Braided Almond Danishes

by Rachel Piercey

Decadent and elegant, but not as hard to make as you'd think!

Yields 1 dozen pastries

1 recipe danish dough
Filling:
1 1/4 cups coarsely ground almonds
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp milk
1 egg yolk
Topping:
1 beaten egg for egg wash
1/3 cup sliced almonds
Glaze:
1 cup icing sugar
1 tsp almond extract
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp half & half cream

  1. Preheat oven to 375F.
  2. Roll danish dough until it is approximately 13”x19”. Cut into 8 rectangles.
  3. Cut sides into 1/2” strips (as in photo), cutting the bottom strip off.
  4. Egg wash just the strips and place 1/8 of the filling in the centre of each rectangle.
  5. To braid the danish fold the strips over the filling, alternating each side one by one (see photo below).
  6. Place danishes on a parchment lined sheet pan about 3 inches apart. Place in a warm area to proof for about 30 minutes.
  7. Once proofed brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sliced almonds.
  8. Bake for around 12 minutes, making sure the bottoms don’t get too brown.
  9. While the danishes are baking combine the ingredients for the glaze.
  10. Remove danishes from oven and let sit for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Once cooled drizzle with glaze and serve!