Baked Apple Roses

5 from 2 votes

Homemade apple pie for Thanksgiving means also having enough leftover sliced apples to assemble super quick cinnamon sugar Baked Apple Roses.

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Total Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Southern

Servings: roses

Author: Jenny DeRemer

Cost: $0.72 per serving

Equipment

standard muffin tin
Rolling Pin
pastry brush

Ingredients

1 sheet puff pastry dough thawed
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 small apples
juice of half a lemon
1 teaspoon rosewater
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons strawberry or apricot jam or your favorite jam or preserve
1 small egg room temperature, whisked with 1 tablespoon of tap water
Confectioners' sugar

Instructions

Spray a muffin tin (you will use 6 muffin cups) with baking spray. Set the muffin pan atop a parchment-lined baking sheet in case of bubble-over from the jam. Arrange oven racks to where you have a rack in the upper middle position as well as a rack in the lower part of the oven. This rack is only for if you need to move the roses toward the end of the bake to avoid burning. Preheat oven to 375°F.
Cut apples in half and use a spoon to scoop out the core and tough stem. Place each half cut-side down on a cutting board and make paper-thin slices using a sharp kitchen knife or slice on a mandolin.
Place apple slices into a microwave-safe bowl. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the slices and toss well to coat. Add 1 teaspoon of rosewater to the apples. Toss to coat well, then microwave on high for 3 minutes. Remove the bowl from the microwave, give them a quick stir, and allow the apple slices to cool slightly.
Sprinkle some all-purpose flour on a clean work surface and unfold the pastry dough. The only trick to the puff pastry is to roll it into a rectangular shape approximately 12-inches by 9-inches. Use a pizza cutter to 6 equal length strips that are about 2-inches by 9-inches. Do not worry about them being absolutely perfect, as there is plenty of room for artistic license in the rose shape.
Move the prepared muffin tin alongside your workspace to transfer roses easily. Smear a tablespoon or so of whichever jam you've decided on all along each strip of pastry. You just want a thin layer of preserves, so a tablespoon should do it. In a small bowl, combine granulated sugar with some cinnamon and stir to combine. Use your fingers to sprinkle some of the cinnamon sugar all over the puff pastry strips and over the jam. You are just dusting, not covering.
Drain the apple slices in a colander. Arrange the apple slices along the top edge of dough overlapping one another. Make sure the skin side of each apple slice overhangs the dough by about ½-inch.
Fold the bottom half of the dough over the bottom edge of the apples. Whisk an egg with a tablespoon of water and using a pastry brush, apply a light egg wash along the strip. Begin at one end and gently roll each strip LOOSELY. Transfer your "rose" to a muffin cup and repeat with each of the strips.
Place the roses into the preheated oven and bake, about 40-45 minutes. Make sure the puff pastry appears fully cooked before removing the roses from the oven. Pastry should be slightly crispy. NOTE: If after the first 30 minutes the apples begin to burn or show color, simply move the pan to the lower rack of the oven you prepared ahead of preheating. Allow to finish baking without fear of burning. Some degree of browning is to be expected. It's out and out burned apple you need to avoid.
Allow roses to rest in the muffin pan for 5 minutes once pulled from the oven. Use a spoon or fork to carefully lift from the bottom of the pan and to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve these with a dusting of powdered sugar and a scoop of vanilla ice cream and/or drizzled with Calvados brandy.

Notes

Store Leftover Roses in a clean brown paper bag with the end folded over. Storing baked apple roses in plastic or an airtight container will only lead to the pastry weeping. A brown bag will act to absorb any excess moisture from the pastries keeping them fresh.

Nutrition