Apple Roses - Delicious apple slices wrapped in puff pastry with cinnamon and brown sugar, and baked into a beautiful rose shape.
Baked apple roses are one of those recipes that are incredibly impressive and elegant, but deceptively easy to make (a lot like my Blueberry Crumble). They make the perfect holiday dessert, and they definitely have the wow factor.
A beautiful rose-shaped pastry also makes a wonderful gift for something like Mother's Day or Valentine's Day. Fresh flowers are great, but edible roses that taste like apple pie are way better in my opinion!
To be honest, because they are so simple, any apple roses recipe you find will likely be very similar. But I have incorporated lots of extra tips and tricks, as well as detailed process shots to help you get the best results possible.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Very easy recipe with just a few steps.
- Perfect dessert for dinner parties or special occasions.
- They look stunning and very impressive.
Ingredients
Puff pastry apple roses have just a few simple ingredients.
- Apples - There are so many different types of apples to choose from but really any kind will work. While I opt for Granny Smiths in other apple desserts (like apple crumble), I like to go for red apples for this recipe as the red color contributes to the overall look of the roses.
- Puff Pastry - Store-bought puff pastry dough - the kind that comes pre-rolled is easiest. You will only need one of the pastry sheets if you make 6 roses. But you can easily double the recipe to use both.
- Sugar - To add some sweetness to the apple pastries. I used light brown sugar, but any kind will work.
- Cinnamon - We'll mix this with the sugar to make cinnamon sugar.
- Lemon Juice - This helps to stop the apples from browning.
- Jam - I used apricot jam or apricot preserves, but any kind of seedless jam will do. If you don't want to use jam, you can use egg wash for this instead.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Recommended Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- Sharp Knife
- Muffin Pan
- Pastry Brush
- Small Bowl
- Medium Bowl
How to Make Apple Roses
This delicious recipe is so easy and straightforward, you'll be making it at every family gathering!
Slice Apples
Core the apples and cut them in half lengthwise. Place the flat side down on the chopping board and from the bottom of the apple to the top, cut into paper-thin slices, as thin as you can get them.
Place apple slices into a bowl of water and lemon juice immediately.
Roll Pastry
Remove the puff pastry sheet from its parchment paper and place it on a lightly floured surface.
Roll it out to make it slightly thinner and larger by about an inch in each direction. Try to keep the rectangular shape.
Cut Pastry
Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut into 6 even puff pastry strips.
Brush with Jam
Mix the jam with a splash of hot water to loosen it up, then use a pastry brush to cover each of the strips in a thin layer of jam. You can also use egg wash for this instead.
Filling
Sprinkle each strip of pastry with cinnamon sugar.
Microwave Apples
Microwave the bowl of sliced apples for 2 minutes, then drain the excess liquid.
You should now have nice tender apples that will roll easily.
If they are too hot to touch, let them sit for a minute to cool off, but don't let them cool completely to room temperature.
Place Apple Slices
Line the top of each strip of dough with slices of apple, overlapping them halfway across each slice. Make sure the skin side is facing up.
The apples should just slightly be poking over the top of the pastry.
Fold Pastry
Fold the bottom half of the dough up over the apples, as if you were tucking them into bed.
Brush the top side of the pastry with more jam or egg wash to help it stick.
Roll the Roses
Carefully roll the pastry up from one end to the other, keeping it as tight as the apples allow. Roll all the way to the end until you have a rose shape. Press the end of the pastry gently to keep it in place.
If the apple slices start to come out a little, just push them back in gently.
Repeat
Repeat this process with all the strips until you have 6 beautiful apple roses. Place them inside the muffin cups of your prepared muffin tin and put them in the fridge while you preheat the oven.
Bake
Bake the apple roses in a preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes or until you have golden brown, crispy puff pastry.
Glaze
Remove the apple roses from the oven and run a sharp knife around the edges of the muffin pan to release them. Transfer roses to a wire rack immediately so the pastry doesn't go soggy.
Microwave a tablespoon of jam until it is liquid, and brush the top of each apple rose gently with it for a shiny glaze.
Alternatively, you could make a homemade strawberry glaze for this.
Troubleshooting
- Apples are turning brown in the oven: A little browning is totally normal. To minimize the browning you can move them to a lower rack of the oven or tent them with aluminum foil for the last 10-15 minutes of baking.
- Apples are breaking when trying to roll: Your apples either aren't sliced thinly enough or weren't softened enough in the microwave. Try putting them back in the microwave for another minute, they should become more flexible.
- The pastry isn't puffing up: If your pastry isn't puffing up in the oven it's usually to do with temperature. Either your oven wasn't hot enough, or your pastry got too warm while you were working with it.
Next time put the rolled apple roses in the fridge for a little longer while your oven preheats and make sure the oven is at the right temperature.
- Apples are sticking to the muffin pan: Firstly, make sure you spray the muffin pan with cooking spray before you put the roses in.
If any of the jam leaks out while they are baking, it can cause them to stick a little. Run a sharp knife around the muffin cavity to release them.
Also, it's important to remove the pastries as soon as they come out of the oven, as leaving them in there can make them stick and make the pastry go a little soggy.
How to Serve Apple Roses
Apple roses are best enjoyed warm - either right after baking or reheated in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
There are so many ways to enjoy this delicious dessert, here are a few suggestions to make them extra special:
- Plain - They are already pretty great just as they are. Or you could add a little dusting of powdered sugar.
- Caramel Sauce - Apple recipes and caramel are a match made in heaven. Serve with a small jug of caramel sauce for your guests to drizzle all over their apple roses.
- Ice cream - These are basically like a mini apple pie, and who doesn't love warm apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream?
- Cream cheese glaze - These also go incredibly well with my cream cheese glaze recipe, drizzled on top. It's basically cinnamon roll icing.
Storage
These puff pastry apple roses are best on the day of baking, but if you do have leftovers, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for 3 days.
They are best enjoyed warm, so when you are ready to serve them, reheat them in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
More Fall Desserts
Looking for more inspiration for impressive fall dessert recipes? Try these:
You may also enjoy my roundup of easy dessert recipes that anyone can make!
Recipe
Apple Roses Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 Apples any kind, preferably with red skin
- 1 roll Puff pastry
- 2 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 2 tablespoon Light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon Jam I used apricot, but any kind will work, you can also substitute the jam for egg wash.
Equipment
- Sharp knife
Instructions
- Thaw the puff pastry fully in the refrigerator before beginning.
- Pour the lemon juice into a medium bowl with a cup of cold water. Combine the brown sugar with the cinnamon and mix together. Spray a muffin pan with non-stick spray.2 tablespoon Lemon juice, 2 tablespoon Light brown sugar, 2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- Core the apples and cut them in half lengthwise. Place the flat side down on the chopping board and from the bottom of the apple to the top, start slicing into very thin slices, as thin as you can get them. You can use a mandolin if you prefer.3 Apples
- Place the apple slices into the bowl of lemon water and make sure they are coated to prevent browning. Set aside.
- Unpackage the puff pastry and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Roll it out to make it thinner and larger by about an inch in each direction.1 roll Puff pastry
- Cut the puff pastry into 6 even strips and space them apart slightly on your work surface.
- Mix the jam with a splash of hot water to loosen it up, then use a pastry brush to cover each of the strips in a thin layer of jam.2 tablespoon Jam
- Sprinkle each strip generously with the cinnamon brown sugar.
- Microwave the bowl of apples for 2 minutes to soften them. Then drain the excess water. If they are too hot to touch, let them sit for a minute to cool off, but don't let them cool completely.
- Place apple slices along the top edge of one of the pastry strips so they are just slightly sticking out over the edge. Line them up so that the next apple starts halfway across the last apple, until you reach the end of the strip (see pictures in the post above). I recommend placing the apple slices and rolling the roses from start to finish for each strip, one at a time.
- Fold the bottom of the pastry strip up on itself, as if you are tucking the apples into bed.
- Brush the top of the strip with a little more jam to help it stick, and then carefully start rolling up the pastry from one end to the other until you have a perfect little rose shape.
- Place the puff pastry rose inside a muffin pan cavity. Repeat with all the strips.
- Once all 6 roses are formed, place them in the refrigerator to chill while you preheat the oven to 400°F / 200°C.
- Bake the roses on the middle rack for 40-45 minutes. If the apples start to brown, you can tent them with some kitchen foil, though I personally love the look of the slightly charred edges!
- Once done, the pastry should be golden brown. Remove them from the oven and run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan if needed. Transfer the roses to a cooling rack immediately to prevent them from sticking to the pan or going soggy.
- Optional: If you want to, you can melt a little more jam in the microwave and brush it onto the top of the apples as a shiny glaze.
Linda Smart
Love your very pretty apple roses, a real centrepiece for any table, apple crumble is my favourite too, everything you make is so simple and elegant thanks to the helpful videos. Love the photo of your mini helper x
Taner
Great recipe! Less apples needed for sure. We had tons extra and should have upped the lemon juice too. Could almost use 3 apples for 2 pastries if you cut them thin.
Morris, S
Maybe indicate how little the apples you used would help. I used 2 1/2 and still had enough for 2 additional batches. Had to increase water/lemon to 2x what was suggested, but not a big deal. Drained the apples, then patted them down with a paper towel. Overlapped more than half when arranging the apples since I had so many. Did not have a lot of flavor so I'll use apple pie spice along with the cinnamon and maybe a little salted butter the next time and definitely use foil. The dark may look interesting, but the taste...not so good. However, I liked the look of the rosettes. Very pretty. I like your tips and the way you explain things.
Nana
Hi Jules, can i make the roses the day before, cover with saran keep in fridge overnight and cook them the next day. I hope i get an answer soon because my dinner is in a couple of days. Thanks
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Nana,
I wouldn't recommend doing this as the apples would go quite brown and the moisture is likely to seep into the pastry and make it soggy, sorry!
Jules
Rona
I’d love to make these tomorrow but I don’t have a microwave to soften the apples. What’s a good alternative?
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Rona,
That's no problem at all, you can do this in a skillet instead. Put the apples in a skillet with a little water over low heat for 5-10 minutes until they are soft.
I hope you love them!
Jules
Grandma
These look amazing! I love the idea of mini apple pastries, the only problem is… one is not enough!
Chris Radwanski
These look and taste AMAZING! Its like eating a mini apple pie and oh so much more portable. Definitely a lunch kit worthy treat!