Easy Apple Strudel Recipe (With Puff Pastry)

Celebrate fall with this elegant by super easy apple strudel recipe made with puff pastry. Enjoy delicious sweet apples, wrapped in a light flaky crust with a lovely maple glaze drizzled on top. The perfect dessert for fall or anytime!

There’s something about September and apples. They just go together perfectly! Maybe it’s from my teaching years, but I actually crave apples every fall! So just a week or so ago, I started thinking about a new apple dessert that I could create. And a delicious apple strudel has always been on my bucket list.

I always hesitated to attempted a strudel recipe because they look so complicated. But I found a way to make this an easy recipe! The key to simplifying this strudel is to make an apple strudel with store-bought puff pastry. You still get that super flaky pastry without all the work!

Start With Apple Filling

The recipe begins by making the apple filling. The hardest part is probably right here – with peeling the fresh apples. My choice is granny smith because I love their tart apple taste. I would totally skip this step but I don’t want to bite into chewy pieces of apple skin. So I suck it up and peel! 🙂

Once peeled, core and chop the apple slices then place them in a medium sauce pan. Then combine apples with the sugar, butter, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and a little water. Stir it all up and then cook on the stove until tart apples are tender and sauce has slightly thickened. Set aside to cool and now it’s time to work the puff pastry.

Prepare Puff Pastry Dough

Unfold the ready-made puff pastry onto lightly floured parchment paper. Then using a rolling pin, roll each puff pastry sheet to about 15% larger than original size. Once you are happy with the sizes, lift the parchment paper with pastry dough and gently place it on a baking sheet.

Now it’s time to combine the apple filling and the puff pasty!

How To Assemble the Apple Strudel

Start by placing half of the cooled apple mixture down the middle one-third of one puff pastry sheet.

Then, using a sharp knife (or a pizza cutter) to cut horizontal strips along both the left and the right outer thirds of the puff pastry. (Make about 10-12 strips on each side.)

Braid The Puff Pastry Dough

Now comes the fun part, creating the puff pasty braid! Gently fold the strips over the top of the apple mixture. Start with a strip from the left, then a strip from the right. Continue left, right, left, right until all of the strips are in place. This may seems like an unnecessary step but this braid is what gives the apple strudel its elegant look.

Lastly, brush the braided pasty with the beaten egg. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. And it’s ready to be baked in the oven for about 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.

Top Homemade Apple Strudel With Maple Glaze

Once the strudel has cooled on a wire rack – it’s time for the sweet maple glaze. This glaze is such the perfect compliment to the sweet apple filling!

You may want to skip the glaze all together, but this glaze is so easy – you should definitely try it! All you need is to combine some butter and maple syrup in a small sauce pan over medium heat until melted. Then whisk the melted butter with powdered sugar and pinch of salt.

Finally, drizzle the glaze over the top of the strudel and let it set for about 10 minutes. This comes the absolute best part – slicing the warm apple strudel and enjoying every tasty bite! If you wanna make it even better – add a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

MORE FALL EASY DESSERTS YOU WILL LOVE

If you are an apple lover or just looking for an easy fall dessert recipe, be sure to also check out these yummy recipes below:

• Baked Pumpkin Cake Donuts
• The Best Gluten Free Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Icing
• Easy Fall Apple Tart
• Fall Pumpkin Coffee Cake Muffins
• Delicious Fall Dinner Party Menu

I do hope you give this easy apple strudel recipe a try and let me know what you think. I’m pretty sure it will become one of your favorite fall desserts. I know it is in this house!