Apples and flaky pastry are an irresistible combination. Think of this recipe as a shortcut to apple pie. All the deliciousness, half the time.
Easy Apple Twists are apple wedges wrapped in buttery pastry and baked in cinnamon syrup.
When I was little, we had the greatest crab apple tree in our back yard. It was always laden with apples and each year mom would make spiced crab apple jelly.
On apple picking day we’d climb the tree and give it a good shake while my brother Michael, wearing an old Harbour Bridge Authority hard hat of my great uncle’s, would dash under the tree and gather the apples in a bucket.
One day the tree just fell over. We watched it fall, as though it was laying down for a nap. It turned out the roots had rotted, leaving a hollow spot in the ground like a little nest in the roots. There in that little hole were a bunch of oyster shells. We later found out that the previous owners of our house used to bury them around the tree as fertilizer.
Mom’s fall baking was always full of apple recipes, the oldest of which is this recipe for apple twists wrapped in pastry from a Pillsbury Bake Off book dated1956. This recipe for apple wedges wrapped in a buttery pastry and baked in cinnamon sugar syrup was the big winner that year.
Apples and flaky pastry are an irresistible combination. Think of this recipe as a shortcut to apple pie. All the deliciousness, half the time. Another shortcut to a flaky apple pie is my recipe for Apple Galette.
Think of this recipe as a shortcut to apple pie. All the deliciousness, half the time.
Easy Apple Twists: Pastry-Wrapped Apples Baked in Cinnamon Syrup
Course: DessertsDifficulty: Easy8
servings20
minutes25
minutes45
minutesEasy Apple Twists are delicious with all apple varieties. Not too fiddly to make. Pastry recipe included. Low sugar.
Ingredients
2 apples, pared, cored and cut into 8 wedges each
1/3 cup butter, melted
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
½ cup water
- Pastry
1 ½ cups flour, spooned in (can use whole grain)
½ tsp. salt
½ cup cold butter
4-5 Tbsp. cold water
Directions
- To make the pastry
- Combine the flour and salt.
- Cut in the cold butter using a pastry blender or two knives.
- When the butter is well distributed in pea-sized pieces add 4 Tbsp. of cold water.
- Mix with a fork until the dough starts to come together. Add final tablespoon of water only if dough feels dry.
- Scrape dough onto the counter and gather into a ball.
- Flatten into a disc and chill for 30 minutes.
- To assemble the twists
- Preheat oven to 450 F
- On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry to a 10” x 16” rectangle.
- Cut into 16, one-inch strips.
- Roll apple slice in each strip.
- Line a 9” x 13” pan with parchment paper and arrange wrapped apple slices in pan, not touching.
- Stir together sugar and cinnamon.
- Brush each twist with butter, sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar.
- Pour ½ cup water over the twists.
- Bake 25-30 minutes.
- Eat while still warm.
