and pastry. The polished shape is just diagonal strips of dough folded over the filling, and a light glaze adds sweetness without hiding the cinnamon.

• Fast bake: the pastries need only 12 to 15 minutes in the oven.
• Simple braid: diagonal cuts give a bakery shape with no special tools.
• Balanced filling: cinnamon apples, a little cream cheese and an optional glaze.

Ingredients for Apple Cinnamon Danish

For the Apple Filling

• 2 medium apples, peeled and diced
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tsp vanilla

For the Cream Cheese Layer

• 2 tbsp cream cheese, softened
• 1 tbsp powdered sugar

For the Pastry

• 1 can (8 oz) refrigerated crescent roll dough
• 1 egg, beaten

Optional Glaze

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 to 2 tbsp milk

You will need a skillet, a rimmed baking sheet, parchment paper and a pastry brush. Makes 4 danish.

Ingredient Notes

The apples: Choose firm apples that hold their shape. Peel and dice them small so they soften in 5 to 7 minutes. Soft apples turn mushy and thin the sauce.

The cornstarch: Mixed with a tablespoon of water, it turns the juices glossy. Skip it and the filling can leak onto the sheet.

The cream cheese: Two tablespoons makes a thin strip on each pastry. Soften it so it spreads without tearing the dough.

The dough: Crescent dough is scored into triangles. Press the perforations closed to make 4 rectangles, and keep it cold until you shape it.

The glaze: Start with 1 tablespoon of milk and add a little more until the powdered sugar falls in a thin ribbon. The pastries are good without it.

How to Make Apple Cinnamon Danish

Step by Step

1. Cook the apples. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the diced apples, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring now and then, until just tender but still in pieces.
2. Thicken and cool. Stir the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water, then stir it into the skillet. Cook about 1 minute, until thick and glossy. Off the heat, stir in the vanilla and cool at least 10 minutes so the dough does not soften.
3. Mix the cream cheese. Stir the softened cream cheese with the 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar until smooth.
4. Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. Shape the rectangles. Unroll the crescent dough and press the perforations closed to make 4 rectangles. Set them on the lined sheet with space between them.
6. Add the filling. Spread a thin strip of cream cheese down the center of each rectangle. Spoon the cooled apples over it, keeping the long sides bare.
7. Braid. Cut diagonal strips about 1/2 inch wide along both long sides, stopping at the filling. Fold them over the apples, alternating sides, and tuck the ends under.
8. Brush and bake. Brush the tops with the beaten egg. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the dough is deep golden and the filling looks set.
9. Glaze if using. Cool 10 minutes. Whisk the powdered sugar with 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk until it drizzles, spoon it over the warm pastries and let it set.

Tips for the Best Apple Cinnamon Danish

Cool the Filling First

Hot filling softens the dough before it bakes. Ten minutes on the counter lets the sauce thicken so it stays in the braid.

Press Every Seam

Open perforations split while you braid. Press each seam until the dough looks like one piece.

Keep the Filling Narrow

A strip about 1 inch wide leaves room for the sides to overlap. Too much filling spills onto the parchment.

Bake to a Deep Gold

Pale dough tastes underbaked. Wait for a deep golden color on the raised strips. The egg wash helps it brown evenly.

Rest Before the Glaze

After 10 minutes the pastry holds a drizzle. Glaze straight from the oven slides off and pools on the sheet.

Variations

• Nuts: sprinkle 2 tablespoons of finely chopped pecans or walnuts over the apples before braiding.
• Extra spice: add a pinch of nutmeg with the cinnamon.
• Pears: use 2 firm pears, peeled and diced, and cook them the same way.
• No glaze: dust the cooled pastries with powdered sugar instead.
• Raisins: stir 2 tablespoons of raisins into the apples during the last minute of cooking.
• Lemon: add 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest to the cream cheese.

Storage

Room temperature: Best the day they are baked. Keep leftovers covered for up to 1 day.

Refrigerator: Store cooled pastries in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The dough softens a little.

Reheating: Warm on a baking sheet at 325°F for 5 to 8 minutes. The microwave softens the dough.

Freezer: Freeze cooled, unglazed danish, wrapped well, for up to 2 months. Thaw, warm in the oven, then glaze.

Make-ahead: Cook the filling up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate it. Let it warm slightly while the oven heats, then shape and bake the same day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my filling leak out?

The sauce was too thin, or the filling was still hot. Cook the cornstarch until glossy, cool it 10 minutes and keep the apples in a narrow strip with the ends tucked under.

Can I skip the cream cheese?

Yes. Leave it out and spoon the cooled apples down the center. The pastries will be a little less rich and just as easy to braid.

What apples work best?

Firm apples that stay in pieces work best. Soft apples break down and thin the sauce, so dice them small and cook only until just tender.

Can I assemble them ahead and bake later?

Cover the braided sheet and refrigerate for a few hours. Brush with egg just before baking, and add a minute or two if the centers look pale.