This warm, crisp and flaky spiced cranberry apple strudel recipe is a real crowd-pleaser! Tender puff pastry is braided and filled with cinnamon apples.
ingredient
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup brandy, or apple juice
- 17 ⅓ ounces puff pastry sheets, (Pepperidge Farm, 2 sheets)
- 4 cups honeycrisp apples, or Fuji apples, peeled, cored, ¼-inch slices, about 3-4 large
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon, ground
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ground
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, or paste
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus 1 teaspoon more
- 1 large egg, plus tablespoon water, whisked, for egg wash
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, plus 1 teaspoon cinnamon for sprinkling
- 2 tablespoons turbinado, or coarse sugar for sprinkling (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Thaw both sheets of frozen puff pastry at room temperature according to manufacturing instructions. Meanwhile, make the apple filling.
- In a small bowl soak the cranberries in brandy or apple juice for at least 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine apples, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Add drained cranberries and 1 tablespoon of the liquid from the soaking bowl. Allow apple mixture to sit for 15 minutes, and then add flour and combine.
- Working one at a time, roll out the puff pastry onto a piece of parchment paper. If the dough is slightly wet, lightly dust the paper with flour, and then roll out the pastry. The pastry will be about 9.5-inch by 9.5-inch.
- Lightly score the puff pastry in 3 vertical columns or use the folded seams as a guide. The middle column should be about 3.5-inches and the two outer columns 3-inches. Cut slits on both sides of the center column to 1-inch wide and 3-inches long, these will be the strands for the braid.
- Place 2 cups of the apple mixture evenly in the middle column then drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of the syrupy liquid from the bowl over the apples.
- Fold the top of the pastry down, about 1-inch of the middle column. Pull the dough strands from one side to another, alternating the dough strands. Make sure that the ends reach the edge of the filling.
- Brush egg wash on top and sprinkle with ½ to 1 tablespoon of turbinado sugar if using, and then about 1 tablespoon of the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on a baking sheet for 10 minutes before slicing.
- Repeat process with second pastry sheet and the remainder of the apple filling.
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