This week the Maple Festival continues in Highland County and so does our focus on that sweet and unique syrup.

Today we’ll be talking about Maple Apple Roses. Apple Roses have been absolutely plastered all over the internet these days, and this past weekend I decided to take a crack at them! And I can confirm that the hype is totally warranted – these pastries are basically what you would get if an apple dumpling and a cinnamon bun had a baby together – plus I added Maple syrup because it makes just about anything better.

For this recipe you will need the following ingredients (Makes 8)

Dough – I used Pillsbury’s pop-able pizza crust, but you could easily use pre-made pie crust or your favorite dough recipe.

Lemon water (prevent browning)

2-3 medium sized apples, preferably red apples

½ cup unsweetened apple sauce

½ tablespoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon butter

1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup

Instructions:

1. In a small saucepan, melt butter, and then mix in the cinnamon, apple sauce, and maple syrup. After a few minutes of stirring over medium heat, you should have something that resembles an apple butter.  Set aside for later.
2. Prepare a large microwaveable bowl of water with lemon juice mixed in.
3. Wash and cut your apples in half lengthwise. Use a small spoon to scrape out any seeds and core particles. Cut in half lengthwise again, and then begin to slice the apple in the same directions as thinly as possible. As soon as they are cut, place the slices in the lemon water to soak.
4. After you have all of your slices, Microwave the bowl in 30 second increments until the slices are tender enough to flex without snapping.
5. While softening the apple slices, roll out your dough in a rectangle roughly 12” by 24” and only 1/10 inch thick. Cut into long 12” by 3” strips.
6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
7. Spread a little of your maple apple butter mixture along the center of a dough strip. Carefully, line the top half of the dough strip with apple slices, overlapping, leaving a small amount of space on either end of the dough.
8. Fold the bottom half (the one without apples on it) up to meet the top edge of the dough strip.
9. Very Carefully begin to roll up the apple envelope, securing the roll by pinching the dough together. Repeat steps 7-9 until you have used all of your dough strips (should yield 8 roses).
10. Roses maybe baked together in a pull-apart fashion or individually in a greased cupcake pan. If desired, brush with egg for glossy finish. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-45 minutes, until golden brown (if tops begin to darkened too quickly, cover with aluminum foil).
11. Eat as soon as it won’t burn your tongue. Feel free to top with more maple syrup, yogurt, or ice cream!