An apple rose pie is definitely a special occasion treat. Not because it’s too difficult but because it takes time to roll all of those little roses! If you want to save some time you can make a batch or my mini apple rose tarts or you could just arrange the thin slices in a fan shape, rows or whatever you fancy!
Pro Tips for an Apple Rose Pie
- If you want to avoid the mistake I made the first time I made this then bake your tart shell fully so the center has just started to brown then add in JUST enough of the filling to coat the surface of the shell. If you add too much it will make the crust soggy and unstable! The tart doesn’t need much of a final bake as the paper thin apple slices have cooked in the microwave. You’re basically warming it up and melting the filling a bit.
- Red apples are best for this as the definition from the skin makes the roses look more real.
- The best and safest way to make this is with a very sharp knife to cut the apple slices. An excellent mandolin might do the trick but it can rip the apple’s skin and often yields slices which are too thick.
- Don’t over cook the apples, they only need to be softened enough to be rolled.
You can always make the mini version of this dessert! Very cute, fast to make and perfect for an afternoon tea.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of apples should I use for this?
Apples with a nice balance of acid and sweetness are best for baking pies. Honey crisps, Crips Pink, braeburn, golden delicious, and cortlans apples are all great choices. Use your favorite and enjoy! Never use red delicious…
How to you get a sharp edge on your crust?
RIGHT AFTER the crust has blind baked you can take a sharp knife and trim the edge. Move the knife from the inside of the crust toward the edge and trim quickly. The crust will crack if you try to cut it after cooling.
Can I use store bought caramel for the base?
Pre-made caramel is totally fine. The filling in this recipe really just anchors the roses and provides a touch of sweetness. A thicker caramel works too so you can either whip up a batch from scratch or use some out of the bottle.
Why do my roses look crazy???
Whenever people apologize for their apple roses the problem is usually related to the thickness of the apple slices. They really have to be PAPER THIN! Additionally the best ones are from apples with a red or pink skin, as this gives a nice contrast to the white flesh. After you microwave the slices take them out of the liquid immediately to stem the fading that occurs as they sit in the solution. If you’d like to add some contrast then I might suggest fresh thyme or mint leaves.
How to Make Apple Rose Pie
1. Sift almond flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, and salt into a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the cream and egg yolks together.
2. Grate in COLD butter. Toss with the dry mixture as you grate so things don’t clump up.
3. Drizzle in the cream and egg yolk mixture and mix together.
4. On a well-floured surface knead the dough together about 5 times. It will magically transform from a crumbly mess to a workable dough. Form the dough into a disk, wrap with plastic and chill for a few hours or overnight.
5. Roll the chilled dough out onto a well-floured surface and transfer into tart tin. Pierce tart shell with a fork several times.
6. Add paper and pie weights. Bake shell for 10 minutes at 450 degrees F. Pull the shell out of the oven and take out the pie weights. Reduce oven to 350 degrees F and bake for another 8 minutes.
7. Add the juice of a lemon, 3 tablespoons melted butter and 1/4 cup of sugar to a medium-sized bowl and mix well. Wash the apples, slice pieces away from the core and then slice very, very thinly. Ideally you could see through the slices, you want them to be very flexible and to look like petals when you’re finished. Most of the time when this recipe goes wrong it’s because people cut thick slices that they couldn’t bend, or had to overcook to make flexible.
8. Toss the sliced apples in the prepared bowl and microwave for about a minute to 90 seconds to soften the apples. I would suggest tossing them halfway through and microwaving an additional 30 seconds if some are not softened.
9. Add 4 tablespoons of melted butter, 1/3 cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon together in a bowl and mix well. Add about 1/2 tablespoon of the mixture to the tart.
10. Roll the slices into a tight spiral. Add another slice into the flower as you reach the end of the slice being rolled. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect, just keep rolling.
11. You can roll small tiny rosebuds or big many petaled roses with your apple slices. It takes a while to finish but you can always step away for a break or call some helpers into the kitchen for assistance.
12. Add the roses into the tart shell as they’re completed. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350F for about 10 minutes.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this apple rose pie recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Apple Roses Pie
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS:
Pâte Sucrée:
- 3/4 cup almond meal
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup unsalted butter very cold
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar plus 2 tbsp
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
For the Filling:
- 4 tbsp melted unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
For the apples:
- 3 large apples
- 1 lemon juiced
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Pâte Sucrée:
- In a small bowl, whisk the cream and egg yolks together.
- Combine flour, sugar, and salt. Grate in cold butter.
- Drizzle in the cream just until the mixture comes together.
- On a well-floured surface knead the dough together about 5 times. It will magically transform from a crumbly mess to a workable dough.
- Form the dough into a disk, wrap with plastic and chill for a few hours or overnight.
- Place disk into tart tin.
- Pierce tart shell with a fork several times. Add paper and pie weights. Bake shell for 10 minutes at 450 degrees F.
- Pull the shell out of the oven and take out the pie weights.
- Reduce oven to 350 degrees F and bake for another 8 minutes.
For the Filling:
- Add 4 tablespoons of melted butter, 1/3 cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon together in a bowl and mix well.
- Add about 1/2 tablespoon of the mixture to the tart.
For the Apples:
- Add the juice of a lemon, 3 tablespoons melted butter and 1/4 cup of sugar to a medium-sized bowl and mix well.
- Wash the apples, slice pieces away from the core and then slice very, very thinly. Ideally you could see through the slices, you want them to be very flexible and to look like petals when you're finished. Most of the time when this recipe goes wrong it's because people cut thick slices that they couldn't bend, or had to overcook to make flexible.
- Toss the sliced apples in the prepared bowl and microwave for about a minute to 90 seconds to soften the apples. I would suggest tossing them halfway through and microwaving an additional 30 seconds if some are not softened.
- Roll the slices into a rose shape. Place on the tart and arrange petals to your preference.
- Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for about 5-10 minutes.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This tart was beautiful and AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!! It was “simple” – just took some time. My book club friends oooed- and-ahhhed like crazy about it! Just a note: the written recipe above and the video show very different quantities on the ingredients, so I followed the recipe version. The exception to that was that the written instructions for the filling say to just put 1/2 T. in the tart? I followed the video in creating a thin layer which took about 4 T. of the filling mixture. Since the written version calls for half of the ingredients of the video version, it was a perfectly suitable amount without having vast amount of left over. The ingredients are also slightly different on the liquid mixture for the apples.
One question: How thick should the pate sucree be when rolled out before placing in the tart pan? I made it about twice as thick as a typical pie crust and there still was enough left over to make another tart.
I watched the video after I made my dough. Almond meal/flour is not in the recipe. Should it turn out still?
Jennifer,
It should turn out without the almond meal if you used 2 cups of flour! Hope that helps!
John
It came out just fine! I used whatever measurements you had and it worked! These were so tasty as well. I gave a couple mini tarts so some friends and they loved them as well. They even turned out pretty which in my book is a plus! Thanks for a great recipe!
my dough is in the fridge! I’ve been planning on making this since I saw the mini tarts a while back. Hopefully I can slice the apples thin enough to roll!