When it comes to Danish cuisine, they are perhaps most famous for their Danish pastries, which are delicious.
But I’ve been looking into it, and the Danish actually have a lot of great dessert recipes besides the pastries they are best known for.
So I decided to go through different Danish dessert recipes on the internet, so I could pick out which ones I like best and share my findings with you. I can’t wait to share them!
They’re perfect for parties, or as a bite to eat with your morning coffee. Their pastries take a little getting used to, if you’re more accustomed to making American pastries and desserts, but I’m sure you’ll soon get the hang of it.
They’re not usually as sweet as American desserts can be, but I would argue that that’s not such a bad thing. Some American desserts are too sweet if you ask me. Besides, the lower sugar in Danish desserts will be better for your health.
Get those taste buds ready because things are about to get sweet, chocolaty, and fruity!
1. Wienerbrød Traditional Danish Pastry Dough Recipe From Scandi Kitchen
The key to making authentic Danish pastries is to get the pastry dough right, which is why I decided to kick things off with the perfect Danish pastry dough recipe. The dough forms the base of many Danish pastry desserts.
As discussed in the FAQ section coming up later, Danish pastry is quite different from regular puff pastry – it’s layers of buttery yeast dough.
It doesn’t require many ingredients, and is quite fun to make.
2. Filled And Shaped Danish Pastries Recipe From Veena Azmanov
Once you’ve mastered the art of creating the perfect Danish pastry dough, now you can turn your hand to all the different variations of Danish pastry dishes out there, with a few different fruit or curd or cream or custard fillings.
And you get to have some fun with shaping the dough into all kinds of cute shapes as well, such as braids, stars, and more besides. The link provided will walk you through each step of the process.
3. Risengrød Traditional Danish Rice Pudding From Nordic Food And Living
Denmark is known for two different versions of rice pudding. There’s the basic one, Risengrød, which requires only 4 simple ingredients, and there’s also Risalamande, which is traditionally served after Christmas dinner.
All you need for this traditional Risengrød rice pudding recipe is rice, milk, water, and a little salt. So simple.
You can also add toppings for more flavor. I’m quite fond of adding cinnamon sugar, which is basically a mix of ground cinnamon and powdered sugar.
4. Old-Fashioned Danish Apple Cake Recipe From Danish Food Lovers
I love how this dessert is served, just like a cake jar in a clear glass, so you can see all the layers. And it tastes amazing, too.
There’s apple purée, made with apples, water, vanilla paste and sugar, apple cake crumble, made with butter, sugar, and breadcrumbs, and crunchy macaroons.
And it gets topped off with whipping cream and a sprinkle of crushed macaroons on top to serve. It takes a while to make, but it’s absolutely worth the wait!
5. Brunkager Traditional Danish Christmas Cookies Recipe From Caroline’s Cooking
I mentioned some traditional Danish Christmas customs earlier, but here’s another great one!
These amazing cookies are so good, gently spiced and quite nutty to boot. They are made with butter, coconut oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, almonds, marmalade, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, flour, and ground almonds.
They can be ready to eat in less than half an hour, and are a mere 53 calories per cookie.
6. Rødgrød Med Fløde Traditional Danish Red Berry Pudding Recipe From The Spruce Eats
You’ve probably already heard of Junket® Danish Dessert. A yummy store-bought packet for use as a pie filling, dessert topping or glaze.
But if you can’t get hold of any Junket® Danish Dessert, or you simply wish to make the famous Danish dessert from scratch, then this is the recipe you need.
And it only requires 6 ingredients, namely red berries (your choice), water, sugar, cornstarch, heavy cream, and vanilla sugar. And it’s only 373 calories per serving!
7. Kanelstang Traditional Danish Cinnamon Twist Recipe From Nordic Food And Living
If you love the taste of cinnamon in your pastries, then this, my friend, is the recipe for you!
It’s kinda like a typical cinnamon bun in taste and texture, but it’s a twist rather than a swirl, and it’s larger and elongated.
It can also feature two types of filling, namely cinnamon and vanilla cream. Instructions for both fillings are provided in the link. It comes topped with a dusting of powdered sugar and a sprinkle of chopped hazelnuts for crunch!
8. Chocolate Dipped Danish Butter Cookies Recipe From Life, Love And Sugar
These Danish butter cookies are incredibly easy to make, and all the ingredients are easy to get hold of.
All you need is butter, sugar, egg, vanilla extract, salt, and milk. You just mix the ingredients together and pipe them into cute shaped cookies on a baking sheet to bake.
And to make them extra special, this recipe recommends dipping the cooked biscuits in melted chocolate and sprinkles! What’s more, they take less than half an hour to make.
9. Brunsviger Traditional Danish Coffee Cake Recipe From Sunday Baker
OMG – I just love this coffee cake! Brunsviger is basically a yeasted coffee cake covered in a yummy crunchy-gooey caramel topping made with dark brown sugar and butter. It comes out wonderfully rich, but also fluffy, kinda like brioche.
You only need a handful of ingredients for the dough, whole milk, yeast, sugar, egg, salt, flour and butter. And funnily enough, there’s actually no coffee required!
It takes a while to make, but it’s 100% worth the wait!
10. Brombærsnitter Traditional Danish Blackberry Cakes Recipe From Nordic Food And Living
This dish is deliciously sweet and fruity, and is incredibly easy to make. It features two super thin cakes, with a fruit jam spread in between the two layers, and topped with a sweet frosting.
What’s more, you only need a handful of ingredients to make it, namely flour, butter, powdered sugar, egg yolks, blackberry or raspberry jam, and just powdered sugar and water for the frosting.
I recommend making this ahead of time, because it does take a while.
11. Danish Almond Shortbread Cookies Recipe From Sugar N’ Spice Gals
Now, this is not your typical shortbread recipe! It’s not made with just butter, sugar and flour. These shortbread cookies feature flavorful almond extract, and are further enhanced with sliced almonds on top.
They can be ready to eat in less than half an hour, and the recipe makes a whopping 48 cookies. They make for an excellent holiday gift, presented in a jar with a ribbon and bow.
12. Traditional Glogg Recipe From Baked Bree
For those of you who don’t already know, Glogg is basically the name for traditional Scandinavian mulled wine.
It’s a lovely, warming red wine cocktail, made with such ingredients as vodka, amaretto, and bourbon, together with raisins, cinnamon, orange zest and slices, fresh ginger, blanched almonds, cloves, and smashed cardamom pods.
Such a lovely drink to cozy up with on a cold winter night. Or an excellent way to end an evening meal with friends.
13. Homemade Danish Dessert Recipe From Real Life Dinner
If you liked the sound of the Junket® Danish Dessert mentioned earlier, but would prefer a sweeter version, then this is the perfect recipe for you!
Unlike the traditional Danish red berry pudding, this take on it uses Kool-Aid, and it can be made in just 15 minutes total.
What’s more, you only need 5 ingredients for it, namely sliced fresh strawberries, Kool-Aid, sugar, cornstarch, and water. It tastes amazing!
14. Danish Oatmeal Cookies Recipe From Food
If you like the sound of something crunchy and buttery, then this recipe could be just what you’re looking for!
It’s made with ingredients that are really easy to get hold of. Specifically, flour, baking soda, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, oatmeal, and chopped pecan nuts.
The recipe makes 60 cookies. They take just over half an hour to make, and each cookie is a mere 61 calories. And it’s really easy to make variations just by adding extra ingredients.
15. Aebleskiver Traditional Danish Pancake Balls Recipe From House Of Nash Eats
This is such a great dessert recipe. These pancake balls are little golden brown, fluffy batter puffs, kinda a cross between a pancake and a doughnut, but they’re lighter and more airy.
All you need to make them is eggs (yolks and whites separated), flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, butter, buttermilk, and a pinch of salt. They take just 20 minutes to make, and the recipe makes 8 servings.
16. An Apple Cheese Danish Dessert Recipe From Not Entirely Average
OK, I’m going to level with you here. Strictly speaking, this isn’t a traditional Danish recipe, because it uses ready-made puff pastry rather than traditional Danish pastry dough, but it’s close enough!
It also features cream cheese, honey, cinnamon, egg, apples, lemon zest and juice, vanilla extract, and sugar. It takes just half an hour to make and doesn’t require any fancy equipment.
17. Koldskål And Kammerjunker Traditional Danish Buttermilk Dessert Recipe From Skandi Baking
And now for something completely different! This dessert dish is actually a sweet, cool soup. Sounds weird, I know, but trust me, it’s delicious!
You make the koldskål with egg yolks and sugar, followed by the kammerjunker, where you crumble butter into some dry, then wet ingredients to form a dough which you shape into balls and bake.
You then halve the balls and bake them again until crisp. Yummy!
Are There Any Gluten-Free Muffin Recipes in the 27 Best Gluten-Free Muffin Recipes You Need to Try?
The 27 best gluten-free muffin recipes You Need to Try features an array of mouthwatering options. Among them, you’ll find delectable gluten-free muffin recipes that cater to those with dietary restrictions. Whether you prefer classic flavors or unique combinations, these best gluten-free muffin recipes ensure everyone can indulge in a tasty treat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Despite the popularity of Danish pastries around the world, it isn’t actually the most popular dessert in Denmark itself.
The Danish actually prefer their cookies and cakes. Interestingly, they also have a sweet soup, which tastes nice.
Danish pastries are frequently referred to as “Danish” outside of Denmark. They are sticky pastries made with Vienna bread, and although they were first made in Denmark, it turns out they were actually first made by Austrian bakers.
In Denmark, they refer to traditional Danish pastries as spandauer.
Danish pastry is different from regular puff pastry. They have a higher level of fat, coming in at a whopping 40%, and the pastry dough also contains yeast, which is not the case for regular puff pastry.
Wrap Up
I hope you’ve enjoyed browsing through my shortlist of 17 of the best Danish dessert recipes on the net. I imagine there may be several that you’d like to try – bon appétit!
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