Danish Puff Pastry
User Reviews
4.9
Danish Puff Pastry
Description
The Danish Puff Pastry starts with a shortcrust base made by mixing chilled salted butter into flour until it forms pliable dough strips. These strips serve as the foundation for the pastry. The choux portion involves boiling water and butter, adding flour and almond extract, then incorporating eggs to create a smooth dough which is spread over the shortcrust strips. Baking this combination creates a crisp, puffed pastry with a tender crumb.
After baking and cooling, a frosting of softened salted butter, confectioners sugar, and almond or vanilla extract is spread on top. Sliced almonds and halved maraschino cherries add a visual and textural contrast, giving nutty crunch and a bright, sweet finish.
This pastry blends the flaky texture of a shortcrust with the airy lightness of choux, accented by almond flavoring in both components and frosting. It can be served as a sweet snack or dessert with tea or coffee.
Storage notes indicate the pastry keeps refrigerated for up to one week and can be frozen unfrosted for up to one month, to be thawed and frosted before serving. Unsalted butter can be substituted with adjustments for salt, and vanilla extract can replace almond extract if desired.
Ingredients
Shortcrust Base
- 1 tick butter chilled, salted
- 1 cup all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
Choux
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tick butter salted
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 egg
Frosting
- 1 tick butter softened, salted
- 2 cups confectioners sugar see notes
- 1 teaspoons almond extract or vanilla extract
Topping
- almonds sliced
- maraschino cherries destemed and sliced in half
Instructions
Make the short crust base
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees or 325 degrees convection.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Tip: Use a little bit of butter or cooking spray to keep the sheet in place.
- Add flour to a medium sized bowl.
- Cube butter and add to bowl with flour. With a pastry cutter or fork, cut butter into flour until all of the butter is well combined. You'll know it's cut in well when you can easily form 2 evenly sized rough balls of dough and it all sticks together.
- Add each dough ball to the cookie sheet. Use your hands to form each pile of dough into a long flat strip approximately 12 inches long and 3 inches wide. Set aside.
Make Choux
- Add water and butter to a small to medium sized saucepan and heat on medium and bring water to a boil while the butter melts. Be sure to watch the water so that it does not boil over. If it does, you will need to start again.
- Once boiling, add the 1 cup of flour and almond extract to the pan and turn down heat to low. Use a fork to vigorously stir in flour until a ball of dough forms and beings to pull away from the side of the pan. Approximately 1 minute.
- Remove pan from heat. Add 1 egg to the pan and with your fork beat it very very fast into the dough. Be sure that you do this quickly so that the egg does not scramble. Repeat with all eggs, continuing to beat vigorously, until you have a smooth velvety dough. Set aside to cool for about 10-15 minutes.
Make Frosting
- While choux cools, in a medium sized bowl add softened butter and almond extract. Use a hand mixer to cream butter. Slowly add 3/4 cup of powdered sugar and beat together until the butter and sugar is a soft and creamy frosting. Set aside.
Assembling
- Once choux has cooled, scoop it out onto the shortcrust. Do this one even sized scoop at a time, alternating between each crust to assure an even split.
- Use a spoon, spatula, or your hands to smooth the layer of choux on each shortcrust into a flat layer that covers the top of the crust.
- Add to oven and bake for 1 hr.
- After 1 hr the pastry should be golden brown and dry.
- Remove pastries from oven and gently transfer to a cooling rack and store in a draft free space of your kitchen for at least 30 minutes. If there is a draft, your pastry will sink.
Final Assembly
- Once pastry is cool, split frosting in two and frost the top of each in an even layer.
- Top with sliced almonds and halved maraceino cherries, if desired.
- Slice into strips and serve!
Notes
- Store unfrosted pastries in the fridge covered for up to one week.
- Freeze unfrosted pastries for up to one month; thaw completely before adding frosting.
- Use unsalted butter and add 1/4 teaspoon salt to the shortcrust and choux flour mixture if preferred.
- Almond extract in the choux and frosting can be substituted with vanilla extract.
- Follow detailed shortcrust and choux preparation steps carefully for best texture.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 121 inch pieces
Amount Per Serving
Calories 297 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 297kcal | 15% |
| Carbohydrates | 37g | 12% |
| Protein | 4g | 8% |
| Fat | 24g | 37% |
| Saturated Fat | 15g | 75% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 6g | 30% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 102mg | 34% |
| Sodium | 219mg | 9% |
| Potassium | 47mg | 1% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 1g | 2% |
| Vitamin A | 765IU | 15% |
| Calcium | 18mg | 2% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
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