Ingredients
Cooking spray
2 Pink Lady or Honeycrisp apples, cored and thinly sliced
Juice of 1 orange
4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 c. packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp. brandy
2 sheets puff pastry, thawed if frozen and kept cold in refrigerator
1 tbsp. turbinado sugar
Preparation
Step 1Preheat oven to 400°. Coat a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray. Step 2In a medium bowl, toss apples and orange juice. Arrange apples on a parchment-lined sheet tray (it’s fine if they’re overlapping). Bake until soft, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly.Step 3Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir butter, brown sugar, and brandy to combine.Step 4Cut each sheet of puff pastry into 6 (10"- to 12"-long) strips for a total of 12 strips. Using a small spatula, spread butter mixture onto strips.Step 5Arrange strips so the long side faces you. Arrange 10 to 12 apple slices on top of each strip so apple skin is facing up and cut side is facing down. You want to make sure the slices are overlapping and slightly sticking out above the top of the strip. Tightly roll up each strip and transfer to prepared pan, making sure they’re sitting upright so they don’t bake lopsided. Step 6Bake apple roses until pastry has puffed up and is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Sprinkle turbinado sugar over and let cool.Step 7Make Ahead: Apple roses can be made 3 days ahead. Store in an airtight container and room temperature. Butter mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature when ready to use.
How do you create an apple rose? Don’t be intimidated because it’s easier than it looks. All you do is core the apple, slice the pieces thin—using a mandoline helps if you have one—toss them in orange juice to prevent oxidation, and bake until just soft and pliable. Why do we pre-bake the apples? The apple slices have to roll into a strip of puff pastry to form the rose, so it’s much easier when they’re soft. The key is to make sure the skin side of the apple is slightly sticking up over the top of the pastry, and the slices are overlapping. That’s to ensure the pinkish red color. Can I substitute any ingredients? When baking with apples, stick with Pink Lady, Granny Smith, and Honeycrisp. The apple should be sturdy enough to bake at high temperatures and keep its sweet crisp profile. You can substitute the brandy for other liquor or omit it altogether. You could also add an extract if you prefer. What should I serve these with? Think of these as you would an apple turnover or pie. Whipped cream or a drizzle of heavy cream would make this a lovely fork and knife dessert. Serve à la mode with vanilla ice cream or any ice cream flavor you enjoy. Even a little dusting of powdered sugar or glaze makes them great on the go. Oh! And caramel sauce is the best option if you want to make these gooey. How should these be stored? These can be kept at room temperature in a sealed container for up to 3 days. If you store them in the fridge, bring them to room temperature or flash them in the toaster to get them back to life. Made this recipe? Let us know in the comments below!
