Baked Apple Rose Wreath

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I first created the recipe for baked apple roses earlier in the year as a special breakfast pastry to serve for Valentine’s Day. It was so much fun making them and playing around with different flavor combinations. What I found amazing about baked apple roses is that they are much easier to make than they look. I promise!

These sweet baked apple treats are perfect to serve as a breakfast pastry, for a snack with afternoon tea, or for dessert after dinner with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream on the side.

After making them in February, I came up with (what I thought was) a fun idea for Christmas. What if I made baked apple roses, but instead of presenting them on a square or rectangular plate or platter for friends and family to enjoy, I presented them on a round plate or platter in the shape of a wreath!? After all, wreaths are a beautiful symbol of the holiday season.

I’m so excited about how the idea turned out! I discovered that my favorite way to serve a baked apple rose wreath is on a round wood cutting board. The handle of the board makes it easy to carry these sweet treats to the table and pass them around. The rustic look of it is beautiful too!

Strawberry preserves are my favorite combination with the apples when I make baked apple roses. The sweetness of the preserves combined with the tartness of the apples is a flavor combination I can’t resist. My husband, however, loves the cinnamon and sugar combination. Think, mouthwatering apple pie in the shape of a gorgeous rose… What’s not to love? Besides strawberry preserves and cinnamon sugar, you can also use apricot preserves or apple butter. Enjoy getting creative in the kitchen!

With just a few simple ingredients and a couple of key kitchen items, you can make baked apple roses for friends and family to enjoy throughout the year.

Ingredients:

• Puff pastry dough
• Red apples (I use Fuji)
• Juice from one lemon
• Water
• Favorite fruit preserves (I use strawberry, but you can also use apricot or apple butter)
• Ground cinnamon and granulated sugar (a 1:1 ratio, as another option in place of fruit preserves)
• Butter

You will also need a mandoline slicer or a very sharp knife. It’s important that the apples are cut very thin. (See “Helpful Hints” below.)

A muffin baking pan or small ramekins and a rolling pin are also needed.

First, fill a microwavable bowl with warm water and squeeze the lemon juice into the water. Then, slice the apples paper-thin. Place them in warm water and lemon juice and microwave.

Roll out the puff pastry sheet to less than 1/8-inch thickness. Then, using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter cut 3-4 inch wide strips.

Then, spread strawberry preserves lightly over the dough strip. (If you’re making cinnamon sugar apple roses, brush the dough with melted butter and sprinkle generously with cinnamon and sugar.)

Next, place some apple slices along the upper half of the long edge of the dough, about 1/4 inch beyond the edge of the dough. Overlap the apple slices slightly.

Then, fold the bottom half of the dough over the apple slices to form a long “folder” of dough with rounded edges of apple slices exposed. Pinch together each end of the dough.

Starting from one end, roll the dough loosely to form a rose-shaped pastry. Seal the roll with the end of the dough strip by pressing it.

Transfer the roses to prepared muffin cups or ramekins on a cookie sheet. Place the baking pan on the middle of the rack of the preheated oven.

Bake the apple roses until they are well browned. Keep an eye on the roses while they bake. If the “petals” start to get too brown while baking, place aluminum foil over the roses and continue to bake. Allow the baked apple roses to cool before removing them from the pan. Transfer them to a rack to continue to cool and dust with powdered sugar before serving.

There are a few tips that will help the Baked Apple Roses come out perfectly.

• Be sure the puff pastry dough is rolled out to 1/8 of an inch thin or thinner. If the dough is too thick, the center of the rose will not cook which will leave the rose mushy in the middle.
• Try to cut the apple slices as thin as possible. A mandoline slicer, cheese slicer, or a very sharp knife works well for this. It’s important the apple slices are thin so that when they are microwaved in the water and lemon juice they can soften enough to bend without snapping. When the pastry is rolled-up to form the roses, the apple slices (which become the petals) should not snap and break.

• While baking, if the apple rose petals begin to get too brown, cover them with aluminum foil to stop the browning process.
• Bake the apple roses in buttered muffin cups or make individual servings and bake them in buttered ramekins.

This holiday season, I served the baked apple roses on a round wood cutting board once they were slightly cooled. In the empty space between the baked roses, I added sprigs of rosemary from the garden. Finally, I sprinkles around some fresh cranberries and sugared cranberries around the “wreath.” Viola! My baked apple rose wreath was complete. I loved the way it turned out. What do you think? I can’t wait to serve this again on Christmas morning.

Here is my recipe for sugar-covered cranberries in case you’re interested.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 fresh cranberries

Combine 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of sugar in a saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a simmer around the edges. Cool the syrup to room temperature.

Once the syrup is cool, add the cranberries and stir to coat. work in batches if necessary. With a slotted spoon, remove the cranberries from the syrup and place them on a wire rack with parchment under it to catch the dripping syrup. Allow the cranberries to dry for about 45 minutes.

Pour the remaining 3/4 cups of sugar into a shallow dish. Roll the cranberries, a few at a time, in the sugar until they are completely coated. Let them dry completely.

Store the unused sugar-covered cranberries in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Whether you eat baked apple roses for breakfast, lunch, a snack, or dinner, I hope you enjoy them as much as we do here on the farm. If you enjoy baked apple treats, you may also enjoy my recipe for The Best Apple Pie Pizza.

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Things you may need to make a Baked Apple Rose Wreath: