This mouthwatering good easy Apple Strudel Recipe is made with store-bought puff pastry dough, fresh apples, golden raisins, and an easy four-ingredient cinnamon glaze. It is so amazingly easy to make and just perfect with that hot cup of coffee early in the morning.
This picture-perfect tasty treat is ideal for brunches and lazy long weekend breakfasts. For my holiday brunches, I love to serve this with Cheesy Pepper Asparagus Breakfast Casserole and Homemade Biscuits and Gravy.
Fall is my absolute favorite season. There is just so much to love about it. I adore the cool, crisp nights, the bright colored leaves and mums, the warm cozy soups, stews, and chilis, and the apple desserts and pastries. If your family is anything like mine, then they can not get enough of apple anything and everything. Are you nuts over apples like we are? Have you tried any of my other apple recipes? Apple Brown Betty, Apple Cookies, Apple Cake, Apple Pie Filling, and this recipe are just a few of our favorites.
How to make Apple Strudel with puff pastry
The first step is to add the raisins to a bowl with a little bit of rum. Then, place that bowl in a sink of hot water and let them sit for about 15-20 minutes. For an alcohol-free version, use water. Meanwhile, peel, core, and finely dice your apples (see picture). Toss the apples with the lemon juice in a large bowl. Add the raisins, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and stir to combine.
Next, unfold the puff pastry dough and lay each one on a piece of parchment paper big enough to fit a large cookie sheet. Now use a rolling pin to gently roll out the folding bumps. Don’t be too rough, as it might not puff as much. Then, sprinkle the center with breadcrumbs and simply layer the apple filling down the center of the puff pastry on top of the breadcrumbs. Next, using a pizza cutter, cut the dough in strips being careful to line up the cut as close as possible on both sides of the apple mixture. Next, gently (using the parchment paper) move the cut puff pastry to baking sheets keeping the parchment paper on the baking sheet
Now, fold each strip across at a little bit of a downward angle, starting with either the left or the right. So you will go left, right, left, right, left, right. As I often heard on Sesame Street, “Do you see a pattern here?” Moisten the far outer one inch of the strips that you fold in lightly with water. This will help the second strip folded over the first adhere to the dough. Now in a small bowl, beat the egg and milk. Then using a pastry brush, lightly coat the tops and sides of the pastry. Bake in a preheated oven for about 35 minutes. After a few minutes of cooling, use the parchment paper to move the strudel to a wire rack to cool. Finally, in a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Then drizzle the vanilla sauce over the cooled strudels. Slice, serve, and indulge
What is Puff Pastry and how do I work with it?
Puff Pastry is frozen ready-made pastry dough that is buttery, flaky, and light. It makes delicious strudel dough, and it is easy to work with. The butter is worked inside the dough, and it is folded and rolled out multiple times before freezing, creating light delicious layers. It is available in the freezer section of most grocery stores in the United States and should remain frozen until ready to use. Thaw the puff pastry overnight or on your counter until it is pliable enough to unfold without risk of cracking.
Lightly flour your work surface and use a rolling pin to gently roll out any creases in the puff pastry. You can cut a puff pastry sheet into quarters, add fresh or canned pie fruit and fold it over in a triangular shape, and bake for turnovers. Or cut in strips and follow this fun and easy recipe for Cheese Straws. I like to keep a few extra boxes in the freezer, especially this time of year, for entertaining as the possibilities are endless.
Time the use of your puff pastry carefully, as once thawed, you should prep and cook while it is at its optimum. Don’t leave the puff pastry at room temperature for too long, as the butter in the dough will start to melt, making it hard to work with. If the dough becomes too soft, place it back in the fridge for 30 minutes or so and then work with it. When baking puff pastry, the optimum temperature is 400 degrees as it gets the biggest rise out of the dough.
Recipe notes and tips
- Thaw the puff pastry out in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter just until it is pliable enough to unfold without cracking.
- Feel free to use any kind of raisins. I think Golden raisins taste better, and they look so much nicer mixed with apples.
- Drain as much of the rum as you can from the raisins before adding them to the apple mixture.
- If you don’t like nutmeg, then omit it or add a couple of pinches of ground cloves. As I always say, don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.
- Use good baking apples like Honey Crisp, Braeburn or Pink Lady (also known as Cripps Pink), and Granny Smith apples.
- It is best to use a paper towel to clean up any oozing apple mess around the pastry before placing it in the oven.
- This is a relatively easy recipe yet a busy recipe, so have everything you need set out or in close range, like parchment paper, a cutting board, a pastry brush, a bowl of water, a pizza cutter, and the egg mixed with milk (egg wash). It is easy to forget a step, so stay organized.
- The strudel should be fairly cool before drizzling the glaze.
- For an over-the-top flavor treat, serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream
- For a change of pace, skip the cinnamon glaze and sprinkle with coarse sugar or drizzle with caramel sauce.
- To reheat, place it on a baking sheet covered loosely with aluminum foil in a preheated 275-degree oven for about 10 minutes.
- Store for up to two days on the counter in an airtight container. You can store an additional 2-3 days in the fridge.
Other apple desserts you will love!
Traditional Apple Strudel Recipe
Ingredients
Apple Strudel
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 2 tablespoons rum
- 4 large apples peeled cored and finely diced (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 package 2 sheets frozen puff pastry thawed
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
Cinnamon Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Mix raisins and rum in a small bowl. Place the bowl in a sink filled with a couple of inches of hot water; soak for 15-20 minutes. Drain any excess rum from the raisins.
- Toss the apples with the lemon juice in a large bowl. Add the raisins, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and stir to combine.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay out two large pieces of parchment paper for working and baking on. Gently unfold the puff pastry and place one on each piece of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, gently roll the folds and creases in the pastry to smooth the dough. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs down the center of each sheet. Divide the apple mixture evenly between the two sheets, spooning on top of the breadcrumbs.
- Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into strips about 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide, being careful to line up the cut as closely as possible on both sides of the apple mixture. Gently (using the parchment paper) move the cut puff pastry to baking sheets keeping the parchment paper on the baking sheets.
- Fold each strip across at a little bit of a downward angle, starting with either the left or the right. So you will go left, right, left, right. As you go along, moisten the far outer one inch of the strips that you fold over lightly with water so they adhere to the pastry. Using paper towels, soak up any excess juice around the edges of the strudel.
- In a small bowl, beat egg and milk. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the tops and sides of the strudel. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, ground cinnamon, and vanilla. Drizzle over fully cooled apple pastry.
Notes
- Thaw the puff pastry out in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter just until it is pliable enough to unfold without cracking.
- Feel free to use any kind of raisins. I think Golden raisins taste better, and they look so much nicer mixed with apples.
- Drain as much of the rum as you can so from the raisins before adding them to the apple mixture.
- If you don't like nutmeg, then omit it or add a couple of pinches of ground cloves. As I always say, don't throw the baby out with the bath water.
- Use good baking apples like Honey Crisp, Braeburn or Pink Lady (also known as Cripps Pink), and Granny Smith apples.
- It is best to use a paper towel to clean up any oozing apple mess around the pastry before placing it in the oven.
- This is a relatively easy recipe yet a busy recipe, so have everything you need set out or in close range, like parchment paper, a cutting board, a pastry brush, a bowl of water, a pizza cutter, and the egg mixed with milk (egg wash). It is easy to forget a step, so stay organized.
- The strudel should be fairly cool before drizzling the glaze.
- For an over-the-top flavor treat, serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream
- For a change of pace, skip the cinnamon glaze and sprinkle with coarse sugar or drizzle with caramel sauce.
- To reheat, place it on a baking sheet covered loosely with aluminum foil in a preheated 275-degree oven for about 10 minutes.
- Store for up to two days on the counter in an airtight container. You can store an additional 2-3 days in the fridge.
Nutrition
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Alison
Excellent recipe, easy and very tasty!
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Allison!
Roxann
Never cross crossed before! Beautifully displayed and we are enjoying this now!!! I folded vanilla bean pods and Madagascar Vanilla in Vanilla ice cream foe the extra Joy! Looking forward to creating dinner meals with the crisscross design. Thank You
Beth Pierce
My pleasure, Roxann! I am so glad that you liked it and the crisscross design.
Angelica
I love this apple strudel recipe and any type of apple dessert. This strudel was easy to make with puff pastry, turned out delicious and looked beautiful.
Zadie
I love apple strudel. You are correct. It is so much easier to make with puff pastry.
Alice
So great for the fall season. It was so delicious. I can really make use of the TON of apples I picked while apple picking, so thank you for this recipe! The cinnamon glaze takes it to the next level.
Predrag Kovačević
This recipe looks amazing. I love cakes with apples and cinnamon. It’s not easy to make, but the effort is worth it in the end. Thanks for sharing.
Sandy
Wow, this Apple Strudel Recipe looks simply amazing! I can almost smell the fresh apples and cinnamon glaze just by reading the description. It seems like the perfect treat to enjoy with a hot cup of coffee on a lazy weekend morning. The fact that it’s easy to make and can be served at holiday brunches makes it even more appealing. Thank you for sharing this mouthwatering recipe!
Beth Pierce
Thanks Sandy! I hope you enjoy the apple strudel as much as we do. It is so yummy!
Nancy
These look amazing! I’d love to try some of this strudel when my stomach clears up! Apple treats are among some of my favourite.
Beth Pierce
Feel better soon, Nancy so you can bake the apple strudel.
Becky
Great strudel! Loved it!
Ben
Aww, yeah. That’s what I’m talking about. My grandmother used to make a recipe very similar to this, so I had to make it. It is absolutely delicious.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Ben! So glad that you liked it!
Colleen
Great strudel recipe! I love working with puffy pastry and your tips were spot on. I will make this again.
Jen Schreiner
DROOL…. Great recipe!!! Apple strudel is one of my favorite fall comfort foods. Can’t wait to make it again.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Jen So glad that you liked it!
Diane
Can I make this the night before and serve it in the morning?
Beth Pierce
This one needs to be baked after being prepped.
Dee
Great recipe, we love it and have made it several times. Can it be made the night before and d kept in fridge till next day?
Beth Pierce
Sorry about the delay. I am trying to keep up with comments, but obviously, I am not doing as good of a job as I should. No, unfortunately, puff pastry needs to be baked fairly quickly.
Marsha
Can you use canned apple pie mix?
Beth Pierce
Yes you sure can! Happy baking!
Diane Manning
What an easy recipe. And this was delicious! I will be making this again. My first time ever making an apple strudel. So, so good. After drizzling the frosting I added chopped walnuts to it. It was the icing on the cake!
Beth Pierce
So glad that you liked it Diane and what a great idea to add chopped walnuts!!
Theresa
Can you freeze one before baking for a later date? There are just two of us and I would like to save one for later.
Beth Pierce
I am sorry but puff pastry does not refreeze well. You could halve the recipe and leave one sheet of puff pastry frozen and use it at a later date.
Shadi Hasanzadenemati
Love all the ingredients, can’t wait to try this! It looks so delicious and easy!
Toni
This is totally irresistible! My family enjoyed this for our brunch!
Gina
Thank you for this recipe – bakery quality!
Lima Ekram
Love the tip to soak raisins with rum – it made all the difference! Great recipe!
Irina
I am making a pause in baking to thank you for your recipe. Your recipe is amazing; the apple strudel is the best I have tried and made!
Tara
Yum! I love that braiding and how the strudel comes together with frozen puff pastry. Such amazing flavors!
Sara Welch
Nothing quite like apples and cinnamon; it’s a combination that can’t be beat and this recipe is no exception! So easy and delicious; I loved every bite!
Denay DeGuzman
Apple strudel is one of my favorite desserts to make and share with friends. It’s so good!
Jenn
Rum, raisins, and apples? Heck ya! Love the idea of using store-bought puff pastry – it’s so much easier to make these! Delish!
Alison
This apple strudel is full of warm spices, and the perfect light and buttery pastry!
Biana
This looks so perfect for lunch or brunch! The glaze takes it to the next level.
Wanda
My mom used to make strudel all the time when we were kids but I’ve never tried to make it. Bookmarking this recipe so I can relive the experience!
Jen
These were a huge hit especially with my kids! They’re already asking when I’m going to make them again.
Tania
I love how quick and easy it is to make! That cinnamon glaze tasted amazing too!
Beth Pierce
Thanks Tania! So glad that you liked it!
Maddi
Just wondering could you use any other fruit
Beth Pierce
Yes you sure can. Cherries, blueberries, and peaches.
Suzy
We love using puff pastry for desserts! This was super tasty and delicious!
Beti | easyweeknightrecipes
Apple strudel is my faaaave! I am so excited to try this recipe!
katerina @ diethood.com
Such a fantastic breakfast treat!! I LOVE apple strudel!
Toni Dash
This will be a huge hit at my house!! Everyone loved it!
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert
This Apple Strudel is couldn’t look any more perfect!
Kerri
It’s hard to beat a good apple strudel!
Amanda
My favorite fall dessert, it is unbelievably good!