Look Like a Culinary Wizard…..

 

Ahhhh, a down day where I can catch up on my recipes… or something like that. 😉 I am just so super excited to share today’s recipe because it is easy, cheap, quick, and it will make you look like a total rock star in the kitchen! Break out your apron and chef’s hat because people are going to think that you spent forever on these little babies! My favorite recipes are the ones that look, and taste, like you slaved for hours in the kitchen when you actually just whipped them up in 30 minutes. Seriously, hand to oven only 30 minutes, if that!

 

 

Yesterday when I was looking around to figure out where I had seen a picture of these apple roses I remembered it was a video from “Tip Hero” that came through my news feed. I have no idea where this ingenious idea originated because when you Google apple roses there are a ton of recipes that are all just a little bit different. Mine recipe is also different, but thanks to seeing Tip Hero’s picture, I will give them credit. My method isn’t the same, and my recipe is hardly the same, but I got my idea from them. Thanks Tip Hero!

 

Well, I’ve made these twice, my first attempt went horribly wrong. I did so many things wrong I am not even going to begin to list them. Instead I am going to tell you what made my second attempt a huge success. 😉

First of all, most recipes use puff pastry dough, I can’t stand that stuff, so I used Chowhound’s easy (Cheap!), never fail 321 pie crust. I made it last night, tossed it in the fridge (Takes about 3 minutes to mix up) and it was ready to go this morning. (This recipe has been around forever, my mom used to make it, but Chowhound is where I found it.) I used refined sugar free, homemade apple butter on my first try and it worked fine, but today I used reduced sugar strawberry preserves that I keep around for the kids PB&J sandwiches and it worked great! I loved the little bit of pink color that it added to the roses. Make sure after you cut the apple in half, and core it, that you cut your apple slices fairly thin. The thinner the better. I decided to give it a bit of an apple pie flair by tossing the apple slices in some Truvia and ground cinnamon before popping them in the microwave for 30 seconds to soften them up. (If you don’t they will snap. I think other people use hot water, but that just takes too much time!)

See how fast this is going? We are almost ready to put them in the pans. Once you have rolled the pie crust nice and thin cut it into 8 strips. Slather on the strawberry preserves that you’ve mixed with water and get ready to arrange your apples. Make sure you have them set up like little rainbows, overlapping a bit at each end all the way across the pie crust strip. *Now you can either fold the bottom of the crust up, or push the apples down a little farther for a tighter rose and leave the bottom open, either way it works, either way it seals.

If you fold the bottom it looks like a more mature rose, and not folded it looks like a younger rose that is just blossoming. Once you have decided just roll from one end to the other and place in a sprayed mini muffin tin.

Pop them in the oven for 30 minutes and voila! You have beautiful roses. When they cooled I sifted some powdered sugar over the top just for affect, but you could leave them plain, use sugar glitter, put them in green mini muffin papers, whatever you would like to do to add your touch of elegance. (I don’t know if I could hang with dying the pie crust green….) Which ever method you choose, however you decide to make them your own, take all the compliments that come with them, sit back, relax, and enjoy!

Elegant Apple Roses

By Angie Gouchenour

8 roses

Ingredients

½ recipe 321 pie crust (I add 1 teaspoon of Truvia to my crust and use light butter)

2 small gala or fuji apples

2 teaspoons Truvia zero calorie sweetener

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 teaspoons reduced sugar strawberry preserves + 1 teaspoon water

Confectioners’ sugar for dusting (Optional)

Directions

Make pie crust and chill for at least 30 minutes to over night

Pre heat oven to 400’f

Spray 8 mini muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray

Cut both apples in half and core, starting from the top slice the apple into thin rainbow like slices

Toss apples in a bowl with Truvia and ground cinnamon coating as much as possible

Microwave for 30 seconds to make them pliable

In a small dish combine preserves and water

Roll out pie crust into a rectangle (Thinner than you would for a pie) cut into 8 strips

Spread a thin layer of preserve mixture on each strip

Lay apple pieces across the strip, round sides up, ends overlapping (Approximately 4-5 slices)

*You can fold the bottom up over the apples, or leave it open

Roll from one end of the strip all the way to the other creating the rose

Place in muffin tin

After all, 8 roses are in the tin, place in the preheated oven for 30 minutes

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before removing

Serve and enjoy!

98 calories per rose

Inspired by “Tip Hero”