Learn how to make Danish Puff from scratch! This easy Almond Kringle recipe is a Wisconsin favorite that's simple to make at home. Perfect for dessert or a sweet breakfast!
Ginnie's Take
I've shared many desserts on Hello Little Home through the years, but this delicious Danish Puff (also known as Almond Kringle) is the very first thing I ever posted! I'm originally from Wisconsin, where Kringles are a very popular pastry. The dough is traditionally made with yeast and needs to be rested overnight. This shortcut recipe cuts out all the hard work though, and there's no yeast or resting required! My mom got this recipe from my aunt, and she made this yummy almond-flavored dessert all the time when I was a kid. It's one of my all-time favorite recipes, and I know you're going to love it just as much as I do!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Delicious - This tasty recipe has two layers: a buttery pastry crust, and a topping that's crisp on top, but a little custardy in the middle. It's the perfect combination of textures, and the almond flavor is irresistible!
- Easy to Make - Unlike a traditional Kringle, this recipe is super easy! It also uses really basic ingredients.
- Crowd Pleaser - I've never met anyone who hasn't loved this unique dessert! It's a total crowd pleaser. Perfect for a sweet breakfast or dessert, and it's special enough for holidays (like Christmas), too!
Jump to:
A kringle is a sweet pastry that's hand-rolled from Danish pastry dough. The dough is shaped (usually in a pretzel, oval, or log shape), filled with fruits, nuts, or other flavors, then baked. A sweet icing is the finishing touch. It's popular in Wisconsin (where it's the official state pastry) and Scandinavia.
How to Make Danish Kringle
This homemade Kringle has a few steps, but each one is super easy! You'll find a detailed recipe card below, but here's a quick overview of the process:
- Make the pastry crust. Simply combine flour and butter with a fork until you have a mixture that looks like course crumbs. Then, you'll add just enough water to hold the crust together. Press the pastry into the bottom of an ungreased baking pan (it will be thin), then work on the topping.
- Prep the topping. This recipe's topping is basically pâte à choux, the kind of dough used for cream puffs. To make it, you'll combine butter and water in a saucepan. Bring that to a boil, then stir in almond extract and flour. Once the dough is smooth, you'll stir in three eggs, one at a time. When you're finished, the filling should look like a smooth, glossy dough. Spread the filling over the pastry crust. Tip: Stir the flour into the butter/water mixture really vigorously. This will help you avoid lumps.
- Bake. Transfer the baking dish to your oven, then bake until the pastry crisp and browned. As the kringle bakes, the bottom gets flaky like a pie crust and the topping puffs up and crisps. Yet, the inside stays soft and little custardy. Yum!
- Add glaze + nuts. You'll make a simple glaze by stirring together powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, and a little water. Spread the glaze over the dessert, then add a sprinkle of toasted almonds for extra almond flavor and a little crunch.
This Danish Kringle recipe with almonds is one of those treats where it's almost impossible to stop at just one piece. It's that good.
Related Recipes
If you enjoyed this Danish Puff recipe, make sure to check out some of my family's other favorite recipes, too:
- Mom's Mini Cherry Tarts
- Poppy Seed Kiss Cookies
- Old Fashioned Rhubarb Cake
- Mini Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cupcakes
- Honey Cookies
- Nona's Pecan Finger Cookies
Looking for more almond recipes? You'll love my Almond Crescent Cookies and Almond Joy Overnight Oats recipes, too!
Danish Puff (Almond Kringle)
Ingredients
For Pastry:
- 1 cup flour
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature*
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons water
For Topping:
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup unsalted butter*
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
For Glaze:
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature*
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- pinch salt
- 1 to 2 tablespoons water
- ½ cup chopped or sliced almonds, toasted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Prepare Pastry:
- Combine 1 cup flour and ½ cup butter in a medium bowl; blend with fork until mixture is the size of coarse crumbs.
- Sprinkle water over mixture and mix.
- Gather pastry into a ball, then pat into bottom of an ungreased 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Set aside.
Prepare Topping:
- Bring 1 cup water and ½ cup butter to a boil in a medium saucepan.
- Remove from heat, then add almond extract. Beat in 1 cup flour, stirring vigorously to avoid lumps.
- When dough is smooth, add an egg and mix until incorporated; repeat process with remaining eggs.
- Spread topping evenly over pastry.
- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until topping is crisp and brown. Let cool completely on a baking rack.
Prepare Glaze:
- Place powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of water at a time; stirring until completely smooth. Add more water only if needed. (The glaze should be easily spreadable, but not runny.)
- Spread glaze over cooled kringle. Sprinkle with nuts.
- Cut kringle into squares and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Have you ever had a kringle from Wisconsin before?
How can I do this with puff pastry?
Hi Suzie! I won't turn out the same with puff pastry, because it's a different type of dough. The puff pastry will have a drier / crisper finished texture. If you want to make something with a similar flavor, you could bake the puff pastry (I'd cut into into individual portions / rectangles first). Then once it's cooled, add the frosting (add a little almond extract) and sliced almonds.
Is this supposed to taste like eggs? That seems like a lot of eggs. The Kringle I’ve had is a dessert with a custard like filling.
Hi Jamie! Did you try the recipe? The finished dessert shouldn't taste like eggs. It has a sweet almond flavor. Though not a true custard, as the dessert cooks it does create sort of a custardy middle layer (if you look closely at the second photo you can see this), and the eggs are needed to create that.
I did a 1/4 tsp of vanilla in the glaze with a 1/4 tsp of almond extract….. the cake part is still cooling down though. Do you think that would be too much almond in the dessert or it should be good? Trying to decide if I should throw this icing out and remake it or not. I wanted it to be almondy like the OH Kringle Almond cakes.
Hi Olivia! No, I don't think that will be too much. A few of my other readers have added extra almond extract, too. Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Can this be made with a gluten free flour?
Hi Chris! I haven't tested the recipe with gluten free flour, so I'm not sure. If you want to try it, I'd suggest using a 1:1 type flour, like the kind King Arthur makes. Let me know how it goes!
I am gluten free, but miss the almond Kringle so much! Has anyone tried this with a 1 to 1 gluten free flour?
I make traditional Kringle with fruit filling and it is time consuming rolling out the 6 Kringles from a batch. I was wondering if you think it would work to spread a thin layer of Solo filling on the crust before the puff pastry?
Hi Coral! I have not tried adding a filling, but some of my readers have added a fruit filling and it has worked for them. As it bakes, a small custardy layer forms between the layers, even without the filling. The recipe is really easy, so I suggest doing a test run to see how it goes. Hope that helps! 🙂
I’m having trouble making this puff up in my new gas oven.....had made it successfully for years prior.
Anne
Hi, Anne! Sorry for not getting back to you sooner ... I missed your comment. Anyway, I'd suggest getting a thermometer for your new oven. I'm guessing the temperature might be off. I moved a couple years ago and my apartment had a brand new stove, but everything was taking longer to cook. Finally, I got a thermometer (I have this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BQWMTK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1), and I discovered that my oven was running about 30 degrees cooler than it should be! Even if you oven is just a bit cooler, that could affect how well the dough puffs up. Let me know… Read more »