Cinnamon Apple Roses
A gorgeous holiday treat!
These cinnamon apple roses are the perfect pretty pastry to make this time of year! They’re bursting with bright apple and warm cinnamon and nutmeg, and look sooooo CUTE! Plus, they take very little time to put together, so they’re great when you may need something simple for a (small, socially distant) holiday gathering. Don’t be intimidated- I promise these are EASY!
Here's what you'll need:
Good news: there’s not that much stuff you’ll need- and you probably already have most of it!
- Puff pastry
- Red apples
- Lemon juice
- Butter
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
Apple roses have three different components: The puff pastry, a cinnamon-nutmeg-butter mixture that gets spread onto the puff pastry, and finally the apples.
Tip: If you don’t want to use the cinnamon butter, replace it with apple butter, apricot jam, or leave it out!
How to make cinnamon apple roses
So the reason these are so easy is in part thanks to the puff pastry! Why make your own when there’s a perfectly good sheet of it sitting in the freezer aisle of your grocery store, amiright? Just thaw that baby out for about 20 minutes and then get started.
I used a mandolin to cut mine thin (on the medium setting). Those apples go into a bowl filled with lemon juice, water, and a little bit of cinnamon and nutmeg.
Tip: the lemon juice keeps the apples from browning after you cut them, so put them in the bowl as soon as they’re sliced!
Toss the apple slices in the lemon juice and cinnamon so that they’re coated, and then pop them in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. Heating them up makes them softer and more pliable, which makes it easier to roll up in our puff pastry!
While the apples are microwaving and cooling, make the cinnamon nutmeg butter. Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg to 2 tablespoons of room temperature butter, and mix until combined and spreadable.
Unwrap the puff pastry over a lightly floured counter. Using a rolling pin (I use a wine bottle) stretch the dough into a rectangular shape of about 12 x 9 inch. Cut the dough in 6 strips, each about 2 x 9 inch.
Spread the butter mixture (or jam/apple butter if you’re using that) over each strip of puff pastry.
Once the butter is slathered on, start to lay the apples down, overlapping, and so that the skin side is facing up peeking out of the puff pastry. Leave about 1/2 inch of space toward the bottom of the pastry strip so you can fold that part up.
How to shape cinnamon apple roses
Finally, it’s time to turn these babies into pretty roses!
Step one
Fold up the bottom of the puff pastry strip, like your tucking in your apple slices under a delicious puff pastry blanket. They are about to go for a nice warm nap in the oven.
Step two
Roll! Starting from one end, carefully roll the strip, making sure to keep the apple slices in place. Seal the edge at the end and place your apple rose into a greased muffin tin.
Repeat with all 6 roses and bake at 375°F for 25-30 minutes.
See? Easy peasy.
Toppings for cinnamon apple roses
The possibilities are endless when it comes to ways to level-up these apple roses. Here are some ideas on how to make this super extra dessert even more extra:
- Be fancy and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream
- Drizzle with salted caramel
- Sprinkle with brown sugar
- Dust with powdered sugar
- Top with whipped cream
- Drizzle with honey
Tip: This recipe is for 1 sheet of puff pastry, which makes 6 roses. Double the recipe to use 2 sheets of puff pastry for 12 roses!
I hope you add these to the menu of one of your holiday celebrations (or just make them to treat yourself!) Leave a comment or tag me on instagram if you make them!
Apple Roses
Apple Roses are gorgeous without even having to try- they come together super quickly and require minimal ingredients, but come out looking professional and impressive AF. That’s what I call a win-win!
- 1/2 package puff pastry sheets (1 sheet, thawed)
- 2 red apples (Macintosh)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon (divided)
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 2 tbsp butter (softened)
- Thaw your puff pastry sheet at room temperature, about 20-30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare a muffin tin by greasing with nonstick spray.
- Prepare a bowl filled with 2 tbsp of lemon juice, 2 tbsp of water, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg. Cut the apples so the core is removed and then slice apples into very thin slices. Leave the peel on, so the roses are red. Transfer the apple slices to the bowl with lemon juice and toss to coat.
- Microwave the apples for about 2-3 minutes. The apples should be cooked enough so that they bend without breaking.
- While the apples are cooling, make the butter mixture by mixing together 2 tbsp of softened butter, remaining 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and a pinch of nutmeg.
- Unwrap the puff pastry over a lightly floured counter. Using a rolling pin (or wine bottle if you don’t have a rolling pin) stretch the dough into a rectangular shape of about 12 x 9 inch. Cut the dough in 6 strips, each about 2 x 9 inch. Spread the cinnamon butter mixture over each strip of puff pastry.
- Arrange the apple slices on the dough, overlapping one another. Make sure the top (skin side) of the slices sticks up out of the strip.
- Fold up the bottom of the dough over the apples, (like you’re tucking in your apple slices). Starting from one end, carefully roll the dough, keeping the apple slices in place. Seal the edge at the end, pressing with your finger, and place in your greased muffin tin. Repeat with all 6 roses.
- Bake at 375°F for 25-35 minutes, until the puff pastry is completely cooked. If the apples start to burn on top before the pastry is cooked through, cover with tinfoil or move to a lower rack of the oven. Remove from the oven and enjoy while warm with one of my suggested toppings. Enjoy!