I’ve been eyeing peaches at the farmers market for a few weeks now. Last year I worked so hard to come up with what I felt was the ultimate peach desert. Fried peach hand pies. Which is still one of the best things I’ve made and eaten. Crisp, sugar-coated multi-colored pie dough filled with fresh macerated peaches. So I had a tall task to one-up that recipe this year. Thankfully I think I may have with this insane peach danish, made with homemade puff pastry, almond and coconut brown butter filling, and fresh sliced peaches on top.

Peach Danish with Almond + Coconut

I started the week on a high. My mental health has stabilized a bit after the tornado of last week, which I’m so grateful for. I’m feeling good again. And I’m thinking a lot about my 30th birthday, which is next week. I’m doing a lot of reflecting on life. Old friends. College, high school, traveling. It simultaneously feels like no time has passed since I was an awkward young boy trying to find himself, but also like I’ve lived lifetimes.

I’m especially proud right now of my art. My blog and my recipes. I’m pushing myself to create something show-stopping each week and truly delicious. And I think I’m getting better and better. The magic and passion for this little project to combine my love of art and food has not worn off. Not in the slightest. Next week, in addition to being my 30th birthday, is my 100th blog post! I have something grand planned. But I also have a back up just in case.

Birthday Prepping + Cupcake Shopping

Putting the slight anxiety about entering my 30’s aside, with so many things I sometimes wish I had or should have accomplished by now, I’m calm and happy. I started the week with a day trip alone to Camden. My favorite town in Maine. I visited my mom’s favorite cupcake shop on the end of main street, which is always doused in an incredible, scrumptious aroma. Fresh buttery cake and sugar. I also took a walk through my favorite park, where I’ve had many life moments over the years. The weather was sunny, warm, not too hot, and breezy.

I had a great day. I blasted my favorite music on the way home. And I passed my favorite farm stand on the way home, which I ignored. Because I plan to go on my birthday. I dreamed of picking up a whole bushel of fresh orange peaches, which are probably my favorite fruit. There’s not much better than a fresh, cold, ripe peach in the summer. So I’ve been dreaming of making a peach danish recipe all summer. There were so many possibilities for shapes, designs, and flavor combinations. And I couldn’t decide.

Almond Croissants + Bakeries

Ultimately on the way home I started thinking about almond croissants. My favorite bakery in Camden has been closed. So I’ve been dreaming of their rich, flavorful croissants and danishes. Chocolate pistachio croissants. Cookies. Potato danishes. I can’t wait until the fall flavors arrive. Possibly my favorite blog recipe of all time, my loaded potato danishes, wouldn’t leave my mind either. But I endeavored to create a sweet danish that was just as good. So I started by researching what goes into the best almond croissants.

If you’ve ever eaten a great almond croissant, it has a buttery, thick filling on the inside and on the top that crackles and deepens in flavor when baked. With fresh puff pastry it’s incredible. So I decided to make some sort of almond paste filling to pair with fresh peaches and homemade puff pastry. I went to the farmers market Thursday for even more inspiration. The crowd was slightly less large with people leaving for the summer now. A couple stands disappeared. But the produce stands have never looked so beautiful.

Farmers Market Thursdays

Bountiful cucumbers, zucchini, plump striped tomatoes, graffiti eggplant, and white and yellow peaches. Berries, herbs, and hot peppers. I couldn’t decide where to start. I thought for a moment about scrapping all my ideas and making a hot, spicy curry with herb rice and eggplant. Like my eggplant tikka masala. But I narrowed in on the baskets of fresh peaches on the edge of the market. The stand with the large and friendly golden retrievers. They have softballs of onions, too, and a few types of eggplant.

I picked out 4 of my favorite round peaches with a slight give and fragrant perfume. Into a paper bag. I paid and placed them in my tote bag proudly. I scanned the market one more time and heard rumblings about a blueberry danish. The bread and pastry stand was mobbed as always. So I got in my car, left a heads up penny on the ground, and headed home. The highlight of arriving home these days is my home grown sunflower on the front lawn. I planted 6, but there was only 1 sole survivor after my dad chopped the others by accident. So this guy is extra special. Extra yellow, and majestic.

Homemade Puff Pastry

I spent the rest of the morning snacking on a scone and organizing some things. Then, I dove headfirst into my recipe. Well, first I actually baked cookies for an upcoming recipe. So the house was filled with a delightful nutty brown butter scent. I poured a brand new bag of sugar into my jar and got to work on my peach danish recipe. I rarely cook from other people’s recipes these days, but I got out Claire Saffitz’ Dessert Person to make homemade puff pastry. She has a great, easy recipe that makes incredibly good danishes, sweet and savory.

So I started by diligently following the recipe. You can use store bought puff pastry if you want – just try to get something high quality. The homemade and quick version starts with chilling butter in the freezer along with a bowl of measured flower, salt, and sugar. Then you grate the butter into the flour and toss it around. You cut another stick and a half of butter in small squares and chill those, too, which you cut into the dough later. I also put a pyrex cup of ice water in the freezer to get super cold to help bring the dough together.

Brown Butter, Almond, and Coconut Filling

Long story short, you want to mix the pastry delicately so you have defined layers of butter and dough. You add just enough ice water to make it work. And in the fridge the shaggy dough goes. For 2 hours. So, I cleaned up my kitchen counter, made some lunch, and enjoyed one of my rich peanut butter cookies on the side. I still had plenty of energy, and I was thinking of ideas for my peach danish. How could I amp up the flavor in the traditional almond paste recipe?

Normally you blend almonds with softened butter and sugar to make a delicious paste for almond croissants. So, I decided to make brown butter and to add coconut, which I love and which pairs beautifully with peaches. Because the butter needs to be soft, like the texture of butter you cream for a cake, I cooked my brown butter and let it rest. I also added a little heavy cream to add a little of the liquid back that evaporates when browned. Along with 2 more tablespoons of cold butter, which speeds up the chilling process.

Rolling Puff Pastry Dough

Quickly I had a spreadable, thick, but soft brown butter mixture. All that was left to do was blend it with the sugar, coconut, and almonds. I used the end of a bag of sliced almonds and a vacuum-sealed bag of shredded unsweetened coconut that I’ve been hoping to utilize. I added my sugar and butter and blended it all up in my stick blender. My favorite kitchen tool. Which eliminates the need for food processors and long clean up sessions. After a couple minutes of whizzing, I had a thick, creamy almond and coconut paste to pipe into each peach danish.

Next came time for my puff pastry to come out of the fridge. I cut my dough in half, saving the rest for another day. Another recipe. After 5 minutes the half I was using thawed a little, so I dusted it with flour and began to roll it out. I like to add an extra layer of folding to my recipe to increase the number of flaky layers. So, after rolling it into a rectangle, I thought of kouign-amann. I’ve really wanted to make it for a while now. It’s puff pastry with sugar rolled between the layers and baked in a muffin tin. It caramelizes and gets so crunchy and beautiful.

Cinnamon Sugar Pastries

So I sprinkled cinnamon sugar on my puff pastry, folding it up into a brick and rolling it out thin again. Into a large rectangle this time, about 1/4” thick. Next I trimmed the edges of the dough and cut my rectangle into 6 large squares. Perfect for my 6-cup jumbo muffin tin, which I bought recently. I also buttered and sugared the inside of the muffin cups, which causes the pastry to caramelize and crisp on the outside as it bakes. I made sure each of my 6 large 8×8” squares of pastry were perfect and draped them artfully into each muffin cup.

Then, I piped my almond and coconut filling into the middle. A generous dollop into each. I tasted a little on my finger and it was rich and sweet. So I sprinkled a little sea salt on top. Then came the fun part. Cutting my peaches. I split them open, removed the pits, and thought of Italy. Then I sliced each peach half in thin half-moons, fanning them out on my cutting board. I topped each danish with as many slices as I could, in a fan-shape, and marveled at my creation. I couldn’t wait to bake them.

Bubbling Peach Danishes

I sprinkled the rest of my cinnamon sugar all over the tops to help caramelize the peaches. And I popped them into the oven excitedly. It’s a really simple recipe, and one of my new favorites. The brown butter and coconut added a lot. When you have perfect fresh peaches, too, you need little else. The homemade puff pastry was gorgeous, crisp, and golden brown on each peach danish. I realized quickly that I forgot to egg-wash them. But they had so much butter and sugar that it didn’t really need help browning, anyway.

When they came out they were bubbling furiously with butter and caramel around the edges. So I let them sit in the muffin tin to cool for about 10 minutes. They were still warm, so they popped out with the help of an offset spatula. And with the help of the fresh air wafting in from the summer day, the exterior of each peach danish hardened into a crisp caramel crust. The peaches were fragrant, caramelized, and enticing. My dad was waiting patiently in the other room for a taste. So we sat down and split one.

A Perfect Breakfast Pastry

The cross section was beautiful. I got a whiff of brown butter, cinnamon, caramel, and sweet peaches. Buttery puff pastry. I can only describe the scent as heavenly. We each grabbed a warm, magnificent peach danish half and chowed down. My eyes widened quickly, and my dad was silent. Which is how you know he loves something. I said a couple “oh my gods” and some giddy expletives. The filling is rich with coconut and almond and has a luscious buttery mouthfeel. The brown butter adds a ton of flavor, so it’s well worth the effort.

I forgot to add vanilla, but it doesn’t really need it. The little sprinkle of sea salt added so much flavor, too. And the peaches! Imagine perfectly ripe, peak-season peaches, cooked with homemade puff pastry. That’s enticing enough. But with the rich, slightly salty filling, the peaches provide an uplifting punch of acidic sweetness. Pure summer. I ate my half quickly and considered having another one because it was incredibly delicious. It’s just the perfect pastry.

Summer Peaches, Caramel, and Pastry

I thought of adding a dollop of whipped cream on top to mellow everything out. But it doesn’t need it. These jewels could proudly sit on any high-end bakery menu. I usually like to give away most of the recipes I make so that I don’t have to eat 12 slices of cake, or 6 cookies. But this was so good that I considered freezing them. Having one every weekend for the next few weeks. I can guarantee you one thing – I’m having one first thing in the morning on my birthday next week. Thursday. Farmers market day. Fittingly.

Seriously, even if you can’t afford the time to make homemade puff pastry right now, go buy some puff pastry sheets and make these asap! The filling is easy to blend up. You just need fresh peaches. Some cinnamon sugar. And a jumbo muffin tin. After this recipe I think I’ve officially decided that peaches are my favorite fruit. And this is one of my all time favorite recipes. If I ever go to Paris and I see a peach danish on the menu, I’ll buy it in a heartbeat.

Thank you for reading! If you enjoy my recipes and paintings be sure to check out my exclusive prints and my Etsy page for 100’s of recipe cards and art prints. Use code THEFORKEDRING for 25% off.

Print Pin

Peach Danish with Almond and Coconut

Homemade puff pastry danishes with brown butter almond and coconut filling. Topped with fresh peaches.

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American, French

Keyword almond, coconut, danish, peach

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 1 large sheet puff pastry
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup blanched almonds
• 1/2 cup white granulated sugar + 1/4 cup for cinnamon sugar
• 1 tsp group cinnamon + 1 tsp for cinnamon sugar
• 2 tbsp heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 lb fresh peaches

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• In a medium saucepan, cook 6 tbsp butter over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until browned. Remove from heat and let cool.
• Add your heavy cream, 2 tbsp butter, vanilla extract, and sea salt and stir until thick but soft.
• In a blender, combine coconut, almonds, brown butter mixture,1 tsp cinnamon, and white sugar. Blend until smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes.
• Butter the insides of a jumbo muffin tin (6 cups) and sprinkle 1 tbsp sugar inside each. Pat and roll pan to coat the buttered edges completely in sugar.
• Thaw your puff pastry until workable. Sprinkle lightly with flour and roll into a large rectangle, 1/4″ thick, about 16″ x 24″.
• Cut your dough into 6 equal 8 x 8″ squares and place each square into a cup of the buttered and sugared muffin tin, folding the dough to fit.
• Pipe a generous dollop of your almond and coconut brown butter mixture into each pastry. Then, smooth into an even layer with a spoon.
• Slice 3-4 fresh, ripe peaches, removing pits and leaving skins on, into 1/2″ slices. Fan about 6-8 slices on top of each danish and press lightly to adhere.
• Combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp ground cinnamon in a small bowl.
• Sprinkle 2-3 tsp cinnamon sugar over each danish. Bake with muffin tin on a baking sheet for 25-30 minutes until fully golden brown and caramelized.
• Let danishes cool in muffin tin for 5-10 minutes until slightly warm. Remove from tin with an offset spatula and place onto a non-stick baking sheet to cool fully, which allows the sugar to harden.
• Serve warm or with whipped cream.

Notes

• To make homemade puff pastry, I recommend making Claire Saffitz’ recipe from Dessert Person. 
• If you make homemade puff pastry, add some cinnamon sugar on your dough before laminating the last layer. 
• Brown butter is perfect when golden brown. It’s done when it smells nutty and is fully golden brown with flakes of browned bits.