the perfect puff pastry apple roses

I have a confession to make: I don’t like the spring. The only season I dislike more is summer. I’m a cold weather person. Yes, that kind of thing does exist. But just like this… it’s March again. And spring is just around the corner. Everyone is waiting eagerly for the first warm days, for flowers and sunshine and backyard barbeques. So here is a recipe for you that brings spring to your kitchen and flowers to your plate: Delicious puff pastry apple roses. And the best part? These beautiful pastries are so versatile and easy to make! 6 ingredients and 9 steps are all it takes.

You want to surprise your sweetheart with a candle light dinner for two? Try orange and thyme flavoured pasta with crispy salmon and serve puff pastry apple roses for dessert. What better way to start a cozy evening together? They are a wonderful, delicious goodie to bring to your best friend’s birthday party, as well. Hosting a tea party? No problem. These elegant pastries will turn your table into a piece of art.

I promise there will be a recipe and instruction in 9 steps at the end, so please bear with me.

cake and puff pastry apple roses
perfect puff pastry apple roses
Yes, it’s a trendy dessert

But why, you may ask, why yet another recipe for this particular dessert? Yes, I agree, there are a billion recipes for puff pastry apple roses out there. I’ve seen them with cream cheese, with jam, with cinnamon roll dough instead of puff pastry or made into a pie. You might think the world doesn’t need yet another variation. But I’ll tell you something: if you are like me, and you have a beloved munch-monster at home that will demand the same dessert over and over again, you learn a few tricks and hacks along the way. I have such a beloved munch-monster around, and he loves – you guessed right – puff pastry apple roses. It’s one of his favourite desserts, and I make them for his birthday party every single year.

I’ve seen my fair share of pastry fails online, and I’m here to show you in 9 simple steps how to avoid making certain mistakes that I’ve seen a lot.

So listen closely, I’ll show you a few tricks.

Ready?

how to make perfect puff pastry apple roses in 9 steps
Common mistakes

The first common mistake I’ve seen are apple-slice-petals that are way too thick. If you cut your apple slices too thick, they will not look like a rose, and even worse, your puff pastry might get soggy in the oven. But if you’re like me, and you missed the last “how to use a knife” master class of your local Michelin-star decorated chef, you will need to cheat a bit. Because you’ll want apple slices thin enough to see the light shine through. So dust off your old mandolin slicer and slice away those apples! Just remember to pick apples that are not too large for the tool.

And since I missed the last “how to use a knife” class, I use a piping tip to punch out the apple core in each slice. It will save you a lot of time, and most of the apple slice will stay intact.

The second thing I’ve noticed is that the roses often consist of only a few petals. It can look nice, to have only five or six petals in your puff pastry rose, but I prefer my roses opulent and rich. Instead of five or six petals, I aim for layering at least 10 or 12 apple slices per pastry for a rich bouquet. Yes, that does mean you will need about 120-140 slices for twelve roses.

puff pastry apple roses before baking

Sounds complicated?

I promise you, it’s not.

puff pastry apple roses
In the end, it’s basically just 9 simple steps and 6 ingredients:
  • 1: slice those apples and microwave them
  • 2: punch them
  • 3: cut the pastry
  • 4: spread the jam
  • 5: sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar
  • 6: spread out the slices
  • 7: wrap them
  • 8: roll them
  • 9: bake them
perfect puff pastry apple roses in 9 steps

Not that bad, is it?

Are you ready for the full recipe now?

puff pastry apple roses in 9 easy steps

Recipe

Ingredients:
  • 2 packages of puff pastry
  • 3-4 ripe, red apples
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup peach or apricot jam (other jam will do just fine, though)
  • 5 tbsp caster sugar, mixed with 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 12 muffin or cupcake paper liners

(yields 12 apple roses)

puff pastry apple roses in a muffin tray

Slice the apples until you have about 120-140 slices on a mandoline slicer (yes, that’s a lot, but the slicer will help you). Microwave your apple slices in a microwave-safe bowl filled with water and lemon juice for short intervals until they are soft and flexible enough for rolling them. Then punch out the cores with a piping tip according to the step-by-step picture. Be careful, though, they will be hot! Cut your slices in halves.

Cut your puff pastry into twelve stripes. Spread the apricot jam thinly on the puff pastry stripes, then sprinkle it with cinnamon and sugar. Now place the slices on the jam and let them overlap as seen on the picture. Fold thehalf of your puff pastry that isn’t covered in apple slices over said apple slices, then roll them to a rose and place them in cupcake liners.

Bake them in a muffin tray for about 30-40 minutes at 180°C/ 350°F. Check them every now and then, but it’s not the end of the world if the top of your apple slices get a little dark and crispy.

Voilá! You’ve done it! Now impress someone with your puff pastry apple roses! They are best when made fresh. Try them with vanilla sauce or whipped cream!

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perfect puff pastry apple roses

6 Comments

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Puff pastry is best made the day you intend to serve it. The jam inside the roses might make it a little soggy, as puff pastry tends to soak up liquids. That being said, I have eaten leftover puff pastry apple roses when they were a day old. They weren’t bad. But if you intend to serve them to guests for a special occasion, I’d recommend making them fresh.

I’m so sorry for the late reply, but if you haven’t tried it yet: I think bacon jam would be absolutely amazing for this!

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