This Easy Turtle Danish is full of rich chocolate, gooey caramel, and crunchy pecans. After a bit of trial and error, I’ve simplified the process to make it truly easy for anyone to master. It’s one of those recipes that looks impressive, but is actually super easy to make. Perfect for a special dessert or brunch!
Chocolate, Caramel, & Pecan = The Perfect Danish
As you might know from my Easy Strawberry Cream Cheese Danish, Baked Brie Bites, and Easy Puff Pastry Ham and Cheese Quiche, puff pastry and I have had our moments.
The first time I was trying my hand at some mini puff pastry braids, I thought it would be so simple. But alas… I ended up throwing the whole project in the garbage and regretted spending so much time on it.
BUT with this easy turtle danish? Well let’s just say that this recipe is super simple, because I made a few changes (which you can find in the tips below) and this video is super helpful!
If you’re new to the puff pastry danish (I mean making it, not eating it, because let’s be honest, that I’ve done many times before!), this is a great recipe to start with. There’s hardly any chopping or mixing – just assemble, egg wash and bake!
Turtle Danish Ingredients
- Puff pastry: Most store-bought boxes come with two rolls, but you’ll only need one for this recipe.
- Dark chocolate: Using whole chocolate bars makes this danish truly indulgent. If you’re looking for something a little less sweet, use half of the chocolate called for, chop it and sprinkle evenly over the caramel.
- Dulce de leche: This or a thick caramel sauce works just as well here.
- Pecans: If you don’t have pecans, you can substitute these with walnuts or almonds if you prefer.
My Secrets to Foolproof Puff Pastry
- Say no to the mini braid, at least until you’ve figured out how to braid pastry with just one big sheet. Trying to get a mini braid the right size, and have your ends long enough to cover the middle, and still have room to put your filling is tough! But with one big sheet there’s a lot more leeway.
- Don’t stress if it doesn’t look perfect, because it’s still going to taste delicious. This danish is a testament to this theory, because trying to slice my puff pastry through the legs of my tripod was not easy and my strips are nowhere near perfect!
- Start with a filling you know is going to be good. Let’s not leave anything up to chance!
How to Store This Easy Turtle Danish
This danish tastes best when stored at room temperature in a sealed bakery bag for up to two days. If you need to keep it for longer, you can freeze it for up to six months by wrapping it in plastic or putting it in an airtight container. The refrigerator is a no-go, though, as it will make the pastry lose its flakiness.
Easy Turtle Danish
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 1 Roll of puff pastry, (most boxes come with 2 rolls – you need ½ a box)
- 150 grams solid dark chocolate, about 1 ½ average sized bars
- ¼ cup dulce de leche or thick caramel sauce
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
- 1 Egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll out puff pastry with a rolling pin until about 12-14″ square. Cut puff pastry as shown in video above (cut the top corners on a diagonal and slice 1″ strips diagonally down both edges, leaving about 4″ in the center untouched).
- Spread the center with dulce de leche, top with whole chocolate bars (*see notes below), and sprinkle with pecans.
- Alternating between left and right, fold in the top and the bottom in the center section, and pull strips of pastry back diagonally over the filling (as shown in the video). Combine egg and water with and brush lightly over top of the pastry.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and let sit for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Donna says
Video??? Where is a video???
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Donna, it’s linked in the blog post, but here you go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd3PMaMt4j4
Donna says
Visio!! What video???
Mandy Swanson says
Looks ? yummy!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Mandy!
Kelly says
I feel that way about pie dough lol but I love anything with puff pastry! 🙂 Yay for easy and the chocolate, dulce de leche and pecan filling is such a great idea and would definitely be a hit here!