These easy apple roses are a delicious dessert recipe that you're guaranteed to fall in love with. Delicate apple slices embraced by a flaky puff pastry that's a feast for the eyes and a sweet treat for the taste buds.
If you like simple, yet impressive dessert recipes, you'll love these valentine's cake pops, red velvet cake mix cookies, pink champagne cake or this white chocolate christmas crack.
Why I love apple roses
- Simple, yet show stopping - These apple roses look like they came straight from a professional bakery but are made with a few simple ingredients and easy steps.
- Versatile flavor - The combination of sweet apples, puff pastry, and a dash of cinnamon goes well with ice cream, other fruits, and anything chocolate!
- Make ahead option - Like these red velvet cake mix cookies, you can make these apple pastries a day or two in advance to save some time in the kitchen.
- Customizable - Similar to this white chocolate Christmas crack, there's tons of different ways to customize this recipe with nuts, caramel, other fruits, etc. to make them your own.
How to make Easy Apple Roses
Prep and sauté: Sauté your thinly sliced apples in water on medium heat until just soft. While those are cooking, mix butter, apricot preserves, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and microwave.
Assemble the roses: Spread the butter mixture over your rolled out puff pastry. Then, place apple slices along one side of the dough and fold the bottom half of the dough over the apple slices. Starting at one end, roll the dough into a rose shape.
Bake until golden brown: Brush your pastry rose with egg wash and bake on the lower rack of the oven for about 45 minutes or until golden brown.
Pro tip: Very thin slices will roll best and yield the best pastry roses. Make sure your knife is very sharp or use a Mandoline for precise cuts.
Make ahead, freezing, and reheating instructions
To make ahead: You can make these sweet treats a day or two in advance and store in the refrigerator or on the counter. Wait until they have completely cooled to place in an airtight container.
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How to freeze: To freeze apple roses, let them cool on a baking sheet and flash freeze for 30 minutes. Then, place in a freezer safe container or ziplock bag and freeze for up to three months. Thaw in the fridge and follow reheating instructions.
Reheating: Reheat leftover apple roses in the microwave in 30 second intervals or until desired temperature is reached. If you want a crispy puff pastry, you can reheat in the air fryer for 3-5 minutes at 350 degrees.
Recipe variations
- Nutty crunch: Sprinkle finely chopped pecans, almonds, cashews, or walnuts over the apples before baking for an extra crunch.
- Extra drizzle: If you have a sweet tooth, drizzle your apple roses with chocolate sauce or caramel sauce before serving.
- Berry delicious: Add a layer of fresh strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, etc. to your apples before baking for an extra burst of flavor and color. You can also spread a thin layer of preserves for more fruity flavor.
- Citrus kick: For a citrus twist, add a teaspoon of lemon zest or lemon juice to the butter mixture.
More easy dessert recipes you'll love
- These holiday cookie boxes are the perfect dessert for special occasions
- Valentine's day cake pop recipe is a beautiful dessert for February.
- If you need something for a galentine's theme party, this Valentines charcuterie board is a delicious recipe.
- These Valentines mocktails are some of my favorite drinks to serve with pastry roses.
Easy Apple Roses
Ingredients
- 17.3 ounces Puff Pastry Sheets (2 sheets), thawed
- 3 large red delicious or fiji apples (the more red the apple, the better)
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 6 tablespoons peach preserves
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 eggs
- powdered sugar for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin.
- Slice apples with a mandoline (or sharp knife) to paper-thin slices
- Sauté apple slices in 2 teaspoons water over low-medium heat until the apples just start to soften, roughly 30 seconds per side.
- Mix together butter, apricot preserves, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and microwave for 20 seconds then whisk to combine
- Roll puff pastry sheet to less than 1/8-inch thickness into two rectangular shapes of about 12 x 9 inch each. Cut each square into 6 strips (roughly 2 x 9 inches).
- Spread melted butter mixture over dough with a pastry brush then place apple slices along one long side of dough, about 1/2 inch beyond the edge, overlapping slices by about 1/4 inch. Fold the bottom half of dough up in half over apple slices.
- Starting at one end, roll the dough to form a rose-shaped pastry making sure to keep the apple slices in place. Seal roll with end of dough strip.
- Beat together eggs in a small bowl and bush surface of dough using a pastry brush then sprinkle with additional sugar and transfer roses to the greased muffin pan.
- Bake on the middle rack in the preheated oven for 30 minutes then cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake another 15 minutes until pastry dough is fully cooked.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Remove apple roses from the muffin cups and finish cooling on a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
Make ahead, freezing, and reheating instructions
To make ahead: You can make these sweet treats a day or two in advance and store in the refrigerator or on the counter. Wait until they have completely cooled to place in an airtight container. How to freeze: To freeze apple roses, let them cool on a baking sheet and flash freeze for 30 minutes. Then, place in a freezer safe container or ziplock bag and freeze for up to three months. Thaw in the fridge and follow reheating instructions. Reheating: Reheat leftover apple roses in the microwave in 30 second intervals or until desired temperature is reached. If you want a crispy puff pastry, you can reheat in the air fryer for 3-5 minutes at 350 degrees.Recipe variations
- Nutty crunch: Sprinkle finely chopped pecans, almonds, cashews, or walnuts over the apples before baking for an extra crunch.
- Extra drizzle: If you have a sweet tooth, drizzle your apple roses with chocolate sauce or caramel sauce before serving.
- Berry delicious: Add a layer of fresh strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, etc. to your apples before baking for an extra burst of flavor and color. You can also spread a thin layer of preserves for more fruity flavor.
- Citrus kick: For a citrus twist, add a teaspoon of lemon zest or lemon juice to the butter mixture.
Nutrition
Can you make this apple roses recipe recipe gluten free?
Yes, you can make these apple pastries gluten-free by simply using gluten-free pastry crusts. The texture and cook time may vary slightly, but this is a great option for those with celiac disease or a gluten allergy.
What kind of apples work best for these beautiful apple roses?
I like to use pink lady or honey crisp apples but you can use your favorite type of apple. Red color apples seem to be sweeter than green apples but if you want a more sour flavor, feel free to use granny smith apples.
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