Description
Delightful apple roses made from thinly sliced apples and buttery puff pastry, baked until golden and caramelized. These elegant desserts combine the tartness of Pink Lady or Honeycrisp apples with a subtle orange juice glaze and a sweet brown sugar and brandy butter, perfect for impressive yet simple presentations.
Ingredients
Scale
Preparation
- Cooking spray
Apple Mixture
- 2 Pink Lady or Honeycrisp apples, cored and thinly sliced
- Juice of 1 orange
Butter Mixture
- 4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. brandy
Pastry
- 2 sheets puff pastry, thawed if frozen and kept cold in refrigerator
- 1 Tbsp. turbinado sugar
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare pan. Preheat your oven to 400°F and coat a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
- Soften apple slices. In a medium bowl, toss the thinly sliced apples with orange juice. Arrange them on a parchment-lined sheet tray, allowing them to overlap. Bake for about 5 minutes until the apples soften, then let them cool slightly to make handling easier.
- Mix butter filling. Stir together the softened butter, light brown sugar, and brandy in a small bowl until well combined, creating a sweet, rich mixture to spread on the pastry.
- Prepare puff pastry strips. Cut each puff pastry sheet into 6 strips, roughly 10 to 12 inches long, giving you 12 strips total. Evenly spread the butter-brandy mixture over each strip using a small spatula.
- Assemble apple roses. Lay the strips with the long side facing you. Place 10 to 12 apple slices on each strip with the skin side up and the cut side down, overlapping slightly and extending beyond the top edge of the pastry. Roll each strip tightly to form a rose shape and transfer upright into the prepared muffin tin to maintain their shape during baking.
- Bake and finish. Bake the apple roses for 30 to 35 minutes until the puff pastry puffs up and turns a gorgeous golden brown. Once baked, sprinkle the turbinado sugar over the tops and allow them to cool before serving.
- Make ahead and storage. Apple roses can be prepared up to 3 days in advance. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature. The butter mixture can be made a day ahead, refrigerated in an airtight container, and brought to room temperature before use.
Notes
- Use firm apples like Pink Lady or Honeycrisp for the best shape and flavor.
- Make sure puff pastry is well chilled before cutting for easier handling.
- Allow apple slices to cool slightly after softening to prevent tearing the pastry when assembling.
- Serve warm or at room temperature for best texture and taste.
- These apple roses can be dusted with powdered sugar or served with vanilla ice cream for extra indulgence.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 apple rose
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 14g
- Sodium: 120mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 26g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 35mg
