These Puff Pastry Apple Roses are as beautiful as they are delicious and a wonderful addition to your Thanksgiving dessert table or charcuterie board for special occasions. With only 5 ingredients, this dessert looks so elegant but is super simple to make!
Table of Contents
This Puff Pastry Apple Roses recipe has the perfect combination of textures, with buttery, crispy puff pastry wrapped around the soft, juicy apple slices. The slight tartness of the apple complements the sweetness of the jam and powdered sugar, making it a perfectly scrumptious but light finish to a special meal.
They're the perfect dessert for any special occasion like Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, or Mother's Day! These little apple puff pastry roses can work with other desserts or on a dessert table to elevate it and make your day even more fancy.
Apple pastries have been a staple in many cultures for centuries, and the combination of flaky puff pastry and tender apples has its roots in European cuisines, especially in regions like France and the United Kingdom. These apple rose pastries are a more modern twist on traditional apple recipes, taking inspiration from the natural form of a rose.
With puff pastry sheets readily available in stores, these intricate-looking desserts have never been easier to make! They're also a bit of a different way to use up excess apples from the lush apple season. This easy recipe combines the tenderness of baked apple slices with crispy puff pastry, ensuring every bite is a delightful experience.
For more amazing apple flavors, check out my Authentic German Apple Strudel, Homemade Apple Fritters, Apple Pie Macarons, and this Easy Apple Crisp!
What You'll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Pastry - Frozen sheets of puff pastry are best for this recipe, but you can use your favorite brand. It’ll bake to a golden brown, providing a flaky and delicious crust.
- Apples - Pink Lady or Granny Smith Apples have the right balance of sweetness and tartness. Plus, their red color gives the roses a natural, vibrant look that makes for a great presentation.
- Water - Use cold water to help soften the apple slices, making them bend easily when rolling them into rose petals.
- Honey - Use honey or lemon juice to add to the water for softening the apple slices, to add a bit of extra flavor, and to help them keep their vibrant color.
- Jam - Your favorite kind of jam or apple butter is great for adding a thin layer of preserves to bring more sweetness and flavor to the pastries, while also helping to keep the slices of apple in place.
- Powdered Sugar - To dust the roses as a finishing touch. You can use cinnamon sugar instead for an extra spiced flavor if you like!
How to Make Puff Pastry Apple Roses
- Slice apples. Core the apples then slice them as thin as possible with a sharp knife or mandolin. Do not peel the apples; the peel will give color to your roses.
- Soften apple slices. Place the apple slices in a large microwave-safe bowl, and cover them with 2-3 cups of water (just enough to fully cover all the apple slices). Add the honey or lemon juice to the water and stir gently to mix it in. Microwave the apples for 3-5 minutes, until the slices are easy to bend. If you bend an apple slice and it breaks, continue to microwave for a few more minutes.
- Prepare the pastry. Lightly roll out the defrosted puff pastry sheets, just enough to remove the creases. Then cut each sheet of puff pastry into 6 long strips, for 12 strips total.
- Add jam. Spread the jam onto a strip of puff pastry (we like apricot or blueberry best). If your jam is too thick to spread, you can add a couple of teaspoons of water to thin it out.
- Place apple slices on the pastry. Remove the apple slices from the hot water, then blot them dry on a paper towel. Top the jam with the apple slices, overlapping each slice just a bit at the edges.
- Seal pastry around apple slices. Fold the bottom half of the puff pastry up, so that it encases the bottom of the apple slices like an envelope.
- Roll your roses. Carefully roll the puff pastry and apple slices into a tight circle, so that it creates a rose. Pinch the end of the pastry into the rose.
- Bake. Place your rose in the prepared muffin tin right away so it doesn't uncurl. Repeat until all 12 roses are made. Bake the roses in the preheated oven for 35–40 minutes, until the puff pastry is golden brown and fully cooked. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar, if desired.
Recipe FAQ's
Aim for paper-thin slices that are almost translucent. Very thin slices will be flexible enough to roll without breaking.
Yes, you can assemble the roses a day ahead and store them covered in plastic wrap in the fridge. Bake them fresh when you're ready to serve.
Transfer your cooled apple roses to an airtight container and keep them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It’s important to let them cool completely to room temperature before storing them to prevent condensation from forming, which will soften the pastry.
Reheat your apple roses in a preheated oven for a few minutes to bring back their original crispness.
Tips for Success
- Use silicone cupcake cases on a baking sheet if you don't have a cupcake pan or muffin pan. Just make sure there's enough space for the apple roses without squashing them.
- The honey in this recipe is used as a preservative to keep the apples from browning, so don’t skip on this bit. Lemon juice would work well too.
- The number of apples needed for this recipe will vary based on the size of the apples. I had very large apples and ended up using 3 apples.
- If you need to stack the apple roses for any reason, place a sheet of parchment paper between layers to prevent them from sticking to each other.
How to Serve Apple Roses Pastry?
Puff pastry apple roses are great as a standalone dessert, especially when serving them individually for a fancy dinner party dessert. However, you can always pair them with the right accompaniments to elevate the entire dining experience!
Try them with a scoop of creamy No Churn Vanilla Ice Cream to complement the warmth and crispiness of freshly baked apple roses.
A drizzle of Salted Caramel Sauce or maple syrup would work well to add a rich, velvety sweetness to the apples.
A dollop of cream cheese or Homemade Whipped Cream goes a long way, too.
Serve your apple roses on a Valentine's Day Dessert Board!
Substitutions and Variations
- Try different apples. I chose Pink Lady and Granny Smith apples for this recipe, but any firm apple will work great! Honeycrisp, Braeburn, or Jonathan would be good choices. I would not recommend Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, or McIntosh. They are softer apples and may not hold their shape.
- Use different jams. Apricot jam, Peach Jam, or Apple Butter are popular choices for the jam part of this recipe but feel free to experiment with flavors.
More Apple Recipes
- Gourmet Homemade Caramel Apples
- Glazed Apple Fritter Yeast Bread
- Apple Pie Macarons
- Caramel Apple Pie
- Homemade Apple Chips in the Air Fryer
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Puff Pastry Apple Roses
Ingredients
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package directions
- 3-5 pink lady or Granny Smith apples (depending on size)
- 2-3 cups cold water
- 2 Tablespoons honey or lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons your favorite jam or apple butter
- Powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove the puff pastry from the freezer to thaw. Lightly oil a standard muffin tin.
- Core the apples and slice them as thin as possible with a sharp knife or mandolin. Do not peel the apples – the peel will give color to your roses.
- Place the apple slices in a large bowl, and cover them with 2-3 cups water (just enough to fully cover all the apple slices). Add the honey or lemon juice to the water and stir gently to mix it in. Microwave the apples for 3-5 minutes, until the slices are easy to bend. If you bend an apple slice and it breaks, continue to microwave for a few more minutes.
- Lightly roll out the puff pastry sheets, just enough to remove the creases. Cut each sheet of puff pastry into 6 long strips, for 12 strips total.
- Spread jam onto a strip of puff pastry (we like apricot or blueberry best). If your jam is too thick to spread, you can add a couple of teaspoons of water to thin it out.
- Remove the apple slices from the hot water, and blot them dry on a paper towel. Top the jam with apple slices, overlapping each slice just a bit at the edges. Fold the puff pastry in half, encasing the bottom of the apple slices like an envelope.
- Roll the puff pastry into a tight circle, creating the rose. Place the rose in the muffin tin right away so it doesn’t uncurl. Repeat until all 12 roses are made.
- Bake the roses in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, until the puff pastry is golden brown and fully cooked. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, or cinnamon sugar, if desired.
Notes
- The number of apples needed for this recipe will vary based on the size of the apples. I had very large apples and ended up using 3 apples.
- I chose Pink Lady and Granny Smith apples for this recipe, but any firm apple will work great! Honeycrisp, Braeburn, or Jonathan would be good choices. I would not recommend Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, or McIntosh. They are softer apples and may not hold their shape.
- The honey in this recipe is used as a preservative to keep the apples from browning. Lemon juice would work well too.
- Store: Transfer your cooled apple roses to an airtight container and keep them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It’s important to let them cool completely to room temperature before storing them, to prevent condensation from forming which will soften the pastry.
- Reheating: Reheat your apple roses in a preheated oven for a few minutes to bring back their original crispness.
Funny my puff pastry puffed up. Yours did not. I’m wondering what the difference is. I can see the rose but it’s not as thin and neat as yours. It’s puff pastry. It’s in the name