Chai Spiced Apple Danish
A simple treat that is bursting with fall flavors! This danish uses homemade chai spiced apple pie filling to create warm, delicious fall flavors that you can enjoy with your morning coffee or as a dessert—it’s that good!
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In today’s episode of “necessity is the mother of invention”, I made my very first homemade apple danish and loved it! I had extra apple pie filling, thanks to my inability to convert a recipe properly. It’s funny how often I try halving a recipe, forget what I’m doing halfway, and end up accidentally making a full batch. More often than I’m proud of.
So, what to do with extra apple pie filling, other than make apple pie sundaes? Why, clear out freezer space! I happened to also have some puff pastry taking up precious space in my freezer (along with 8 pounds of pork shoulder that I’m overly excited to use up for my daughter’s birthday party soon…). So I thought I’d try making my very first apple danishes!
I was never much of a danish person growing up. I think because they never seemed to have much taste. Puff pastry is fine and all, but more of a savory dish. When I want something sweet, I want it to actually taste sweet!
Then I started trying fancy desserts from actual bakeries, not grocery stores or pre-packaged foods. And definitely not toaster strudels—which was about as fancy as my pastry world got until I was an adult.
Wow. Real, well-made danishes are good!
Otherwise, I don’t know that I’d have been willing to try making danishes. In fact, I was tempted to just toss the apple pie filling, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to try something new.
Something new was a really good idea.
Why this recipe works
My favorite part of this recipe is how easy it is! You can make the apple pie filling ahead of time. Anything that’s time saving is a life goal for me. Of course, you can easily make it all at once—it doesn’t take very long from start to finish.
Using puff pastry is not only simple, but it also creates a lovely flakiness. It’s not sweet, so you don’t end up with a sickly sweet breakfast here. However, you can add some sweetness in using the glaze—which is the whole idea of it, being able to control exactly how sweet this turns out.
I also love the combination of apples and chai spice. It’s quintessentially fall to me and is such a fun, cozy little morning (or anytime) treat!
Key ingredients
Apples. Obviously! You can use any kind you like, although using at least some tart apples is often ideal. Chop them for something like a danish or cake filling, or slice them for a pie or tart.
Brown sugar. I like the deeper flavor of brown sugar, but you could sub an equal amount of granulated sugar.
Flour (or cornstarch). I often use a combination of both, but either will do. The amounts are not interchangeable, so be sure to check the note below if you plan on switching.
Lemon juice. This is important to prevent brown apples!
Apple cider (optional). Just a bit helps create that filling “sauce” and adds to the lovely apple flavor. You can omit if you need a thicker filling or sub lemon juice (or bourbon!).
Vanilla. Chai just isn’t the same without vanilla! Be sure to use pure extract here.
Butter. I love the creaminess that adding just a bit of butter brings to any apple recipe, so I almost always include it!
Chai spices. I use cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and allspice, but you’re welcome to use your own recipe or premade mix.
Puff pastry. You can find this in the frozen dessert section of almost any grocery store, near the frozen pie crusts. See note below for using something other than puff pastry.
Powdered sugar. This goes into the glaze and makes it oh-so-yummy.
Heavy cream. You can sub milk or half and half for this in the glaze—just use sparingly if using milk as it will thin the glaze out much more than heavy cream.
Butter. Using melted butter in the glaze helps it stay together a little better and adds that touch of shine.
How to make chai apple danishes
Make the chai apple pie filling
1. Peel and chop your apples. You can use any kind of apple you like, but something with a little tartness is a great contrast to the sweetness and earthiness of the recipe.
2. Combine filling ingredients and cook. You just stir it all (apples, lemon juice, cider, vanilla, flour, and chai spices) in a saucepan or large pot and cook until the sauce is thickened but the apples are still crisp.
3. Let cool. You don’t want to place hot filling on raw puff pastry, as it will cause the butter to melt and the pastry to separate. Let the apples cool while you roll out and cut your puff pastry.
Make the danishes
4. Roll out thawed puff pastry. Be sure to use flour to keep the pastry from sticking to the counter or rolling mat. I do suggest a rolling mat so you can more easily gauge how large your sheet is. I rolled mine to a 9x12 rectangle, but you do a little larger or smaller. Just don’t go too large, or it’ll be so thin it can’t hold the filling.
5. Cut into 12 squares. I cut out 3 inch squares, but you can go a little larger. You can also shape them however you’d like, so feel free to use a different danish shaping method.
6. Fill with chai apple mix. Make sure it’s completely cooled so you don’t melt the butter in the puff pastry before it even goes in the oven (this will cause it to ooze out and fall apart).
7. Fold closed and bake. As I said, you can go with any shape you like, a flatbread or style or placing the puff pastry in a mini muffin pan and filling it from there.
Glaze and enjoy!
8. Stir glaze ingredients until smooth. You can adjust the amounts to your liking, just don’t let it be too runny or it will soak into the danish and disappear.
9. Drizzle onto slightly cooled danishes. You can drizzle as much or as little as you like—I suggest a lot. :)
Serve immediately and enjoy!
Tips and FAQ’s for this recipe
Can I make this ahead of time?
For the most part, yes! You can make the apple filling up to 2 weeks ahead and store it in the fridge. You could also likely get away with shaping the danishes then freezing them until ready to bake. Once baked, these won’t keep for longer than about a day, so be sure to plan ahead, especially if you’re making these for a big brunch or party. They should be baked as close to eating as possible to maintain that flaky texture, so utilize the freezer if you won’t have time to assemble them right before baking and save the baking for the last possible second.
What kind of apples should I use?
Any kind will do. Jonagold and Pink Lady are probably my favorites for baking, but they’re not always available at a lot of stores (I usually only find Jonagold/Jonathan apples when we go apple picking). Using a combination of tart and sweet apples is ideal, like Granny Smith and Gala or Honeycrisp. I just don’t recommend Fuji for baking—they turn mushy pretty quickly.
Do I have to make the glaze?
The glaze is optional, but it’s so, so, so good. I could eat that stuff with a spoon. It adds that pop of sweetness that’s missing from the puff pastry. I also love that it provides a great contrast to the flakiness of the pastry and the gooey, crunchy apple filling. If you have another glaze you prefer or just want these plain, of course you’re welcome to go with what you like!
Can I use my own chai spices?
Sure! This recipe is written using my favorite chai spice combination, but you can use whatever you’d like. I love me some cardamom, and I think chai isn’t spicy enough without a little extra ginger as well as using cloves and allspice. But if you have a recipe or a jar of chai spice you love, feel free to use that. Just don’t use a sweetened chai mix (or one that’s intended to be used as a tea or drink), as those will compromise the texture of the filling.
Where do I find puff pastry?
Puff pastry is usually available in the frozen dessert section at most grocery stores. It will be near the frozen pie crusts and such. Keep it frozen until a few hours before baking (read the label to know your brand’s suggested method for thawing). Of course, you can always make your own, but I never have and I applaud your bravery if you do!
Can I use something other than puff pastry?
Yes! These would work very well as mini hand pies. For those, I highly suggest my sour cream pie crust, as it’s the easies one I have to work with. You may want to shape these more like a tart or mini galette, or you could enclose them entirely like I did with these cherry hand pies. Beyond puff pastry or pie crust, you could also try crescent roll or biscuit dough, but the bake times and temperatures may vary.
What if my puff pastry opens while baking?
You eat it anyway! ;) If this happens, you may have over-filled your danishes, which isn’t so much a problem as the result of a delicious danish. The taste won’t be affected if the pastry doesn’t stay closed during baking (see any of my photos here haha). If your puff pastry opens up while baking, you could press it back down, if desired. Or, you could try making these into any variety of danish shapes, potentially one that doesn’t require folding and sealing the pastry. It’s entirely aesthetics and up to your personal preference.
My tools
Here are my must-have tools I use for making these danishes. Affiliate links provided.
Vegetable peeler and apple slicer and corer OR apple peeler, corer, and slicer
Chai Spiced Apple Danish
- prep time: 10-15 minutes
- cook time: 5 minutes
- bake time: 12-15 minutes
- total time: 35 minutes
servings: 24
Ingredients:
for the chai spice mix (makes a little extra)
- 1 teaspoon (3g) ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon (2g) ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon (1g) ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon (1g) ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon (1g) ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon (1g) ground cloves
- pinch sea salt
for the chai spiced apple danish
- 3-4 medium apples (about 3 pounds)
- ½ cup (100g) lightly packed brown sugar
- juice of half lemon (about 1 tablespoon or 13g)
- 2 tablespoons (28g) apple cider (can sub apple juice)
- ½ tablespoon (6g) vanilla extract
- ½ tablespoon (4g) chai spice mix from above*
- 2 tablespoons (34g) flour**
- 2 sheets puff pastry
- optional: 1 tablespoon milk mixed with 1 room temperature egg
for the chai spiced glaze
- 1 cup (130g) powered sugar
- 1 teaspoon (3g) vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons (30-45g) heavy cream (can sub milk or half & half)
- 1 tablespoon (14g) butter, melted
- ¼ teaspoon (1g) chai spice mix, or to taste*
Instructions:
- Thaw puff pastry according to package directions.
- In a small bowl, mix together the chai spices and set aside.
make the apple filling
- Peel, core, and chop the apples into ¼ inch (or about ½ cm) pieces. Don’t go too large, as you want small enough pieces to fit nicely in the danish.Note: a vegetable peeler and apple slicer and corer help a lot with this, but feel free to break out the fancy gadgets if you have them!
- Combine the apples with the brown sugar, lemon juice, apple cider, vanilla, chai spices, and flour in a large saucepan or medium stockpot. Stir well then cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sauce part begins to thicken. Turn the heat down to low and cook until the apples are just slightly softened but still have a bit of a crunch, about 3-4 minutes. Set aside to cool.
assemble and bake
- While the filling cools, preheat your oven to 400F/205C. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
- Take the first thawed puff pastry sheet and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll out to about 9”x12” (22.5cmx30cm), sprinkling with more flour and rotating to pastry as you go to ensure even rolling and that it doesn’t stick to the counter or mat.
- Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut pastry into twelve 3”x3” (5cmx5cm) squares. You can make larger cuts, if desired. Arrange the pieces on your prepared pan, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Fill each pastry with about 2 tablespoons apple pie filling, arranging it diagonally from one corner to the other.
- Gently fold one corner over the filling, pulling it snuggly and pressing it slightly into the filling to get it to “stick”. Use your finger or a pastry brush, brush some water on the top of that folded over piece. This will act as glue with the other corner. Fold the opposite corner over the first one, being sure they overlap by at least ½ inch or 1 cm. Press gently to seal the two corners together.
- If desired, brush each sealed danish with 1 tablespoon milk mixed with 1 room temperature egg.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the puff pastry browns and the filling begins to bubble just a bit. If possible, use a spatula to check the bottom of one or two danishes to make sure it’s not still raw. If so, tent the pan with foil and bake a few more minutes.
- While the first batch bakes, repeat the process of rolling, cutting, and filling the puff pastry with the other sheet. Bake once the first batch is finished.
make the glaze
- While the danishes cool, mix together all of the glaze ingredients, stirring until completely smooth. Taste, adding more chai spice or heavy cream, as needed. You want a drizzling consistency, not a runny glaze.
- Drizzle mostly cooled danishes as desired. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Leftovers will last 1-2 days but should be reheated in an oven for best taste and texture.
*You can sub 1 tablespoon of your favorite chai spice mix as long as it’s unsweetened.
**Can sub 1 tablespoon (9g) cornstarch.
