Recipes & Cooking Breakfast & Brunch Breakfast Bread & Pastry 23 Pastry Recipes That Taste Like They Came from a Bakery You won't believe how easy it is to make homemade pastries. By Katlyn Moncada Katlyn Moncada Katlyn Moncada is the associate food editor at BHG.com, sharing food news and tutorials on becoming better home cooks. She is a writer and editor with nearly a decade of experience in digital media, photography, and video production. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process and Sarah Martens Sarah Martens Sarah Martens is the Senior Editor overseeing food at Better Homes & Gardens digital. She has been with the BHG brand for more than 10 years. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on October 2, 2023 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Carson Downing Bring the aromas of your favorite bakery home with our pastry recipes. If you're a beginner, don't be intimidated. Pastry dishes always start with a dough consisting of flour, water, and solid fat (which can be shortening, butter, or lard). Some common examples include pies, tarts, donuts, croissants, Danishes, and scones. Here's a handful of our favorite recipes, including some easy shortcuts, such as frozen puff pastry or refrigerated piecrust. 01 of 23 Blueberry-Cream Cheese Pastries View Recipe Karla Conrad Attention blueberry-lovers: These flaky breakfast pastries are full of your favorite bite-size berries. Give them a spread made with cream cheese, vanilla, and lemon juice for a sweet-tart kickoff to the day. Our 29 Best Brunch Recipes of All Time 02 of 23 Potato Cinnamon Rolls View Recipe Karla Conrad We're letting you in on the secret ingredient to the most fluffy, delicious cinnamon rolls you'll ever taste—potatoes. That's right, this top-rated recipe from our Test Kitchen uses mashed potatoes to achieve the ultimate soft, pillowy rolls you know and love. 03 of 23 Apple-Cheese Danish View Recipe Blaine Moats Layers of light and flaky puff pastry sheets, spiced apple slices, and cream cheese fill this Danish pastry recipe. Save yourself some prep time and skip a step by substituting canned apple pie filling for the spiced apples. 04 of 23 Almond and Vanilla Bean Scones View Recipe Jason Donnelly These rich, moist scones get their incredible flavor from almond extract and vanilla-bean paste. To ease cutting the pastry dough, cover it with plastic wrap and freeze for 20 minutes before slicing. You can also freeze the dough up to two months for delicious homemade pastries at a moment's notice. 05 of 23 Cream Cheese Danishes View Recipe Jason Donnelly The key to creating a flaky pastry, like this classic Danish, is all about the puff pastry. Luckily, the frozen version at your grocery store is delicious, and definitely worth buying as a shortcut. Top this easy breakfast recipe with your favorite fruit preserves. 06 of 23 Lavender-Honey Lemon Tart View Recipe Carson Downing This delicious pastry recipe is a showstopping brunch treat or dessert that only looks complicated. It takes a mere 10 minutes of hands-on time to get this sweet and tangy tart together. The candied lemons are also easy to make and are an impressive topper. 07 of 23 Chocolate Cannoli View Recipe Andy Lyons Make easy work of these sweet pastries—a plastic bag quickly pipes a homemade chocolate filling into purchased cannoli shells. Look for the shells at Italian grocery stores and larger supermarkets. 08 of 23 Strawberry-Cardamom Turnovers View Recipe Carson Downing Here our homemade strawberry jam is infused with cardamom for a zesty take. Stuffed inside a flaky pastry and drizzled with powdered sugar icing, this is a breakfast recipe that's sweet enough for dessert. 09 of 23 Rustic Blood Orange Tart with Salted Pecan Crust View Recipe Andy Lyons Add some nutty flavor to your dough with toasted pecans. Blood oranges make a tangy filling and beautiful presentation. Just remove the white pith from the citrus, as it tends to have a bitter taste. 10 of 23 Stuffed Churro Puffs View Recipe Jason Donnelly Some flavors were just meant to be paired, such as the dulce de leche that stuffs these churro-inspired cream puffs. If you've never made choux pastry, watch our video to show you how easy it is to make from scratch. 14 Dulce de Leche Desserts for Delicious Caramel Flavor 11 of 23 Danish Pastry Apple Bars View Recipe Andy Lyons Serve these delicious apple pastry bars to really win over the breakfast guests. You'll love that the recipe can make 32 bars, and they'll love the crunch of the hidden layer of cornflakes. 12 of 23 Best Donuts View Recipe Andy Lyons This classic pastry recipe from the 1953 edition of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book is our favorite. We've updated the donuts to use butter (and more of it) instead of shortening, but kept its classic cinnamon-nutmeg spice. 13 of 23 French Market Beignets View Recipe Kritsada Panichgul Originally developed in New Orleans, these elegant, fried French pastries are dusted with a generous coating of powdered sugar. Fun fact: The word "beignet" is actually French for "fritter." 31 Mardi Gras Recipes to Celebrate Carnival with Cajun Flavor 14 of 23 Apple-Toffee Tartlets View Recipe Andy Lyons Get all the goodness of a caramel apple with this delicious blend of apple chunks, toffee bits, and brown sugar. A buttery pastry shell holds it all together for the perfect bite. 15 of 23 Chocolate-Almond Croissants View Recipe Blaine Moats Start with purchased crescent roll dough to make these tender, rich pastries in just 35 minutes. A dark filling of almond paste and chocolate makes these treats bakery-worthy. 16 of 23 Danish Kringle Pastry View Recipe Carson Downing Danish Kringle is a holiday tradition. This homemade pastry recipe is stuffed with almonds and apricot fruit spread. A drizzle of icing and sliced almonds is the perfect finishing touch. 17 of 23 Lady Locks View Recipe Katlyn Moncada Instead of heading to the local bakery, whip up this lady lock recipe with just 45 minutes of prep. We'll walk you through exactly how to form the classic shape and make the homemade pastry cream filling. 18 of 23 Autumn Fruit & Maple Custard Slab Tart View Recipe Kelsey Hansen This pastry dessert recipe feeds a crowd and is stuffed with a cranberry-pear filling. The shortcut here is frozen puff pastry and a spread of mascarpone cheese. One BHG home cook called this pastry recipe, "really, really good." 19 of 23 Gluten Free Coconut Cream and Pineapple Cream Puffs View Recipe Karla Conrad A dough made with brown rice flour is the start to this gluten-free pastry recipe. Use corn start in the coconut filling to keep the entire recipe compliant. Roasted pineapple rounds out the filling and adds more sweetness. 20 of 23 Shortcut Sugar Buns View Recipe Carson Downing Have a homemade pastry for breakfast on the table in under an hour. Roll up swirls of sugary puff pastry to create a flaky sweet that's perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dessert. 21 of 23 Fried Apple Hand Pies View Recipe Blaine Moats If you don't want to fry this apple pastry recipe, don't worry! Our Test Kitchen developed an air fryer method that results in crisp, golden pastry pockets. Finish the dessert with a drizzle of vanilla icing. 22 of 23 Spiced Apple Tarte Tatin View Recipe Blaine Moats This shortcut pastry recipe calls for just five ingredients. We love the flavor of Braeburn apples in this dessert recipe. If you can't find them, try using Honey Crisp or Granny Smith apples. 23 of 23 Jam-Filled Hand Pies View Recipe Blaine Moats A flaky homemade pastry dough is the start of this easy dessert. Stuff the pockets with either jam or chocolate hazelnut spread. Use cookie cutters to create shapes on the finished pastries. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit