Chocolate Almond Braided Danish
This Chocolate Almond Braided Danish is fantastic and perfect for any chocoholic! A flaky and buttery danish pastry filled with tons of gooey chocolate and topped with nutty almonds!
Ingredients
- 1 package (2 sheets) puff pastry thawed
- 1/2 cup almond paste optional but helps bring out almond flavor
- 2 (4 oz each) semi-sweet chocolate bars
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner; set aside.
- On a clean, flat work surface, unroll one sheet of puff pastry (it comes in a tri-fold like a pamphlet). On the middle portion, spread 1/4 cup of the almond paste in an even layer. Top with an unwrapped chocolate bar.
- Cut diagonal lines into the left and right side portions of the pastry about an inch apart. Remove the corner pieces (see diagram above). Starting from the top, fold down the top flap, then begin alternating left and right braided strips until you reach the bottom, then fold down the bottom flap. Tuck any remaining pieces of puff pastry underneath the danish. Repeat with remaining ingredients to make a second danish. Place both danishes about 5" apart on the baking sheet.
- Brush each danish with the lightly beaten egg. Bake for 25 minutes or until very lightly golden brown. Divide the sliced almonds evenly on top of the pastries. Return to the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until pastry is golden brown, flaky, and almonds are lightly toasted.
- For the cleanest cuts, allow pastry to cool to room temperature before serving. Otherwise, let cool for about 20 minutes before serving as chocolate will be VERY hot.
Notes
This recipe was tested with Pepperidge Farm puff pastry and Baker's semi-sweet chocolate bar. Since chocolate is the star of this recipe, I recommend using a high quality chocolate like Baker's or Ghirardelli.