This caramel apple strudel is made of rich buttery layers of flaky puff pastry wrapped around warm spiced apples and salty caramel old-fashioned goodness, drizzled with a sweet vanilla glaze.
Just imagine how good your house is going to smell when you make this recipe! It’s going to smell warm and cozy, just like fall!
David laughed at me when he saw me walking through the entire house with the steaming pot of hot apples in tow. I couldn’t help it. I wanted the whole house to smell like those cinnamon apples.
The smell of cooked cinnamon-spiced apples is better than any candle or air freshener you can buy!
This recipe is made easy by using frozen pastry dough. In fact, the hardest part about making this recipe is waiting for the apple to cool before rolling out the dough… Oh, and allowing it to cool before drizzling on the vanilla glaze. That takes a lot of restraint.
If you recall, about a month ago I shared a recipe for caramel sauce. Remember? It only takes three ingredients to make it. Well, if you saved that recipe for another time, now is the time to make it. You are going to need it when you make this caramel apple strudel.
I have a confession to make about apple picking. David and I are lazy and don’t pick apples. We go to an orchard and pick them out of crates.
In my opinion, mountain apples are the best apples. I believe it’s the cooler nights and summer breeze that makes them so good. Ok, I’ll admit it. I am a little biased. At least I’m honest about it though, right?
Ok, enough of my babbling. Let’s get on with how to make this caramel apple strudel, shall we?
How To Make Caramel Apple Strudel With Vanilla Glaze
This recipe requires a little bit of planning. You have to allow time to thaw the puff pastry dough, and the apples need to cool completely before assembling the strudel.
In addition, if you make the caramel sauce especially to use for this recipe, you will need to make that while the day before or while the puff pastry is thawing and the apples are cooling.
Helpful Equipment When Making Caramel Apple Strudel:
The Puff Pastry:
Puff pastry dough comes frozen (I use Pepperidge Farm). So keep in mind you will need to allow time for it to thaw out. I took the puff pastry sheet out of the freezer and put it into the refrigerator to defrost overnight the night before.
However, you can usually thaw puff pastry on the kitchen counter at room temperature for about 20 minutes or so. After that, you should be good to go.
The Caramel Sauce:
With each bite of this apple strudel, you get pops of the buttery rich and velvety caramel sauce. The decadent robust flavor has a slight smokiness and a hint of salt that sets this strudel recipe apart from any other apple strudel recipe.
Of course, you can opt for store-bought caramel sauce, but I do not recommend it. Store-bought caramel sauce will not have the same effect.
You can get the recipe and learn how to make caramel sauce HERE.
You only need ¼ cup of caramel sauce for this recipe, so don’t forget to read about the other uses for the caramel sauce.
The Apples:
Any variety of apple will do when making this recipe. However, this is a sweet dessert, so tart apple such as Granny Smith will offer a nice contrast to break up some of the sweetness.
In a large saucepan, combine the apples, apple juice, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Bring the apples to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, leaving the pot uncovered. Stir the apples occasionally and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the apples are tender, but are not mushy. Take the apples off the heat and allow them to cool completely; about an hour and a half.
Allowing the apples to cool allows some of the natural juices to separate from the mixture. This will keep the dough from becoming soggy when the apples are added.
Prepare the Caramel Apple Strudel for Baking:
When the apples have cooled, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Unfold the puff pastry onto a large sheet of parchment paper, dusted with flour. Using a rolling pin, dusted with flour, roll the puff pastry dough into a rectangle approximately 16-inches x 12-inches. It doesn’t have to be perfect, or exact. Just make sure it is a rectangle shape.
Carefully, transfer the paper with the pastry dough onto a large baking sheet, with the short side of the rectangle facing you.
Using a slotted spoon, add the apples onto the pastry dough, leaving a 1-inch border all the way around.
Drizzle the apples with the caramel sauce.
Starting with the bottom side facing you, roll up the dough and caramel drizzled apples jelly-roll style. Pinch the seam to seal, and tuck the ends underneath.
Make An Egg Wash:
In the culinary arts, the term EGG WASH refers to a mixture of beaten eggs and some sort of liquid which is brushed pastry, before baking. [READ MORE HERE]
In a small bowl, whisk the egg and water together.
Brush the egg wash over the pastry. Cut diagonal slits in the top of the pastry dough.
Bake The Caramel Apple Strudel:
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool.
When the strudel is cool, slice the strudel into 6 pieces.
The Vanilla Glaze:
Combine the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth.
Drizzle the vanilla glaze over the strudel.
Serve and enjoy!
If you’ve been apple picking, plan on going soon or even if you are lazy like David and I and just grab some already picked, this recipe is one you need to try this fall!
If you try this recipe let us know what you think. Leave a comment below!
Caramel Apple Strudel With Vanilla Glaze
Useful Equipment:
Ingredients
- 5 cups apples medium, peeled and chopped
- ½ cup apple juice or apple juice
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 frozen puff pastry sheet thawed
- all-purpose flour for dusting pastry dough and rolling pin
- ¼ cup caramel sauce homemade or store-bought
Egg Wash:
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Vanilla Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- The night before, remove 1 sheet of the puff pastry dough from the freezer and place it in the refrigerator to defrost overnight.
- In a large saucepan, combine the apples, apple juice, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Bring the apples to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, leaving the pot uncovered. Stir the apples occasionally and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the apples are tender, but are not mushy. Take the apples off the heat and allow them to cool completely; about an hour and a half.
- When the apples have cooled, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Unfold the puff pastry onto a large sheet of parchment paper, dusted with flour. Using a rolling pin, dusted with flour, roll the puff pastry dough into a rectangle approximately 16-inches x 12-inches. It doesn’t have to be perfect, or exact. Just make sure it is a rectangle shape.
- Carefully, transfer paper with the pastry dough onto a large baking sheet, with the short side of the rectangle facing you.
- Using a slotted spoon, add the apples onto the pastry dough, leaving a 1-inch border all the way around.
- Drizzle the apples with the caramel sauce.
- Starting with the bottom side facing you, roll up the dough and caramel drizzled apples jelly-roll style. Pinch the seam to seal, and tuck ends underneath.
- Make an egg wash. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and water together. Brush the egg wash over the pastry. Cut diagonal slits in the top of the pastry dough.
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool.
- When the strudel is cool, slice the strudel into 6 pieces. Combine the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle the vanilla glaze over the strudel.
- Serve and enjoy!
Annie says
Strudel is up there as one of my FAVORITE sweet treats, and ooooh girl, does this one look good! I can almost smell the cloves and nutmeg! YUM!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thanks, Annie! <3