Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Kind of like apple pie but with more of a pastry twist!
Texture: Flaky, buttery, tender, and juicy.
Ease: Surprisingly easy and can be made ahead of time!
Pros: Super fun and impressive individually-sized dessert perfect for special occasions.
Cons: None.
Would I make this again? Yes!
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Apple Roses are a beautiful, simple way to elevate a special meal – and they’re easier to make than you might think!
In one of my first baking classes in culinary school, it felt like if something could be potentially made into a rose shape, we ended up doing it – so I got plenty of practice to perfect these adorable treats.
It’s surprisingly simple to manipulate apples to make them look absolutely gorgeous and gourmet.
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These special Apple Roses are the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving table, Christmas celebration, or any special occasion.
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Apple Roses
How to Slice Apples
I prefer to use a mandolin to get super thin slices. It works great – just be super careful while using it! If you don’t have one, a sharp knife works just fine too.
I also recommend using this apple corer to make quick work of prepping your apples before slicing!
What Type of Apples are Best For Apple Roses?
My favorite apples for creating roses are Pink Lady, Braeburn, or Honeycrisp, as they taste delicious and hold their shape nicely while baking. Feel free to experiment with other types of apples, if preferred.
How to Assemble Apple Roses
I have included a step-by-step video at the bottom of the recipe card, but here’s a collage of each step of the process, if that’s easier for you to follow:
How to Store & Serve
Apple rose pastries are best served the day they are baked. They can also be stored inside an airtight container for a few days. Reheat in a 300°F oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until warmed through and flaky again.
I haven’t tried freezing these, so let me know in the comments below if you give that a try!
More Fall Recipes You’ll Love:
Apple Roses
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Ingredients
- 2 apples, such as Pink Lady, Braeburn, or Honeycrisp
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
- all-purpose flour for dusting
- 3 tablespoons apricot or strawberry preserves
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a standard muffin tin. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Core the apples and slice in half. Using a very sharp knife or mandolin on the second setting, carefully slice paper thin 1/8-inch slices and immediately toss in lemon juice to prevent browning. Toss in the butter, then in the sugar-spice mixture.
- Microwave the slices for 45 seconds, or until soft and pliable enough to mold.
- Place the puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface. Roll out into a 9 by 12-inch rectangle. Cut six 2-inch wide strips of dough.
- In a small bowl, combine the preserves with 2 tablespoons of water. Microwave for 30 seconds if it was refrigerated. Spread evenly over each strip of dough. Arrange about 10 apple slices lengthwise in a straight line, overlapping slightly, on a strip of dough. Fold up the bottom part of the dough and begin tightly rolling the dough to form the rose shape. Press the edge to seal. Repeat for all the pastries and place in the muffin tin.
- Make ahead: at this point the unbaked assembled roses can be covered and stored in the fridge for up to 1 day before baking as directed.
- Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired. Pastries are best served the day they are baked but can be stored in an airtight container and rewarmed in a 300°F oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until warmed through and flaky again.
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IM GOING TO TRY THIS AGTER CHURCH TOMARROW
I love the recipe, so easy to make. I made 2 for testing, as I had filo pastry at home and never managed to use before. After some YouTube search, my fillo pastry was ready and my roses ended up beautiful. I will be definitely making on the weekend for friends to give a decoration touch in my brunch. Ah! And they are delicious too. Thanks for the recipe.
this is so easy to make !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂
Tried to make these with triple layer Phyllo pastry. Complete disaster. Apples didn’t soften in the microwave. Slimy apples. Falling out of the pastry while trying to roll it together. If you even have one apple slice not thin enough it doesn’t work. Cutting apples by hand is a joke.
Hi Tracey! Sorry your adaptions didn’t work out. If you try again, be sure to follow as I’ve instructed and I think you’ll have better results. A mandolin can be your BFF sometimes 🙂
Has anyone tried making these with phyllo pastry? How did they turn out?
Looked amazing, crispy outside and apples wonderful. But the dough in the middle remained uncooked despite a secon reheating,. Maybe lower temp and longer cook time,
Do these have to be made with puff pastry, or could they be done with a gluten free pastry? Are they freezeable? They look so pretty! Thanks
oh wow… these are a tasty work of art! would love to try these for thanksgiving. you are awesome! thanks for sharing, Tessa 🙂
Gorgeous, Tessa! Perfect for this holiday season!
I am not to much on pretty like this, but my wife’s birthday is coming up and I think she will love these. You say the pastry needs to be eaten the same day, but I was wondering about the apple slices. I wanted to make a couple dozen and send them to my wife’s work place and just curious as to how the apples will fair all day?
How sweet! I’m sure she’ll love them. The baked pastries should stay good throughout the day. If there’s a toaster oven at her work people could always use that to reheat and re-crisp the pastries briefly if they wanted.
These apple roses are beautiful! Such a fun treat for a party! 🙂
Dani | http://www.styledvariety.com
I seriously have been wondering how to make these! Of course you would know how to do it, oh baking queen! I need to try these…anything that tastes like apple pie and it, well, SO PRETTY? I need that!