This week I took on the feat of making danish pastry from scratch and, well, it didn’t go so great. Had I realised beforehand just how time consuming and complicated this particular type of pastry is I probably would have saved it for another time, but once I’d got my mind set on these pecan pinwheels there was no going back!
Now don’t get me wrong, these do still taste pretty damn good – the pastry just isn’t as light and flaky as it should be. I think my fault was not leaving it to chill in the fridge long enough (that’ll teach me not to follow instructions!). If you fancy making these without the rigmarole of making your own danish pastry then shop bought puff pastry is pretty similar and will save you tons of time! On the other hand, if you’re ready to give homemade danish pastry a go, this Paul Hollywood recipe is the one I used.
Don’t forget to check out #TheGreatBloggerBakeOff on Twitter and the Facebook page for (undoubtedly more successful!) pastries from other bloggers!
Ingredients
- 1kg danish pastry dough
- 150g pecans
- 75g light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 40g softened butter
- 1 egg, beaten (for the egg wash)
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 100g icing sugar
- 1-2 tbsp water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°c. In a food processor add the pecans, sugar, maple syrup and butter and process until smooth.
- Roll out the pastry dough and cut into 18 squares. From each corner, cut about halfway to the centre, leaving enough space for the filling. Put a tablespoon of the pecan filling in the centre of each square. Fold each corner into the centre (see the 2nd photo!),
- Brush a little egg wash over each of the pastries. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
- Once baked, remove and allow to cool. Whisk together the cinnamon, icing sugar and 1 tbsp water to make the glaze. Add a little extra water if it's too thick, then drizzle over the pinwheels.
I think you’ve done a great job, they look amazing! x
Josie’s Journal
Thanks Josie, they still tasted good at least! x
Ugh, looking at this is making me so incredibly hungry, they look uh-maz-ing! I’ve always thought these little pastries must be so tricky, well done for doing it yourself 🙂
Thanks Hannah, although they definitely didn’t turn out quite as I’d have liked. Danish probably wasn’t the best type of pastry to start out with haha…
I made these this evening using puff pastry and oh my!!! They are scrummy!!! Thank you so much for the recipe. The boyfriend has requested I make these at Christmas instead of mince pies and I am not going to disagree!x
You’re very welcome – I’m so glad they turned out well for you! I think I’ll be sticking to puff pastry for the time being too! x
Wow, making the pastry from scratch is no small feat! They look like they tasted great, will definitely be giving these a go! Love your blog x
Thank you Isabella! I think I need a little more practice with the pastry but hopefully I’ll get it perfected soon! x