Indulging in sweets, like a Danish Puff Pastry from time to time, isn’t a bad thing at all. The number one thing that makes a certain food healthy or unhealthy is… How much you eat of it!

I believe a healthy diet is all about moderation. For example, these danish puff pastries do not belong in an every day diet, but occasionally eaten, they won’t harm your health. Problems arise when too much is eaten — that is, too much of anything!! If you restrict your “healthy diet” so much that you can’t seem to stick to it, rethink the restrictions. My husband and I are working our way to a healthier diet, me more than him, but we both want to be healthier.

Okay, enough of that. Let’s move on to the recipe and process of making ….
Danish Puff Pastry

Danish Puff Pastry – Starting with Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of flour (1 cup for the first part, one cup for the second part)
  • 1 cup of butter (1/2 cup for first part, 1/2 cup for the second)
  • Water (2 tablespoons for the first part, 1 cup for the second)
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract (if you don’t have almond extract you can use vanilla extract)
  • 3 eggs (room temperature is always best when baking with eggs)
  • Powdered sugar and chopped nuts for the topping

If this is your first time making danish puff pastry, these instructions will sound difficult (or weird) but trust me on this, it’s much easier than it sounds and turns out fantastic!! When I decided to try to make these, I wasn’t sure they would turn out but once I got through the process and put them in the oven I decided to take pictures. I thought, “If these turn out, I will be amazed! And, I will want pictures!”

Okay, with that warning in mind, let’s dive into making these unbelievably luscious danish puff pastries…

1. Preheat your oven to 350.

2. Cut half of your softened butter into half of your flour. That’s 1/2 cup of butter into 1 cup of flour.

3. Add 2 Tablespoons of water and mix until it forms a ball. (If it gets difficult to mix, use your hands to squish it a bit and round it into a ball.)

4. Cut your ball of dough in half. Then, take your first half ball of dough and pat it out into a rectangle, approximately 12 inches long and 3 inches wide, onto an ungreased cookie sheet. You’ll do this for both halves. Try to leave three inches between them.

Part Two of Danish Puff Pastries

Now for the second part of the process. This part goes pretty fast, so read it first then execute it quickly. (This is the “top crust” that will have almost a custard like taste and texture.)

5. Heat one cup of water and the other 1/2 cup of butter in a sauce pan until it boils. Remove it from the heat and QUICKLY ADD one teaspoon of almond extract and 1 cup of flour and MIX for about one minute. Your dough will form into a ball. (If you need to, place it back on the burner to keep hot while mixing, but I didn’t have to do that.)

6. Again, away from the heat QUICKLY add three eggs all at once. (I had them ready in a cup.) Mix until the dough is smooth and glossy.

Okay! The hard part is done. Congratulations!

7. Spread your just cooked dough evenly over the bottom crusts of uncooked dough. Here’s what it will look like when it’s ready to put in the oven…

Danish Puff Pastry

8. Bake for about 60 minutes. You might be tempted to take it out of the oven too early, but don’t. I took mine out at about 52 minutes and it was fine, but it probably would have done fine going the distance!

The “weird” part is that you will want your danish puff pastry to RISE in the oven but fall when you take it out!

Danish Puff Pastry danish-puff-pastry-rise-fal

9. From here, you simply frost it and cover with crushed nuts. I used sliced almonds:

Danish Puff

Voila! Danish Puff Pastry!

My frosting consisted of powdered sugar, 1 TBLS of butter, 1 TBLS of cream cheese, a dash of salt, and enough milk to make it a good consistency. I don’t measure these ingredients because it’s the frosting I always make. Basically, if it’s too wet, add more powdered sugar, too dry add a few drops of milk. If you have Almond Milk, it would probably be fantastic in the frosting!

Enjoy! Just don’t eat it all yourself. (Smile)