Baked Apple Roses

How to make Apple Roses

        "Mothers are like buttons, they hold everything together."

      That reminds me of my mother who holds all the family members together. She was always the one, who knew what was going on with everyone in the family. Especially when all of us (my brothers & I) moved out of the house. We may not be in frequent touch with each other; but we would be in constant touch with Amma, so she always had the latest updates. Some of us are too busy to listen to others and then some of us are too busy to share things about our life. Mothers always have the time to listen to her children and read between the lines too. 

      Motherhood teaches us a ton of things and humbles us. I only wish someone had prepared me for what to expect, and how to handle the 'n' number of situations that arise in parenting. I guess that is what makes every mother unique. But hey, I feel better reading the following quote :)

"Good Moms Have Sticky Floors, Messy Kitchens, Laundry Piles & Happy Kids."

Happy Mother's Day, to all the Mom's & all the Dad's who take on the role of a mother!

            

Ingredients for 6 to 8 roses:

1 sheet of Pepperidge farm frozen pastry, thawed

2 large apples, cored & sliced

1.5 Tbsp lemon juice concentrate or juice from 1/2 a lemon

2 cups of water or more as needed

cinnamon powder, to sprinkle

fig preserves - 3 tbsp

1 Tbsp, water

Special equipment needed:

Muffin pan - greased or lined

Method:

• Preheat oven to 375° F. (Please read notes below)
• Wash, cut in half, core & slice the apples into very thin slices. 
• In a microwave safe bowl, add the water, lemon juice and sliced apples & microwave for 3 minutes. Drain & let sit. 

• In another bowl, add the preserve & 1 tbsp of water and microwave for a minute; stir & set aside.
• On a floured surface, unwrap & place the thawed pastry sheet, dust with flour, using a rolling pin, stretch it out as needed to make 6 to 8 strips that are 1.5" wide.
• On every strip, smear some preserve, place the apple slices on the top half of the strip, sprinkle with apple spice mix and fold over the bottom half of the pastry strip and roll tightly to form the roses. 

• Place the roses into the prepped muffin pan & bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove & let cool.
• Dust with confectioners sugar & serve on a platter. 

Notes:

• My roses were only mildly sweet because the only added sweeteners were the fruit preserve & the confectioner's sugar on top. If you like more sweetness, try adding a 1/8th tsp of brown sugar into the center of every rose, after they have been rolled up & ready to go in the oven.
• Any fruit preserve can be used, or you can even skip it.
• Try adding cinnamon sugar instead of plain cinnamon, prior to rolling the roses.
• Can also be served with a drizzle of caramel sauce on top.
• If you are baking on a cookie sheet, make sure you press the pastry sheet with wet fingers at the end of the roll, to make sure, it doesn't open up during baking.