Easy Apple Roses
248 days ago
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Have I mentioned how much I like apple desserts? There are so many warm, spicy, nutty, tart, sweet recipes out there, it’s hard to decide which one to cook or bake.
My husband loves apple pie. For all my years of cooking and baking, I’m not a great crust maker. On the other hand, my neighbor, who is a Cutco retiree, makes the best flaky crust I’ve ever tasted. Mine doesn’t even come close. In my quest to make an apple pie dessert without making crust, I came across these Easy Apple Roses using puff pastry to make an adorable sweet treat.
They smell so good while baking I couldn’t wait to get them out of the oven. The puff pastry bakes up light, airy and crispy, and the cinnamon and sugar mixture envelops the apple slices.
Preparing the Apple Slices
Leave the skin on the apples to add to the overall look of the rose petals. To get a uniform rose look, as you’re cutting them, try to keep the slices about the same thickness. Use a 4" Paring Knife to cut the apples in half, core and thinly slice on the long edge.
Another good knife for slicing apples is the 5" Petite Santoku.
The apple slices can be microwaved or sautéed in butter to soften them a bit before laying them onto the pastry.
How To Make Apple Roses
Now, here comes the fun part.
Roll out your thawed puff pastry until it’s about 1/8-inch thick. Use a Pizza Cutter to cut two 3-inch by 12- to 14-inch strips.
Brush the pastry with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Lay the apple slices lengthwise along the top edge of the puff pastry strip, about 1/4-inch from the top.
Fold the bottom half up and brush with more butter.
Then, carefully roll the pastry up to create your apple rose shape.
Sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar. Place in prepared ramekins or muffin tin and bake for about 45 minutes.
We eat with our eyes first and these individual desserts will make you say, “Yum.” It’s like having your own little apple pie.
If you like this recipe, also try our Quick and Easy Apple Bites Appetizer or take a look at our post on How to Make Blooming Apples.
Don’t let the instructions deter you from trying these. They are actually simple to make. Once you’ve done a couple, you’ll find they come together quickly.
Ingredients
- 1 red apple (Honeycrisp, Pink Lady or any red baking apple)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (follow directions on the box for thawing)
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- Additional butter and sugar for ramekins
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Butter 2 ramekins (6- to 8-ounce) and sprinkle with sugar. NOTE: Generously butter the ramekins/muffin pan or the roses will stick.
- Core the apple, cut in half and slice thinly. Place apple slices in a single layer on a plate and microwave on high for about 45 seconds to soften. Cover the plate with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel while rolling pastry. If you prefer, sauté the apples in a single layer in a skillet in a small amount of butter about 30 seconds per side to soften. Remove to a plate. Leave uncovered.
- Mix sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Roll puff pastry sheet to less than an eighth-inch thick. Cut two 3-inch by 12- to 14- inch strips, using a Pizza Cutter. Brush melted butter over dough, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mix. Place the apple slices lengthwise on the long edge of the dough, about a quarter-inch above the edge of the dough and overlapped slightly. Fold the bottom half of the dough over the apple slices with the rounded edges of the slices exposed.
- Brush the surface of the dough with the butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mix.
- Starting from the end, roll the dough to form a rose-shaped pastry. Seal roll with end of the dough strip. Transfer roses to ramekins or muffin tin. Sprinkle with a little more cinnamon sugar.
- Place ramekins on middle rack of oven. Bake about 45 minutes or until well browned. Remove from oven, place on a baking sheet and cool five to 10 minutes. Remove from ramekins and cool on a wire rack.
- Serve warm or cool, sprinkled with powdered sugar, drizzled with warm caramel topping or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
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