Apple Cinnamon Pastry

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Delicious: First and foremost, these pastries are delicious. They have a buttery, flaky crust, and the apple and cream cheese fillings deliver so much sweet and tangy flavor.
• Simple Ingredients: These pastries are made with simple ingredients found in any grocery store.
• Easy: These might look fancy, but they’re very easy to make. Even beginners will have no trouble with them.
• Versatile: These are the perfect sweet breakfast, brunch item, or afternoon snack.
• Customizable: It’s easy to change the fruit in the filling to make all kinds of pastries.

Ingredients

Apple Filling

• Granny Smith Apples: Granny Smith apples are firm and more tart than sweet, making them perfect for this recipe.
• Sugar: Sugar gives the filling its sweetness.
• Lemon Juice: Lemon juice adds a hint of citrus that highlights the other flavors in the filling.
• Cinnamon: Cinnamon gives the filling the classic warm notes that make apple cinnamon so good.
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch thickens the filling as it cooks.

Cream Cheese Filling

• Cream Cheese: Cream cheese creates the rich, creamy, tangy base for this classic Danish filling.
• Egg Yolk: An egg yolk is what gives Danish cheese filling its extra-rich flavor and texture, as well as that lovely yellow color.
• Lemon Juice: Lemon juice accentuates the other flavors in the filling and adds a subtle citrus note.
• Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract adds a rich, deep note to the filling.

Pastries

• Puff Pastry Sheets: Sliced and braided puff pastry sheets create the classic round Danish shape and bake up so golden and flaky.
• Egg Wash: A simple egg wash helps the pastry reach that lovely golden color we all enjoy.

Glaze

• Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar is the base for the drizzle, giving it tons of sweet flavor and body.
• Lemon Juice and Vanilla Extract: These thin out the powdered sugar to create the glaze and add more complexity to its flavor.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for a full list of ingredients and their exact measurements.

Flavor Variations

• Your Favorite Apples: We use Granny Smith, but you can use any of your favorite apples to create different flavor profiles. They’re all a bit different.
• Other Fruits: You can make this filling with your favorite fruits like pears, peaches, pineapples, plums, and berries.
• Cheese Danish: Simply leave out the fruit filling for a cheese Danish.
• Fruit Danish: Likewise, leave out the cheese filling for a fruit Danish.
• Richer Glaze: Use cream or half and half in place of lemon juice for a richer glaze.

Instructions

Apple Filling

1. Add all the ingredients to a medium saucepan and bring them to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes until thickened.
2. Set the filling aside.

Pastry

1. Cut each pastry sheet into 8 strips. Then, pinch 2 strips together to create a long strip. Repeat with the other strips.
2. Place one end of the long strip down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Then, wrap the strip around itself to create a pinwheel. Repeat with the other strips.

Cream Cheese Filling

1. Beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Then, add the remaining ingredients and beat until creamy and well combined.

Construction

1. Add a heaping spoonful of the cream cheese mixture to the center of each pastry. Then, top it with a spoonful of the apple filling.
2. Whisk an egg and water, and brush the eggwash over the pastries.
3. Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown.
4. Remove the pastries from the oven and let them cool.

Glaze

1. When the pastries are cooled, combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Drizzle the glaze over the pastries, give them a few minutes to set, and enjoy.

Tips

• Add your diced apples to a bowl with a little lemon juice and give them a toss as you work to keep them from browning.
• It’s important to bring the filling mixture to a boil over medium heat. This helps reduce the chances of the filling scorching. Don’t try to rush it by using high heat!
• Fully soften your cream cheese to get a rich, luxurious filling texture free of any little lumps.
• Press the end of your strip down onto the parchment paper so it sticks a bit. This helps keep it in place as you wrap your pinwheels.

Pairing Suggestions

Pastries like this one are always a great breakfast or afternoon snack with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee or tea. They’re also so good as part of a larger breakfast with dishes like our hash brown breakfast casserole, breakfast lasagna, or hash brown breakfast cups.

Storage

Refrigerate these apple cinnamon pastries for up to 4 days in an airtight container. For longer storage, wrap chilled individual pastries in plastic wrap and freeze them for up to a month in an airtight, freezer-safe container.

To reheat the pastries, defrost them overnight in the refrigerator. Then, bring them to room temperature and enjoy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Try This Apple Cinnamon Pastry

This apple cinnamon pastry recipe is delicious, pretty, versatile, and easy. It doesn’t get better than that. From sweet breakfasts to afternoon snacking, you’ll always reach for these, and so will your family. Give them a try. We know you’ll love them as much as we do.