This Apple Cinnamon Strudel is packed with juicy caramelized apples inside a flaky pastry crust, and drizzled with a vanilla glaze. This braided apple strudel looks like something out of a pastry shop, but is so easy and simple to make.
Apple Cinnamon Strudel is one of my families favorite strudel recipes. When my kids are looking through our favorite dessert recipes, this is always one of their favorites. While it’s fabulous for Fall, you can enjoy this strudel any time of the year. I love using puff pastry when I want a quick and simple dessert that tastes like I spent hours making a homemade pastry dough. Fall recipes are some of my favorite dishes to make, and I especially love our Homemade Peach Pie Recipe.
Ingredients for the best Apple Strudel
- Granny Smith or Fuji Apples: I prefer to use Granny Smith or Fuji apples because they hold their shape and texture after baking.
- Sugar: you can use granulated sugar or brown sugar, or half and half.
- Unsalted Butter: Using unsalted butter gives you complete control of the overall flavor of your recipe. This is especially important in certain baked goods where the pure, sweet cream flavor of butter is key.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch will thicken the filling as the apples cook down and release juices.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon adds a great flavor to apple pie filling. Use more or less depending on your taste.
- Granulated Salt: Salt is essential when baking to even out the sweetness.
- Water: Water is used in conjunction with the cornstarch to thicken apple filling.
- Frozen Puff Pastry: Puff pastry needs to be thawed before it can be baked into something delicious, and doing so overnight in the fridge is the best approach. You can find this in the freezer section of your local grocery store.
- Egg: A beaten egg will add shine and color to your strudel and will help to seal up the edges.
- Glaze Ingredients
- Unsalted butter: Using unsalted butter gives you complete control of the overall flavor of your recipe. This is especially important in certain baked goods where the pure, sweet cream flavor of butter is key.
- Vanilla: I prefer to use pure vanilla when baking because of the flavor it adds to the baked goods.
- Milk: I used whole milk in this recipe, but you can use any milk that you prefer. Almond milk will also taste great in this glaze.
- Granulated Salt: Salt is essential when baking to even out the sweetness.
- Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar is used when a quick-dissolving sugar is required. If your glaze becomes to thick, add little more milk to thin it out.
How to make a Cinnamon Apple Strudel
The hardest part of this recipe is peeling the apples. If you can do that, this is going to be easy for you to make. Start by preparing the cinnamon apple filling.
- In a large sauce pan add peeled, cored, and diced apples, sugar, unsalted butter, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, and water. Stir all ingredients together to mix well.
- Cook filling over medium-high heat for about 7 minutes or until the sauce starts to thicken. Once thick, remove from heat and allow to cool while you prepare you puff pastry dough.
- At this point you can preheat you oven to 375F and prepare a large baking dish by covering it with parchment paper. Set prepared pan aside.
- Remove thawed puff pastry from the package and unroll on a lightly flowered surface. Use a rolling pin to make each puff pastry 10-15% bigger.
- Divide cinnamon apple filling between both pastry dough’s and spoon it in the center of each pasty sheet, keeping it in the middle 1/3 leaving about 1″ of space at the top and bottom of the pastry sheet.
- Cut away the top and bottom corners from the left and right thirds of the pastry sheets.
- Using a sharp knife, cut horizontal strips along both the left and the right outer thirds of the puff pastry.
- Fold the top and bottom strip over the apple mixture.
- Start braiding the pastry dough by folding over a strip from the left, then a strip from the right. Continue left, right, left, right until all of the strips are in place.
- Carefully transfer both strudels to your prepared baking sheet using a spatula.
- Brush your beaten egg over top of both strudels.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes or until the top of the pastry is a nice golden brown color.
- Once cooked, remove pastry from the oven and allow to cool while you prepare the glaze.
- In a medium size mixing bowl add melted butter, vanilla, milk, salt, and powdered sugar. Whisk ingredients together until their are no lumps left.
- Drizzle glaze over cooked apple strudel.
- Slice and serve warm. Enjoy!
What are the best apples to use for a strudel?
I prefer to use granny smith or Fuji apples because they are both crisp and will hold their shape and texture after baking. Honey crisp apples are also a good option because they are a crisp juicy apple as well.
How to store an apple strudel?
Apple Strudels are significantly better eaten warm out of the oven, however if you do have any leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or so, but any longer than that, and you should refrigerate or freeze it
Apple Cinnamon Strudel
This Apple Cinnamon Strudel is packed juicy caramelized apples inside a flaky pastry crust and drizzled with a glaze. This braided apple strudel looks like something out of a pastry shop, but is so easy and simple to make.
Ingredients
- 4-5 Granny Smith or Fuji apples, peeled, cored, and diced
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 pkg. (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 1 egg beaten
Glaze
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 3 Tbsp. milk
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a large sauce pan add peeled, cored, and diced apples, sugar, unsalted butter, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, and water. Stir all ingredients together to mix well.
- Cook filling over medium-high heat for about 7 minutes or until the sauce starts to thicken. Once thick, remove from heat and allow to cool while you prepare you puff pastry dough.
- At this point you can preheat you oven to 375F and prepare a large baking dish by covering it with parchment paper. Set prepared pan aside.
- Remove thawed puff pastry from the package and unroll on a lightly flowered surface. Use a rolling pin to make each puff pastry 10-15% bigger.
- Divide cinnamon apple filling between both pastry dough’s and spoon it in the center of each pasty sheet, keeping it in the middle 1/3 leaving about 1″ of space at the top and bottom of the pastry sheet.Cut away the top and bottom corners from the left and right thirds of the pastry sheets.
- Using a sharp knife, cut horizontal strips along both the left and the right outer thirds of the puff pastry.
- Fold the top and bottom strip over the apple mixture
- Start braiding the pastry dough by folding over a strip from the left, then a strip from the right. Continue left, right, left, right until all of the strips are in place.
- Carefully transfer both strudels to your prepared baking sheet using a spatula. Brush your beaten egg over top of both strudels.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes or until the top of the pastry is a nice golden brown color. Once cooked, remove pastry from the oven and allow to cool while you prepare the glaze.
- In a medium size mixing bowl add melted butter, vanilla, milk, salt, and powdered sugar. Whisk ingredients together until their are no lumps left. Drizzle glaze over cooked apple strudel .Slice and serve warm. Enjoy!
Notes
*Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on Modernmealmakeover.com should only be used as a general guideline
Nutrition
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 172kcalCarbohydrates: 33.1gProtein: 0.9gFat: 4.7gSaturated Fat: 2.6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 27.6mgSodium: 133mgPotassium: 58.7mgFiber: 2.6gSugar: 27.6gCalcium: 6.8mg
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This recipe is so easy! It came out great! The only thing I would suggest is to roll out the pastry dough on parchment paper so it’s easier to transfer on a pan.