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
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.
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
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!
Apple Cider Donuts
Apple Strudel
Apple Hand Pies
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