Raspberry Heart Danish Pastries Recipe
Delightfully flaky Raspberry Heart Danishes made with golden puff pastry, filled with sweet and tangy raspberry jam, and topped with a delicate frame for an elegant touch. Perfect for a festive breakfast, brunch, or a charming dessert treat.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 to 18 minutes
- Total Time: 30 to 33 minutes
- Yield: 8 heart danishes 1x
- Category: Breakfast, Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
Danish Pastry
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (thawed)
- ½ cup raspberry jam or preserves (seedless or seeded, your choice)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Optional Toppings
- Powdered sugar
- Fresh raspberries
- Glaze (see notes)
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Puff Pastry: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly flour your work surface and unfold the thawed puff pastry sheet. Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out as many hearts as possible, remembering each Danish requires two hearts—one solid base and one heart-shaped frame.
- Make the Heart Frames: From half of the hearts you cut, use a smaller heart cutter to remove the center, creating a frame or border shape. Arrange the solid hearts on the baking sheet, brush their edges lightly with water, then gently place the heart frames atop them, pressing lightly to seal the edges together.
- Mix and Add Filling: In a small bowl, combine the raspberry jam with lemon juice. Spoon about 1 to 1½ teaspoons of this filling into the center of each heart pastry, carefully spreading it within the border without overfilling.
- Egg Wash and Bake: Whisk together the egg and water to make an egg wash. Brush the exposed pastry edges (avoid the jam) with the egg wash to promote browning. Bake the assembled Danishes in the preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes, until puffed up and golden brown.
- Cool and Serve: Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the Danishes to a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes. Just before serving, dust with powdered sugar, drizzle with glaze, or top with fresh raspberries as desired for an elegant finish.
Notes
- The glaze mentioned can be a simple mixture of powdered sugar and lemon juice or milk, drizzled over the cooled danish for added sweetness and shine.
- Use seedless raspberry jam for a smoother filling or seeded jam if you prefer a more textured bite.
- Ensure your puff pastry is fully thawed but still cold before working with it for best puff and handling.
- If you don’t have a heart-shaped cutter, you can freehand cut shapes using a paring knife or use other festive cookie cutters.
- Store leftover danishes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or freeze for longer storage.
Keywords: Raspberry Danish, Heart shaped pastry, Puff pastry dessert, Raspberry jam pastry, Valentine's Day dessert
