When it comes to pastries, there’s something about apple filling that just gives a wholesome flavor to contrast the rich dough. But, apple danish isn’t as common as it ought to be considering how yummy it s! This apple puff recipe combines a lovely filling of spiced apples with the ease (and flavor) of pre-made, frozen puff pastry. They’re heavenly to eat and deceptively easy to make.

To begin making this recipe you’ll need 2-3 Granny Smith apples. Because they can vary in moisture and size, it’s always better to err on the side of caution and use 3. However, when I did this, I had a little bit of the filling leftover. I was more than happy to spoon some over some plain yogurt throughout the week for breakfast as it’s very delicious. But, all I’m saying is that there was some extra.

The filling is flavored with lemon zest, nutmeg, and cinnamon and has a really aromatic quality thanks to the citrus. Then you loosely mash it for a sort of dressed up, concentrated version of applesauce- if a little bit chunky. I like some bite to my filling, so I leave the chunks in.

Then roll out your thawed pastry dough and cut into 16 rectangles. Instead of an egg wash you seal the edges with heavy cream. After folding everything over and crimping with a fork, cut 3 diagonal slits in the tops using a very sharp knife. I have found that if you let them sit for 5 minutes the dough dries just a touch and makes it easier to cut into.

Then brush with more cream and give each puff a little sprinkle of granulated sugar. When they’re ready to take out of the oven the tops will turn golden brown and the pastry will puff up to about 1 inch thick. The little vents allow steam to escape, and the sugar on top gives a little more color.

Serve these for breakfast or brunch for a decadent and surprisingly bright take on the classic apple turn over.