Easy Apple Strudel

I like to keep puff pastry in the freezer for the those times when we need something sweet, and easy to make. Frozen puff pastry can be used with whatever fruit you have on hand to make wonderful turnovers and strudel. I had apples in the fruit bowl, so I made apple strudel with raisins and pecans.

Another great shortcut to add extra favor is to cook the apples in apple juice. Kid’s apple juice boxes store easily and have a long shelf life. They work perfectly to cook apples for this recipe or applesauce recipes. Use the juice box with no added sugar.

Here’s the recipe!

Easy Apple Strudel

 

Print

Ingredients

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (triple fold)
• 3 medium apples
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 kid's juice box (apple, low sugar)
• ¼ cup soft raisins
• ¼ cup chopped pecans
• 2 tablespoons softened butter
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon coarse sanding sugar ( you can use regular granulated sugar)
• Confectioner's sugar for dusting

Instructions

1. Peel the apples, core and cut into ½" slices. Place the apples in a small saucepan with the juice, sugar, and cinnamon. Bring to a quick boil then lower the heat and simmer until the apples are tender and the juice has reduced to ¼. It should be thick and syrupy. Cool the apples and the thicker juice completely.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Take the puff pastry from the freezer, remove one triple-folded piece and allow it to thaw. Use a very sharp knife to cut the out sections into ½" strips. Cut from the outer edge up to the edge of the center piece. Leave the center piece intact. Spread the softened butter evenly over the center piece of pastry. Add the apples neatly in rows over the butter. Pour the reduced juice over the apples. Dot with raisins and pecans. Start at one end and fold the strips over each other from one side to the other. Brush the pastry with heavy cream and sprinkle with the coarse sugar. Place the pastry onto a parchment lined baking dish and bake at 400 until the top is golden browned the apple juices are bubbly and leaking out, about 35-45 minutes. Allow to cool then dust with powdered sugar and serve.

3.2.2807