A baked apple rose wreath is the perfect sweet treat to serve during the holidays. The baked apple roses are so fun and easy to make. They’re also incredibly beautiful! The presentation of baked apple roses in the shape of a wreath during the holiday season is a true show stopper!
This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy. As always, thank you for supporting my blog.
Baked Apple Roses
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.
A Baked Apple Rose Wreath
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!
Find Your Favorite Flavor of Baked Apple Roses
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!
What You Need to Make Baked Apple Roses
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.
How to Make Baked Apple Roses
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.
Helpful Hints
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.
How to Serve a Baked Apple Rose Wreath
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.
Sugar Covered Cranberries
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 fresh cranberries
Directions:
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.
Enjoy Your Baked Apple Rose Wreath
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.
Join me on Pinterest and Instagram where I share lots more recipes, home decor sources and styling tips, farm life, crafts, and DIYs. I look forward to seeing you there!
Things you may need to make a Baked Apple Rose Wreath:
Baked Apple Roses Wreath
Golden puff pastry, sweet strawberry preserves, and juicy red apples make these gorgeous and delicious Baked Apple Roses the perfect breakfast pastry, afternoon tea treat, or mouthwatering dessert. Serve them on a round platter, plate, or wood cutting board with some rosemary, cranberries, and sugared cranberries to look like a wreath. This is the perfect holiday sweet treat!
Ingredients
- 1 package of puff pastry dough
- Strawberry preserves
- 3-4 red apples (I use Fuji)
- Juice of one lemon
- Water
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (optional)
- 1/3 cup butter, melted (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°. Butter muffin cups or ramekins.
Fill a microwavable bowl halfway with warm water and squeeze the juice of a lemon into the water.
Using a mandoline, cheese slicer, or very sharp knife slice the apples paper thin and place them in the warm water and lemon juice. Microwave the apples for about 1-2 minutes.
Roll out puff pastry sheet to less than 1/8-inch thickness. Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter cut about 3-4 inch wide strips.
Spread strawberry preserves lightly over a dough strip. (If making cinnamon sugar apple roses, brush the dough with melted butter and sprinkle generously with cinnamon and sugar.)
Place apple slices along 1 long edge of the dough, about 1/4 inch beyond the edge of the dough, overlapping slices slightly 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. (If making cinnamon sugar apple roses, brush the bottom "folder" with melted butter and sprinkle with more cinnamon and sugar before rolling.)
Starting from one end, roll the dough loosely to form a rose-shaped pastry. Seal roll with the end of the dough strip.
Transfer the roses to prepared muffin cups. Place on the middle of the rack of the preheated oven.
Bake until well browned, about 40 to 45 minutes. Allow baked apple roses to cool 5 to 10 minutes before removing them from the pan. Transfer roses to rack to continue to cool.
For the wreath effect, serve the baked apple roses on a round wood cutting board, plate, or platter once they are slightly cooled. In the empty space between the baked roses, add sprigs of rosemary and sprinkle around some fresh cranberries and sugared cranberries (recipe in the body of the post) around the "wreath." Dust with powdered sugar before serving if you like.
Notes
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.
