I’ll admit it, I’d been ignoring a small pile of apples in my fridge for far too long. Rather than letting them spoil (I hate wasting food!), I decided to turn them into something beautiful and delicious. I enjoy giving neglected fruits, vegetables, and breads a second life by turning them into desserts, and my family love that! (of course :P).
I remember when these apple roses first started trending, and I instantly fell in love with the idea. These delicate, rosy pastries look impressively elegant, but they’re wonderfully simple to make. They’ve quickly become a favourite in our home, perfect as a light family dessert or a charming afternoon snack alongside a cup of coffee or tea. You can even make them ahead of time for your parties or give it to loved ones. If you’ve got a few apples waiting for love, this is the recipe that will turn them into something truly special.
Appeltje Eitje (Eng: Easy Peasy)
If you love the cozy flavours of a classic apple pie, you’ll fall for these Apple Roses. Thin layers of cinnamon-spiced apples, a touch of fruit jams, and flaky puff pastry come together in the most charming way. When I made them last time, one of my daughter’s classmates happened to visit. She was so impressed by the “rosey apple” treats that she went home and told her mom all about them, and she told me about how delicious and beautiful it was, which absolutely made my day!
I love using the pre-made puff pastry for quick and easy desserts like apple turnover and other tartlets. If you’ve got room in your freezer, it’s always smart to keep a pack on hand for quick, last-minute desserts. And if not, don’t worry, puff pastry is easy to find at any grocery store. If you keep a frozen stash, remember to thaw the pastry for about 40 minutes before using it.
The Ingredients
This Apple Rose Pastry recipe is a lovely way to highlight the flavour of fresh, in-season apples, whether you prefer something sweet, tart, or in between. Once you’ve picked out your apples (in my case, I always have apples stocked in my fridge), all you really need are a few everyday ingredients and a sheet of puff pastry.
This recipe is simple and flexible, perfect for using whatever apples you have on hand. In this recipe I used the red apples (pink lady).
- Puff Pastry – It’s easier to shape when cool, so thaw it according to the package instructions and keep it chilled until ready to use.
- Apples – Red-skinned apples give the roses their signature look, but any sweet-tart variety works well: Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Gala, Fuji, etc. If you use a very tart type like Granny Smith, feel free to add a little extra sugar.
- Jams – Apricot jams or apple spread add brightness and help the apple slices soften beautifully and add this delicious sauciness bites.
- Pantry staples – Sugar, cinnamon, lemon, flour, and a bit of unsalted butter round everything out.
Substitutions:
- Fruit: You don’t have to stick to apples. Pears, peaches, nectarines, or even plums make great alternatives.
- Jam or Spread: Any silky fruit jam or spreads will do. Try apricot, peach, plum, raspberry, strawberry, or even a bit of orange marmalade.
- Pastry: Puff pastry is the most convenient option, but pie crust or crescent dough can be used if you want a different texture.
- Spices: Swap the cinnamon for pumpkin pie spice, or add a drizzle of caramel sauce for extra richness.
How to Make Apple Roses
Apple rose pastries are easy to make and wonderfully therapeutic. Follow along with these step-by-step instructions to see exactly how I prepare them.
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 180°C, lightly grease a 12-cup muffin pan, and mix the cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl to create cinnamon sugar.
- Slice the apples: Boil water, and while waiting for the water to boil, core the apples and cut them into thin slices and place them in a medium sized bowl. Add a splash of lemon juice, and pour the hot water in the bowl full of apple slices and leave it covered for about 3 minutes until they soften and flexible. Drain the water and pat the slices dry with a paper towel.
- Prepare the pastry strips: Lightly flour your work surface, place the puff pastry on top, and roll it out until it’s about 0,3cm thick. Slice the sheet into six long even strips. Using a pizza cutter makes this quick and easy.
- Add the filling: Spread each strip with apricot jam, then sprinkle generously with your cinnamon-sugar mixture. Arrange the softened apple slices along the top edge of each strip so they overlap slightly, allowing the tops of the slices to peek above the dough. Fold the lower half of the pastry up over the apples, then gently roll each strip into a rose shape.
- Finish and bake: Set each rolled pastry into the prepared/greased muffin tin. Bake at 180°C for about 35 to 45 minutes. Brush the top with the apricot jam-water mixture, let them cool for 10 minutes, then dust with powdered sugar and enjoy warm or allow them to cool fully and store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days.
- Baking Tip: If the roses begin to brown too quickly, loosely cover the muffin tin with foil. This helps shield them from direct heat so they can finish baking without burning. Did you know that the type of baking pan you use can change how quickly the pastries brown. I used a light-coloured pan, which tends to make the apple roses brown longer. If you’re using a darker pan, they might get brown quicker, so watch them closely as they finish baking.
Serving the Apple Roses
I love serving these apple roses while they’re still slightly warm and pair it with ice cream or whipped cream. It gives you that perfect, cozy, apple-pie-like bite. If you have leftovers, you can easily warm them up in the oven, microwave, or air fryer at 150°C for a few minutes until heated through.
Because each pastry is individually sized, they look elegant on a plate and are effortless to serve at gatherings. You can dust them with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar, or add a drizzle of honey or caramel for extra sweetness.
These gorgeous apple roses always catch attention on a dessert table, and their flavour is reminiscent of apple pie or a classic apple turnover. They’re ideal for holiday potlucks and guaranteed to impress your guests! What are you waiting for? Make it now and enjoy! 🙂
Apple Rose Puff Pastry
Equipment
- 1 Knife
- 1 Medium sized mixing bowl
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Pizza Cutter optional
- 1 Muffin tin I used the 12pcs one
Ingredients
- 4 pcs Red apples
- 2 packs Puff pastry sheets Thaw if needed
- 1 pcs Lemon Juiced
- 4 tbsp Apricot jam mixed with 2tbsp of water (depending the thickness of your jam).
Cinnamon Sugar
- 3 tbsp Sugar
- 2 tsp Cinnamon powder
Toppings
- 1 tbsp Apricot jam add 2tbsp of water to brush on the apple roses when it’s baked (optional for shinier look).
- Powdered sugar To dust the apple roses
- Cinnamon ice cream optional but perfect match, yum!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180℃
- Wash and core the apples, leave the skin on. Cut them in half and thinly slice them (it works perfect if you have mandolin).
- Place the sliced apple in a bowl, add in lemon juice and pour hot boiling water in, and leave them for 3 minutes until the slices are soft and flexible.
- Floured your working surface, and roll out the puff pastry, and cut into 6 equal strips per sheet (about 5cm wide each strip).- In a small bowl, mix the apricot jam and water. In another small bowl, mix well sugar and cinnamon.
- Spread the jam mixture onto each strip of pastry and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over it.
- Arrange the softened apples along the top half of the pastry strip, slightly overlapping them, with the skin side extending just beyond the pastry edge.
- Fold the bottom half of the pastry up over the bottom of the apple slices. Roll up each strip to form a rose shape.
- Place each rose in a greased muffin tin. Bake for 35-45minutes of until golden brown (you know your oven ;)) Tip: if your roses start to get too brown, cover them with foil.
- Let them cool, brush them with the apricot jam mixture and sprinkle with powdered sugar. We served at home with cinnamon ice cream. It was sooooo delicious! 😋 Try it at home! 🙂
Leave a Reply