Blackberry Ginger Danish Pastry
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If you're in search of a unique and seasonal brunch treat that's extra special, look no further than this incredible Danish pastry recipe! The blackberry ginger filling is an explosion of summer flavors- you'll want to eat it with a spoon! Crunchy toasted almonds and a sweet vanilla bean glaze are like the icing on the cake!
Hoo, guys. I'm tired. I've got about 10 minutes to write this out before I'm on to the next thing.
It's been a crazy day. After the kids were off to school I had about a hot second to drizzle icing on these babies and then I had to go meet my younger son's kindergarten class at a local pond. I don't know what the heck I was thinking, but when I heard it was a fishing trip, it somehow did NOT occur to me that I would be expected to touch things like worms, algae, and actual fish. I am the biggest sissy on the planet. Luckily there were plenty of actual adults on hand to help out.
On the drive home I started feeling that old familiar afternoon slump. Maybe it was the heat that got to me but I just really felt like I needed a pick-me-up so I stopped at Starbucks to check out that s'mores frap everyone's been buzzing about. Wowza! It most definitely provided that caffeine and sugar high that I was looking for. It got me through the picture taking and editing, but now that's done and I'm crashing and burning once again. zzzzzz.....
Welp, I've still got a little league game plus homework and baths before I can chill. But before I get on with that I want to tell you about these bad boys.
Dude. The filling! I am telling you. Insane. Go get yourself some blackberries, immediately, and make this filling. If you make nothing else from this post, just make the filling. Spread it on buttered bread or spoon it over ice cream. It is the best thing I have tasted in a long time, and I taste a lot of really good things.
It only takes about 15 minutes to toss the fresh blackberries in sugar and cornstarch, add a little water and some lemon, and a fat pinch of this lightly dried ginger. This is a new product and I just loved it. The combination of blackberries and ginger is definitely a winner.
And the contrast with butter-y, flaky Danish pastry is outta this world. I've always liked Danish, but homemade Danish is on a whole different level. It's been on my bucket list for a while, and I'm so glad I finally took the plunge. It wasn't nearly as complicated as I'd built it up in my mind to be, and the result is simply stellar. I've got an easy-to-follow recipe PLUS video tutorial to guide you right through it. 😉
Just look how airy and light! Do you see all those flaky layers? Incredible. And those crunchy toasted almonds, with the vanilla bean glaze...! These blackberry ginger Danish + a cup of coffee = pure bliss.
Hope you have a fun and restful weekend!
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Ingredients
For the Blackberry Ginger Filling
- 6 ounces fresh blackberries
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ginger, (I used Gourmet Garden's Lightly Dried Ginger)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, (juice of half a lemon)
- ¼ cup water
For the Vanilla Bean Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 2 ½ teaspoons milk
Additionally
- 1 batch Homemade Danish Dough
- egg wash, (1 egg beaten with a few teaspoons of water)
- ¾ cup sliced almonds
Instructions
Make the Blackberry Ginger Filling:
- Place the berries, sugar, and cornstarch in a small pot and toss to combine.
- Add the ginger, lemon juice, and water, and cook over medium-high heat until syrup-y and thick, and most of the berries have broken apart but some chunks still remain (approx. 10-15 minutes).
- Cool completely.
Assemble the Danish Pastries:
- Cut the dough into three equal portions. Cut each third in half, and then cut each half into thirds. You should have 18 equal portions.
- Dust your hands and work surface lightly with flour, and roll each portion of dough into a ball. Flatten into discs about ⅛-inch thick, and place on parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Place about a teaspoon of blackberry ginger filling in the center of each disc, cover lightly with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, and brush the exposed pastry with egg wash.
- Sprinkle with sliced almonds, and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown and puffed.
- Cool completely and drizzle with Vanilla Bean Glaze.
Make the Vanilla Bean Glaze:
- Stir the powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste, and milk together until smooth.
I love to bake. I am glad I am not the only one that always thought things might be too hard to try. Too many steps. Thank you. Thank you so much for showing that it can be done. I haven't made them yet, but I will do it! The way you wrote it out, the way you showed step by step took away the doubt in mind.
Thank you so much.
Julia
Allie,
I didn’t have any blackberries but had strawberry preserves! Thanks for your response to my question. Used the preserves and they are so delicious and beautiful! I will try the blackberry/ginger in the future, These are one of my new favorites!
Thank you !
You're welcome Franny! I'm so glad you were pleased. Thank you for the 5-star rating!
Hi Allie,
Have you tried making this with preserves or jelly?
Thank you!
You can definitely do that! It should work well. Good luck!
I am very hesitant to make any dough myself. I'm not what you would call a baker. I tried the pastry dough and it turned out pretty good although it looked nothing like yours. The dough was not sticky at all after the initial mix of wet ingredients so I added a splash more water. Also I am kneading by hand so I had to find a YouTube video on kneading. I had no idea how long to knead so I I'm not sure if I did it enough or too much. When I rolled it out, I couldn't get it in to a nice rectangular shape. But I carried on and folded the butter in. When I rolled it again, I must have pressed too hard or rolled too thin because the butter layers came through and it made a HUGE mess. I just kept sprinkling flour to combat the mess lol. All in all, it tastes good and I can definitely see the layers, but can you give me some tips for kneading by hand and what texture it should have before I roll it out?
Hey Kellie! So sorry you had trouble. This recipe would be a bit of a challenge, even for a pretty experienced baker. One thing to keep in mind going forward is, the dough should feel stretchy. You get that with lots of kneading. I just recently make a brioche recipe that kneaded for a good 20 minutes! The longer you knead the stretchier it will be, and that will prevent the butter from seeping through the thin layers of dough. If the dough is too sticky that could make it harder too, so be sure to dust your work surface (and the dough) with flour every so often. I hope that's helpful! Better luck with the next batch!
How much if using fresh ginger?
Hey Debbi! I actually did use fresh ginger- I would definitely stick to the amount I've stated in the recipe card. Good luck, thanks for reading, and enjoy!
Oops- sorry! I was thinking of another recipe there. For fresh ginger I would probably do around 2-3 teaspoons, then give it a taste to see if it's ginger-y enough for ya. Thanks for the great question and sorry for the confusion.
Oh my, they look superb! Now that's another lovely recipe to add to my list to convert to gluten free 🙂
So happy you like Sheena! Have fun and enjoy!
Those danish look so amazingly good and I love the ginger in them!
Thanks Kevin! The ginger was my favorite part.
You did really great with your 10 minutes here, Allie! And, oh my goodness, these look just peeerrrrfect! Such a beautiful combination of flavours you've used. I have a feeling eating one of these would be the highlight of my week!
Lol thank you so much Helen! They were certainly the highlight of mine 😉
OK, I saw these earlier but I couldn't comment because I was in a huge rush, but these look divine! They look exactly like the ones from the German bakery near my house, except they're probably way better because HOMEMADE Danish dough!!! The combination of blackberry and ginger sounds lovely <3
Oh wow! Really? That is so awesome thank you so much Hannah!
hahaha Allie, that fishing trip sounds fun! 😀 I hope you get to rest well ! :* And OMG S'mores Frap? Why doesn't the Starbucks here have that on the menu!!!!! 🙁 🙁 It sounds soon good! And these danishes look WOW!!!! Blackberry and Ginger is just so perfect together! Need to make this! <3
Thanks so much Samina! I'm sure the s'mores frap is on it's way to you- it's making a big splash here!
Allie these look perfect! I am thinking they look even better than the pastries at Cake!! And bravo!! A fishing class trip, little league, homework, baths AND an awesome post!!
Aw thanks MaryAnn! It was a busy day for sure 😉
These look professional, and I'll bet they taste better than most professional pastries. When are you going to open your bakery!?!
I was thinking I'd do it in all that spare time I have lying around ;P Thank you so much my dear! Hope you're having a fabulous time on your belated honeymoon <3
I've never tried making danishes before, but they're always the first treat I reach for if I see them out. Love all the sweet glaze drizzled over top. Yum!
They always were for me too Kristen! I'm so glad I finally tried making my own. Thanks so much for the sweet comment!
Oh em gee! Absolutely adore danishes, like, with a passion! I've been meaning to do some myself. Now I have absolutely zero excuses.
Haha, get on it girl! Thanks so much for stopping by and for the sweet comment 🙂
LOVE the blackberry and ginger combination, super unique! I was so excited to see what you were going to do with the Danish pastry recipe and you did NOT disappoint. These look amazing, pinning!
Aw yay! I'm so glad I didn't let ya down, Medha! Thanks so much for pinning sweetie and for the great feedback 😉
You wrote all that in 10 min?! You rockstar! My 10 min posts are like, 'hey guys, this is good, make it, kbye' Love the ginger and blackberry combo, I haven't seen that before and boy, does it sound GOOD.
Haha yeah I can really run at the mouth! Or rather, the keyboard 😛 Thanks Mary Frances!