Happy fall, y’all. Well, almost. I start thinking about fall fun about this time every year. I’ve been excited to show you this recipe for Apple Rose Tarts—little treats that look like delicate roses! I’ve seen some with powdered sugar, but I love these with caramel. If you’re watching your sugar, you can even leave off any topping at all. These pretty party desserts are easy, albeit a little time consuming until you get the hang of rolling pastry dough up with apple slices. But it all gets tucked into muffin cups and each comes out golden and awe-inspiring.
Pro Tips for Perfect Puff Pastry Apple Tart
From my experience making these, I’ve picked up a few helpful tips for success to ensure your Apple Rose Tarts turn out beautifully:
- Don’t worry about the mess: When you’re rolling the pastry into apple cups, it can get a little messy with some of the filling escaping, and that’s totally normal. Just keep going, and you can tidy things up once the tart is in the muffin cup.
- Slice those apples thin! This is probably the most crucial tip. The apples need to be sliced very, very thinly. If they’re too thick, they’ll break when you try to roll them into the rose shape. I found that a mandolin is useful for this, but if you’re careful, you can definitely do it by hand. Even if a few slices snap, it’s not the end of the world; you can just tuck them into the tart.
- Apples popping up? No problem! Sometimes, as you’re rolling, an apple slice might pop up from the tart. Don’t fret! Just continue rolling, place the tart into your muffin cup, and then you can easily rearrange the apple slices to make everything look perfect.
- The red peel is key – it creates the realistic rose color, so keep it facing outward.
Tools & Equipment
To make these lovely Apple Rose Tarts, here’s what I recommend having on hand:
- Chef’s knife (for cutting pastry slices)
- Paring knife (for cutting apple into wedges before slicing)
- Mandolin (optional, but highly recommended for thin, uniform apple slices)
- Small bowl (to combine the cinnamon/butter filling)
- Pastry brush (to apply the filling)
- Muffin tin (for baking all the pastry rose tarts)
- Fork or tongs (for removing mini tarts from the muffin tin)
- Cooling rack (for cooling and drizzling the caramel sauce)
Steps & Amounts to Make This Rose Apple Tart Recipe
I’ve included the measurements here with the steps and photos too. Let me know if having it all in one place is helpful while you make this recipe.
Step 1: Gather ingredients, spray or grease a muffin pan, and preheat the oven to 400F. If your puff pastry is frozen, make sure it’s thawed before beginning. Wash and dry 3 apples, but don’t peel them because you want the skin to add to the “rose petal” effect.
Step 2: Cut each pastry sheet into 6 equal strips so you end up with 12 strips total, as shown.
Step 3: Combine the following into the small bowl and set aside:
- 1/4 c melted butter
- 3 T brown sugar
- 1 T all-purpose flour
- 1 t ground cinnamon
Step 4: After you’ve cut apples into wedges then used a mandolin to make thin strips of apple out of the wedges as shown, begin arranging along the strip of pastry as shown.
Step 5: Using the pastry brush, apply filling to the center of the apple/pastry as shown in the photo.
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Don't lose this recipe! Enter your email and we'll send it instantly.
Step 6: Gently fold the bottom half of each pastry strip up over the brown sugar mixture and the bottom portion of the apple slices. It doesn’t have to look perfect, since this edge will end up invisible in the center of the “rose.”
Step 7: Starting at one end, gently roll each strip of pastry and apple slices together into a coil, like a cinnamon roll.
Step 8: Place each pastry rose into the prepared muffin tin and repeat until all strips of pastry and apple slices are used.
Step 9: If any slices slip out or break, just tuck them back in once they are nestled into the muffin cup.
Step 10: Bake in the oven at 400F for 20-22 minutes, until the pastry becomes golden and puffy.
Step 11: Transfer the muffin pan of apple blossom puff pastry to a cooling rack and let rest for 10 mins. For a clean appearance, use tongs to move each to a place on the rack. Drizzle each with plenty of caramel sauce.
Step 12: Serve warm or at room temperature. They taste as good as they look! They are great finger foods but offer forks if you’d like.
Elegant (but Easy!) Apple Rose Tarts
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Don’t lose this recipe! Enter your email and we’ll send it instantly.
Ingredients
- 1 box frozen puff pastry 17.3 oz, containing 2 sheets, thawed according to package directions
- 3 red tart baking apples (such as Honeycrisp or Jonathan)
- 1/4 c butter melted
- 3 T brown sugar
- 1 T all-purpose flour
- 1 t ground cinnamon
- Caramel sauce for drizzling Smuckers Sundae Sauce or Torani in the squeeze bottle work well
Instructions
- Prep your workspace: Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin and set aside.
- Cut the pastry: Unfold each thawed puff pastry sheet on a clean, dry surface. Using a sharp knife, cut each sheet into 6 equal strips, giving you 12 strips total. Set aside.
- Slice the apples: Quarter each apple and remove the core with a paring knife. Using a sharp knife or mandolin, slice the apple quarters into very thin slices—the thinner, the better. This prevents the apples from breaking when you roll the tarts into roses.
- Arrange the apples: Place apple slices along the top third of each pastry strip, with the red peel facing outward. Let each slice extend slightly beyond the top edge of the pastry for that rose petal effect.
- Make the filling: In a small bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. The mixture will be thick and paste-like. Using a pastry brush, spread this mixture on the puff pastry just below the apple slices.
- Fold and roll: Fold the bottom half of each pastry strip up over the brown sugar mixture and the bottom portion of the apple slices. Starting at one end, gently roll each strip into a coil, like a cinnamon roll. Place each rose into a greased muffin cup.
- Don’t worry about perfection: If apple slices pop out or break during rolling, keep going! You can rearrange them once the tart is in the muffin cup. This process can be a bit messy, and that’s completely normal.
- Bake: Bake for 22-25 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.
- Cool and serve: Remove pan from oven with a hot pad. With a fork or tongs, gently transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool for 10 minutes, then drizzle each tart generously with caramel sauce.
The bottom line
These Apple Pie Roses are a delightful combination of flaky puff pastry, thinly sliced apples, and a sweet, spiced butter mixture, all drizzled with caramel sauce. We’ll be using frozen puff pastry to keep things easy, and the magic really happens when you arrange the apple slices and roll them up to create that stunning rose shape. Each tart is baked until golden brown and then finished with a generous drizzle of caramel. They’re individual servings, making them perfect for parties or just a special treat for yourself.
Want more recipes with apples? Got you covered:
