Easy Apple Roses

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Easy Apple Roses

Have I mentioned how much I like this time of year? Only in every post, right? 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. So 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 dessert.

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 7" Santoku to cut the apples in half, core and thinly slice on the long edge.

Slicing apples with a Santoku.

Other good knives for slicing apples are the 5" Petite Santoku or 4" Paring Knife.

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.

Cutting the dough with a Pizza Cutter

Brush the pastry with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Place the apple slices lengthwise along the top edge of the puff pastry strip, about 1/4-inch from the top.

Layer the apples.

Fold the bottom half up and brush with more butter.

Brush with butter.

Roll the pastry up to create your apple rose shape.

Roll it up.

Sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar. Place in prepared ramekins and bake for about 45 minutes.

Sprinkle with additional cinnamon sugar.

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.

Easy Apple Roses

2 Servings
Print Recipe

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
  • 1 egg
  • 2 teaspoons water
  • Additional butter and sugar for ramekins

Directions

  1. NOTE: Generously butter the ramekins/ muffin pan or the roses will stick. Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter 2 ramekins (6 to 8 ounce) and sprinkle with sugar.
  2. Core the apple, cut in half and slice thinly.
  3. 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.
  4. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
  5. Roll puff pastry sheet to less than 1/8-inch thick. Cut two 3-inch by 12- to 14- inch strips, using a Pizza Cutter.
  6. Brush melted butter over dough, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mix.
  7. Place the apple slices lengthwise on the long edge of the dough, about 1/4-inch above the edge of the dough and overlapped slightly.
  8. Fold the bottom half of the dough over the apple slices with the rounded edges of the slices exposed.
  9. Beat the egg and water in a bowl. Brush the surface of the dough with the egg wash. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mix.
  10. Starting from the end, roll the dough to form a rose-shaped pastry.
  11. Seal roll with end of the dough strip. Transfer roses to ramekins. Sprinkle with a little more cinnamon sugar.
  12. Place ramekins on middle rack of oven. Bake about 45 minutes or until well browned. Remove from oven and place on a baking sheet and cool 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from ramekins and cool on a wire rack.
  13. Serve warm or cool sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar, drizzled with warm caramel topping or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

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