This Almond Danish Braid is so easy & makes the sweetest breakfast treat. Flaky puff pastry is brushed with butter, filled with sweet almond filling and finished with a drizzle of vanilla icing and a sprinkling of almonds. It's absolutely irresistible! Easy braiding instructions will make anyone a pro.
My sister came down from Michigan last week to visit me and enjoy some of our warm weather. I don't get to see her very often so I wanted to spoil her and make a few of her favorite things.
I made her a rich and delicious coffee and chocolate dessert, No Bake Mocha Cheesecake, and this beautiful almond danish braid for a sweet breakfast treat. One of her all-time favorites, and mine as well, is an almond pastry from the bakery, but I wanted to go one better and make a homemade version.
And it was surprising how easy this almond breakfast pastry was to make! It starts out with a few store-bought items to save time. One is frozen puff pastry sheets and the other is a can of almond pastry filling. I use this same filling in my Almond Breads I make for Christmas and it's delicious. All that's left is some butter and a few ingredients for the vanilla icing drizzle. And of course the braiding!
Don't groan! It's actually very easy and I'll give you a step by step, which you'll only need to look at once before you become a pro.
How to braid this almond danish
First, let the puff pastry thaw for about 40 minutes then lay it out on a wooden cutting board.
- Cut strips on either side of the center that are about 2" long and about 1" wide. I use a pizza cutter and it works just great. Discard the strip on each corner so all you have is a little flap of dough to close over the end.
- Melt butter and brush the center of braid that hasn't been cut. Using ½ can of pastry filling each, spread on top of butter to cover.
- Starting with one end, fold over top edge then take the first strip and fold in at a slight angle, covering filling.
- Repeat with strip on the other side.
- Continue braiding by alternating strips on either side.
- Just before folding in bottom strips, fold over bottom edge then braid last two strips.
- Brush top with egg wash and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and drizzle icing over the top then sprinkle with some sliced almonds. Now, dive in!
Flaky pastry, sweet almond filling, and a little crunch from the almonds make this almond breakfast pastry a treat you won't forget. And the whole thing only takes about 30 minutes from start to finish. I can see that this will be an almond danish braid we will make again and again. Enjoy!
More breakfast treats
Chocolate Belgian Waffles are a decadent chocolate lovers treat. They're crispy on the outside, tender and moist on the inside and best topped with warm cinnamon apples.
Maple Pecan Sticky Buns are soft and flaky treats, stuffed with cinnamon sugar then topped with sweet sticky caramel and nuts.
Easy Strawberry Cinnamon Roll is a brunch highlight. They start with packaged cinnamon rolls that are filled with sweetened Greek yogurt and sliced strawberries. Roll, bake and finish with a drizzle of chocolate.
Peach Strudel is also made with puff pastry and is great for a fruity breakfast.
Find lots more easy breakfast recipes here on 2CM!
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ALMOND DANISH BRAID
Ingredients
Almond Braid
- 1 package frozen puff pastry
- 1 can almond pastry filling (not almond paste)
- 4-6 Tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 egg, beaten
Vanilla Icing
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 1 Tablespoon butter, softened
- 2 Tablespoons milk or cream
- 1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
- Garnish: sliced almonds
Instructions
- Thaw puff pastry dough as directed on package. This should take about 30-40 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray.
- Open puff pastry sheet on a wooden cutting board and lay flat.
- Using a pizza cutter, cut 2" long strips on either side of center, making them about 1" wide. You should have 8 or 9 strips on each side when done.
- Remove the strips on each corner, leaving the center intact to fold over filling.
- Brush melted butter on center of dough.
- Top butter with ½ can almond filling and spread evenly.
- Beginning at one end, fold over center flap to cover filling.
- Fold over the top strip at a slight angle. Repeat with opposite side. Proceed with remaining strips until you reach the bottom set of strips.
- Fold over the center flap on the bottom then fold over the last two strips.
- Using a large spatula, move braid to cookie sheet.
- Repeat with remaining puff pastry and filling to make second braid.
- Whisk egg in a small bowl and brush on top of braids.
- Bake in oven for 20 minutes.
- While pastry is baking, mix all ingredients for almond or vanilla icing together. Add more confectioner's sugar if you need to thicken it or more cream if it needs to be thinner. It should be a good consistency to drizzle over braid.
- Remove cookie sheets to wire rack and immediately drizzle icing over braids. Sprinkle on sliced almonds.
- Makes 2 braids.
Mark Moes says
Very easy and people raved about it
Linda Warren says
Yay! So glad it went over so well. This is one of my favorite danishes and I always baked it for my mom when she visited. Needless to say it was her favorite too!
Jennifer J Zajac says
I struggle with ensuring the puff pastry dough is completely cooked in the middle. Any tips or tricks for this (e.g., does pan type make a difference, etc)?
Linda Warren says
If you want to make sure the puff pastry gets done in the center I would lightly poke very small holes over the top of the braid that will let the steam escape during baking. This will help the dough cook more evenly.
Maggie says
Oops. You forgot to put sliced almonds in the ingredient list! I guess I’ll need to make this a second time! 🙂
Linda Warren says
Any excuse is a good excuse to make this! lol
Maureen says
I would love your almond bread recipe please
Linda Warren says
I will have to think about posting the recipe on my blog. It is a longtime family recipe and I haven't shared it with anyone. If you want to make something similar, it is basically a sweet bread dough, filled with almond filling, rolled into a circle and baked.
Sherri says
Couldn’t find almond pastry filling but found how to make it here , two recipes, during a search.
* 8oz almond paste, cut into chunks, 1/4 c white sugar, 1room temperature egg white OR
* 1 room temperature Gee white, 1/2c almond paste and 3/4c powdered sugar.
Linda Warren says
It can be very hard to find in most grocery stores except around Christmas time. I usually order mine through Amazon. However, I love that you found how to make it using almond paste. I will definitely have to give this a try and see how it compares.
Nancy Lasker says
I chopped up my almond paste and I didn’t add anything to it. It was perfect the way it was. I chopped it up, put it on my puff pastry, chopped up some almonds and sprinkled that on and then made my braid and it turned out. Perfect totally sweet enough.
Linda Warren says
Ah, an almond lover after my own heart! So glad to know that it worked for you with almond paste.
Belinda Barton says
Try the brand Solo. Some Walmarts carry!
Linda Warren says
Yes, this is the brand I use as well.
Jan says
Linda, What brand of almond pastry filling do you use? I made it my self, but it was firmer that a can product that I purchased.
Thank you!
Linda Warren says
I always purchase the Solo brand Almond Cake and Pastry Filling. I've used it for years, back to the time they made it in glass jars, and I feel it's the best.
Cindy says
How far in advance do you think this could be made?
Linda Warren says
Since it uses puff pastry, it is best made right before serving. Puff pastry tends to lose its flakiness when sitting around longer than 30-60 minutes. You could make the icing ahead of time, say up to 30 minutes before.
rose staupe says
I wonder if you could use pie crust shells?
Linda Warren says
It would be a little too heavy with pie crust. The puff pastry makes it very light and perfect for a breakfast or brunch. You might be able to make hand pies using the pie crust but you would need to adjust the bake time.
Samantha says
Took this to a Bible study and nobody could believe I made it myself! And it was much easier than I thought it would be. Thanks for the great step-by-steps!
Linda Warren says
I'm so glad everyone liked it! And glad the step-by-step directions helped.
Milisa says
Amazing recipe for a weekend brunch. My family loved this!
Linda Warren says
Yay! It would be amazing as a weekend brunch treat.