Baked Apple Roses

Name: Baked Apple Roses
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1/4 cup granulated sugar; 1 tsp. ground cinnamon; 2 to 3 medium red apples (such as Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or Gala), washed, cored, and thinly sliced; 3 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice; 1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, for work surface; 2 sheets puff pastry, thawed according to package directions; cream cheese, as needed; 2 tbsp. softened unsalted butter, to grease muffin pan; egg wash (1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tbsp. water); powdered sugar, as needed for dusting

Author: Francine Lizotte

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Posted on Feb 12th, 2026

by Francine Lizotte

Valentine’s Day is a special day for lovers 💞. It’s celebrated mostly around the world, though names and traditions vary from one country to another. For example, in Japan, women are the ones who give chocolates to men, while in Denmark, they exchange snowdrops, which are pressed white flowers.

When I was single, I celebrated Valentine’s too! I always bought something or baked 👩‍🍳 a dessert on that day. My reasoning was that I loved and respected myself (still do, lol) and I could celebrate the event until I met Mr. Right, which I was fortunate to find when David approached me.

Surfing the net 💻 years ago, I came across one of the cutest pastries ever and I promised myself that one day, I would make it. Here’s the day… my Baked Apple Roses! Absolutely adorable, these tasty little treats are perfect for Valentine’s! They’re elegant and certainly a fun way to highlight this particular day.

The varieties of apples I like using are either Gala, Pink Lady, or Honeycrisp. I like them because they’re firm, and they don’t turn into mush when baking. To achieve that visual effect of a rose, Granny Smith apples 🍏 are not recommended.

After the cores are removed as well as the stems and blossom ends, the apples are thinly sliced using a sharp knife or a mandoline which I unkindly call the “guillotine”. The slices are transferred to a bowl of water along with lemon juice 🍋 to prevent them from turning brown due to oxidation.

When making Baked Apple Roses, it’s important to slightly soften the slices to make them flexible for rolling. Therefore, the bowl is placed in the microwave for 3 minutes ⏳. Be careful with the time because from one microwave to another, the heating results might differ so check them after 2 minutes.

From here, the slices are drained. To avoid damaging the slices, I just take them by hand 🖐 and transfer them to the colander. Then, I place them in a single layer on a clean dish towel and place another clean towel on top to remove any extra moisture otherwise, the pastry will get soggy.

Next is to roll out the dough after the puff pastry is thawed but still very cool to the touch. If it warms up, put it back in the fridge. This recipe uses 2 sheets of puff pastry dough. I quickly roll it out to 10×12 inches and about 1/8 inch thick so I can cut 🔪 6 strips of 2 inches wide per sheet.

The next step is optional but I like to spread cream cheese on the strips before sprinkling on the sugar-cinnamon mixture. It adds another layer of yumminess. Nutella, peanut butter 🥜, Map-O-Spread, dulce de leche, jam, or even strawberry cream cheese are other delicious substitutes.

In the video, I forgot to mention something. I suggest that if you don’t spread anything, go ahead and sprinkle on the sugar mixture straight on the strips… but no! You need to brush some melted butter 🧈 on the strips so the sugar-cinnamon mixture sticks to them.

To create that “rose” effect, the apple slices 🍎 are placed on the top half of each pastry strip with the peel side up, slightly overlapping. The bottom half of each strip is folded over the bottom of the apple slices and then rolled up. After placing them in the prepared muffin pan, I like to give them a little touch-up.

I brush the tops lightly with an egg wash 🥚, making sure it doesn’t run down the sides otherwise it will prevent the dough from puffing and baking properly. I then sprinkle on the remaining sugar-cinnamon mixture before baking for 45 minutes or until the pastry is golden and fully baked.

Later, when they’re baked, I let them sit in the muffin pan for 20 minutes ⌚ to allow the roses to cool before sprinkling on powdered sugar. This final step adds a touch of sweetness, and it also makes the pastry look more elegant.

You’ll probably end up with leftovers so here’s what to do. Once the roses 🌹 reach room temperature, place them in an airtight container and transfer them to the fridge for up to 3 days. If you want, you can reheat them for 8 to 10 minutes at 350ºF.

These Baked Apple Roses are an excellent choice for Valentine’s Day! They set the tone perfectly for romance, plus they’re so cute and adorable! For a stress-free day or evening, make them ahead! Also, they make a nice gift 🎁 when students want to bring a little “something” to their favorite teacher!
Bon Appétit! 🍽

Here are more scrumptious dessert recipes for you to try… 😀
– Orange Flan
– Pecan Caramel Cheesecake
– Chocolate Lava Cake with Caramel
– Limoncello Crème Brûlée
– Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie
– Eggnog Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce
– Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Frosting
– Butterscotch Pudding
– Pavlova
– Bananas Foster
and for even more dessert recipes 🍰🍩, click on this link… Recipe Category • Dessert

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