Name: Apple Croissants
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 24 min
Total time: 39 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 sheet of puff pastry, partially thawed; 1 tablespoon butter, plus extra for pan; 1 pound of Granny Smith apples; 2 tablespoons granulated sugar; 2 tablespoons light brown sugar; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg; 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice; 1 large egg, beaten

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I’m always looking for more ways to eat pie as breakfast, and these hand-held treats are even better than the ones at Starbucks! My baked Apple Croissants taste like a bite of apple pie wrapped in a flaky crust, and they’re so easy to make using frozen puff pastry.

A baked apple croissant cut in half to show diced apples.

I have resisted most things in the glass bakery case at Starbucks, because I’m usually so busy thinking about whether or not my coffee is going to be the right color when I receive it. But, I saw the words ‘baked apple croissant’ on the Starbucks menu the other day and envisioned a flaky bite of apple pie.

The Starbucks version was okay, but I knew I could do better. Baking from scratch is what I do best, as I’m sure you know. Instead of making the dough from scratch, we’re using puff pastry from the freezer section, of course!

Mini apple croissants on a wire cooling rack.

Check out all of my apple recipes here!

The Ingredients

Puff pastry, two green apples, flour, butter and spices in bowls on counter.

Puff Pastry. One sheet (half of a package) of frozen puff pastry that you thaw on the counter for about 30 minutes to soften. It should be soft enough to unroll easily without cracking.
Butter. We’ll be cooking the diced apples in one tablespoon of butter, and using extra butter to grease the muffin pan cups.
Apples. My apple of choice for almost all baked apple desserts is Granny Smith. We need 2 medium-large (or one pound) of Granny Smith apples that you peel and dice into 3/4-inch bite-size pieces.
Sugar. Two tablespoons of white granulated sugar to sweeten the apples while they cook.
Brown Sugar. I also use two tablespoons of light brown sugar for sweetness, because the molasses in the brown sugar adds moisture to the cooked apples.
Cinnamon. What’s an apple pie style dessert without ground cinnamon? One full teaspoon of cinnamon seems like a lot for 6 baked apple croissants, but it’s the perfect amount.
Nutmeg. I’m begging you to add nutmeg to al of your apple desserts, especially the freshly grated nutmeg. Use 1/2 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg in addition to the cinnamon for lots of fall spice.
Lemon. We usually add a small amount of acidity in the form of lemon juice to cooked fruit desserts to help the flavors of the fruit shine. We need one tablespoon for these baked apple croissants.
Egg. In order to mimic the golden shiny crust that the Starbucks baked apple croissants have, brush them with one beaten egg before baking.

How to Make Baked Apple Croissants

First, preheat the oven to 400-degrees Fahrenheit, and have ready a standard size muffin pan. This recipe only makes 6 desserts, but you can double it and make 1 dozen baked apple croissants.

Sheet of puff pastry on counter cut into 6 squares.

Six muffin cups lined with raw puff pastry dough.

Unroll the puff pastry sheet carefully on a floured work surface, and roll it lightly into a perfect rectangle. Then, cut it into 6 equal rectangles using a pizza cutter or butter knife.

Meanwhile, use the extra butter to generously grease 6 cups in a muffin pan. Press each piece of dough into each muffin cup, leaving the excess hanging over the edges. Set aside.

Black skillet with diced apples cooking and a wooden spoon.

Hand spooning apple pie filling into puff pastry cups in a muffin pan.

Add one tablespoon of butter to large skillet, and let melt over low heat. Add the peeled and diced to the pan with the butter, followed by the white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice. Cook, while stirring occasionally, until they soften, about 7-10 minutes. Scrape the cooked apples into a bowl to cool slightly.

When the apples are cool to the touch, divide them into each of the muffin cups. Also: beat the egg and have it ready on the side with a pastry brush.

Muffin pan with raw pastry cups before being baked.

Muffin pan with freshly baked apple croissants.

Use your fingers to bring opposite corners together and pinch closed–it doesn’t have to be perfect and it’s okay to see apples peeking through. Brush the beaten egg on the exposed pastry only.

Bake these apple croissants for 24-28 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool in the muffin pan for about 5 minutes, and then move to a wire rack to cool completely.

Apple puff pastry dessert in a muffin cup on a wire rack.

How to Store Apple Croissants

These leftover pasties keep well at room temperature in an air-tight container for up to 1 day on the counter. To further extend their shelf life, refrigerate them for up to 3 days. Try to re-heat them in the oven rather than the microwave so that the pastry crisps up instead of becoming soggy in the microwave.

If you’re looking for a recipe to use up the remaining sheet of puff pastry (since they usually come two per box), try my Apple Turnovers.

Yield: 6