An easy, yet absolutely delicious, flaky and buttery Danish braid filled with a light almond cream, honey and walnuts. Fear homemade Danishes no longer because if we can do it, so can you!
I have to admit, I was pretty intimidated to me attempt a danish braid. They always look so pretty and so perfect… little did I know how easy they are to make. And now that I’ve done it, I know you can do it too 🙂
I attached a video below that I found to be super helpful when I was trying to learn the braiding technique. The most important part is to make sure you don’t cut the pieces of the braid too long because if the slits are too far long, then when you bake the danish, the filling will most likely spill out all over the place. (Trust me on this one.)
Let’s talk filling.
I have a thing for almond anything… especially those Bubbie’s almond cookies that I’ve been trying to get the recipe for… (hint, hint, nudge, nudge, Bubbie!). You see, Bubbie and I have the same taste for sweets: sugar cookies (heavy on the icing), oatmeal cream pies, and ALMOND anything. Almond extract to be exact. Almond extract doesn’t taste exactly like eating almonds. It’s more like vanilla extract— it’s a similar flavor, but somehow more. Warmer, sweeter, nuttier and a little bit stronger.
When buying almond extract, I recommend going for a “pure” version rather than an imitation version. Imitation extract smells the same, but doesn’t have quite the same burst of flavor, especially once mixed into a batter and baked. This is one of those pantry staples where I think it’s worth buying the real thing despite the extra cost.
Spoiler alert: Did you know that the reason wedding cakes are so good is because they have almond extract in them!
Now that I have filled your mind with the fact that I love almond extract and why I think it’s so important… you could probably have guessed that my favorite danish filling is almond.
So I present you with the most amazing almond filling… the filling is so delicious you don’t even need to make your own pastry dough. The almond filling takes center stage and makes up for any “store-bought” stigmas. For the almond filling you’ll need sugar, ground almonds, butter, eggs and salt. That’s it! I added honey and walnuts along with the filling in the braid and that combination totally sent this danish braid over the top. The walnuts give a little extra crunch and the honey leaves you with those sticky fingers that we all know and love.
What I love most about this recipe is that it is perfect for anytime and anywhere… whether you have family in town and need an easy make ahead breakfast, or you have a potluck to attend, or even just a good ‘ole craving for something sweet on your breakfast table.
P.S. I’m all about shortcuts, but if you are looking for a completely homemade danish braid… feel free to make your own danish dough recipe and fill it with my almond filling. 🙂
Enjoy!
An easy, yet absolutely delicious, flaky and buttery Danish braid filled with a light almond cream, honey and walnuts. Fear homemade Danishes no longer because if we can do it, so can you!