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This apple danish braid is loaded with juicy caramelized apples and cranberries inside a flaky pastry shell drizzled with glaze. The danish itself is lightly sweet and the cranberries are a welcome zingy pop of flavor with each bite. I’m a sucker for a good great pastry!
We have a long history of pastry love in my kitchen – from the cheesecake danishes to the almond peach, easy apple slab, and braided peach! This braided apple danish is well loved by kids and adults – and it looks like something out of a pastry shop, but it’s so simple to put together. We used a store-bought puff pastry and it just doesn’t get any easier!Β Go ahead and double the recipe right away. This apple danish disappears quickly and you’ll wish you had more!
Watch How to Make an Apple Danish Braid:
I hope you’re inspired to make your own braided Apple Danish! Here’s a quick visual tutorial that you can reference and PIN for Safekeepingβ€
Wishing I had leftovers… which by the way taste just as good! You can safely store this at room temperature overnight and enjoy it the following day π
β¬Print Braided Apple Danish Recipe Here β¬
Apple Danish Braid
Ingredients
Ingredients for Apple Danish Braid:
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 lb 2 large Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and sliced into 1/2" thick slices
- 1/2 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen
- 1 sheet store-bought puff pastry (1/2 lb), thawed by package instructions
- 1 egg + 1 Tbsp water for egg wash, beaten together with a fork
- 1/2 Tbsp coarse sugar
Ingredients for the Pastry Glaze:
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 Tbsp milk
Instructions
- Place a large pot or deep skillet over high heat. Melt 3 Tbsp butter and stir in 1/4 cup sugar. Add sliced apples and stir until evenly coated. Add cranberries and let the mixture sit 3 min to caramelize before stirring. Cook apples and cranberries a total of 6-7 min, stirring 3 times or until apples are lightly caramelized. Transfer apples to a plate and let cool until just warm (not hot).
- Unfold thawed pastry over a lightly floured work surface and roll it in one direction to make it a total of 2 inches longer. The natural folds in the pastry will guide your process.
- Place the cranberry apple filling down the center of the pastry, keeping it in the middle third and leaving 1" of space at the top and bottom of the pastry.
- Cut away the top corners from the left and right thirds of the. Cut 8 equal 1" strips along each side, leaving 1/2" of space from the apples. Cut away excess dough at the bottom corners.
- Fold down top flap of dough and pinch the corners down to seal. Fold in the side strips, alternating from left to right. Fold up the bottom flap, pinching the corners to seal then finish folding in the last 2 side strips, pinching the corners to seal. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with silicone or parchment, brush with egg wash, sprinkle with coarse sugar, and bake at 400ΛF for 18-22 minutes (mine was perfect at 20 min) or until top is golden brown.
- To make the glaze, stir together 1/3 cup powdered sugar with 1/2 Tbsp milk. Once the braided apple danish is at room temperature or just warm, drizzle with glaze, slice, and enjoy!
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
This apple danish is irresistibly yummy. Anything baked with apples and cranberries will warm your belly and make your houseΒ smell amazing. Enjoy this wonderful wintery treat π
Hi Iam vegan and have to do Everything from scratch can I make my own puff Pastry
Hi Iris, I haven’t made this from scratch to advise. If you experiment please let me know how you like that.
I honestly enjoyed touring your marvelous kitchen.I found it much easier and more convenient than some others.Thank you.
Thank you for watching the tour! I’m glad you enjoyed that experience with us.
Hi Ms Natasha, I’ve made this many times now and it is always a hit, and always so pretty! Making a few right now to pass out to friends for Christmas.
I made 6 of these once and donated them to my workplace’s Bake For A Cure auction and they sold out immediately. I shared the link to your website many times that day due to all the requests I received for the recipe ^.^
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Toshiko!
If I use fresh cherries would I caramelize the same as with the apple cranberry, which by the way, I love.
Hi Pam, I would suggest following the instructions for our Apple Danish Braid with Cranberries!
Hi Pam, Caramelization isn’t important with cherries, as it is for apples. So it should still work since all you need to do is cook the cherries a little bit. I would replace the butter with a splash of water to avoid caramelization, and add dash of cornstarch to get a sticky jell coating, if I were to try it though. But I would recommend draining the cherries out of a can of cherry pie filling leaving just a little of the “jell” – and you don’t even need to cook them. I’ve done this a few times, with and without a sweetened cream cheese base spread on the puff pastry first. Dad loved it!
What brand of puff pastry do you use…I purchased pepperidge farm puff pastry but it does not look doughy like your video…it has numerous paper thin sheets all.layered on top of each other…I tried rolling it to lengthen but it didnt increase because its luke paper….I’ve tried numerous recipes calling for puff pastry and it looks like dough…looks nothing like pepperidge farms
Hi Deborah, make sure the package says Puff Pastry and not Phillo or Fillo Dough. What you are describing sounds like phillo dough which is the type used for baklava.
I made this and it was easy and delicious. I added cinnamon, cloves and sliced almonds to the apple mixture
I’m so glad you enjoyed that, Sally! Thank you for sharing that with us!
Can I use your pie crust instead of puff pastry?
Hi Nana, I haven’t tested this recipe with a pie crust, with a few changes and adjusted bake time it may work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
I made the apple danish braid. Was very easy and looks yummy. Thank you for sharing.
Iβm so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Christi!
I so love your recipes and this one was so easy to follow. Definitely one I’ll put in my recipe box for future desserts!
That’s so great! I’m so happy you enjoyed that.
Everytime I use puff pastry to make this recipe the pastry inside is not cooked and it is raw dough. Not good.
Hi Julie, if you had parts of your pastry that were undercooked, it could be due to not all ovens being created equal. You could bake a few minutes longer, just keep an eye on it so the top and sides donβt turn too brown.
This is not helping my husband’s diet, haha Not crazy about cranberry, what can I use instead? Thanks!
Hi Ms Belle, I recommend reading through the comments. Some of our readers have posted great ideas using other berries, raspberries being one of them .
EXCELLENT! I’ve made this danish 5 or 6 times since discovering your recipe – for church, for work, for gifts. Photos make it so easy – tastes and looks perfect. I assemble the danish on parchment paper – then it all goes onto baking sheet, and then slides onto cooling rack. Easy!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that, Amy! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Ahhh, so many choices. I chose your recipe and it did not disappoint. I love the sweet and tart flavor of the Granny Smith apple. It was a perfect balance. I did add a bit of brown sugar for color and left off the course sugar. Love the coloring with the egg wash. Iβm definitely adding this to my collection.
Thatβs so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Made this yesterday for my 4 kiddos. I doubled the recipe and they scarfed it down. I don’t care for cooked fruit, so I did not get to try it, but even my mother in law complimented it! It must be tasty!
The first one I made was nearly impossible to transfer to the pan. It expanded, the braid separated. It was messy looking (still tasted the same). The second one I built right on the pan, and it turned out beautiful. That would be my suggestion!
Thank you for that feedback Brooke!
Can I do the apple filling ahead of time? I wanted to make this for thanksgiving dinner but i was wondering if i can cook the filling and refrigerate for few days? My cranberries are will go bad in the fridge if i wait few more days, that’s why Im wondering if it can be made ahead of time or should i just freeze my fresh cranberries?
Hi Natasha, I think that should work fine to make the filling a few days in advance, cover and refrigerate. I hope you love the recipe! π
Hi Natasha have just made this for our Pot luck tea for tonight so hopefully it works for me thanks it was easy to follow and i used raspberryβs in here as they are in season here in New Zealand
Jo
I hope you love it!
Natasha thank you again for another great recipe this looks real good thanks for walking us thru to make it right. I wil be making very soon and also making for thanksgiving for my friends and neighbors when they come for dinner I like that it’s easy to make.
You’re welcome Laurna! I hope you love it!
Love your recipe(s). My 5 year old son has enjoyed brading the Danish as much as he loved eating it. Greetings from Croatia!
Hi Ivana! Hearing this makes me sooo happy! Thank you for the great review!
I am always so excited when you present a recipe. I save all of them and they are wonderful. Thanks for sharing
Iβm so inspired reading your review. Thank you!
Hi Natasha! I made this and the peach cream cheese braid to a family get-together and they were both favorites by kids and adults. I used dried cranberries and they plumped up really well when I caramelized them with the apples. Its true they were surprisingly easy to make yet taste so elegantly delicious! Again, thanks for this family-approved dessert! Your site is a gift!
I’m so happy to hear you are enjoying my blog! Thank you for sharing that with us, Kris π