Need to make an impression, but don’t have the time? Be the apple of everyone’s eye with this Apple Rose Tart recipe with ginger! It’s the best thing since Apple Pie.

Thanks to Central Market Apple Festival for getting me to branch out with apples and partnering with us for this sweet treat.

This is the time of year that my insatiable desire to bake kicks into high gear.

It could be the cooler temperatures that let me turn on the oven or the apple cinnamon potpourri that I’ve plugged into the house that smells like I’m already cooking, but nothing says fall more than breaking out the apron to get my bake on.

For me thumbing through Granny’s old cookbooks curled up with a hot spicy mug of apple cider and a furry blanket is the perfect way to spend a day…

Then reality sets in.

Too bad carpool, conference calls, and all that other craziness that comes up daily doesn’t allow for hours of baking joy. And what normally happens I’ll have the perfect opportunity to make something special for some event and then I’ll have ZERO time to make it.

I go through my head trying to think of all the great things I could make and then reality sets in and I pick up a box of cookies. #mamachallenge

This recipe for the apple rose tart is the best of both worlds: looks impressive but without much work at all. Slicing up your apples might be the hardest part.

However, the best part is you can use whatever apples you choose. I’d suggest using anything that has a red/pink hue, but when you head to Apple Festival at Central Market, you have more than 35 varieties to choose from. A trip through produce is better than going apple picking in the orchard because you have the best in-season apples from all over the country and guides to help you choose just the right apple.

At this apple wonderland, you can try and learn about so many varieties of apples. A few caught my eye like The Diva®, and the Crispin (juicy and ideal for dessert), but it was the Jonamac that became the apple of my eye. Described as having a “rich, sweet flavor with cinnamon spice notes – and great for baking,” I knew this bright red baby was coming home with me (along with many others!)

To make these rose tarts you only need seven other ingredients including puff pastry, cream cheese and of course, a little sugar and cinnamon.

The only other thing you’ll need is a good sharp knife to cut your beautiful apple into thin slices after you’ve cut it in half and removed the core and sees.

However, there are a few notes you need to make note of for rose tarts.

Cut the apple horizontally on both halves to get the perfect slice.

Ideally you’re looking for the apples to keep the pretty red skin on as much of the slice as possible.

It’s important to put the slices into a bowl of water and lemon juice and slightly cook.

This serves two purposes: may seem like an extra step, but if you don’t follow, your slices will break when you try to roll them and the skins soften and maintain the red color rather than burn when they bake.

Believe me, I tried it both ways to make sure what steps were absolutely necessary. Can you spot the apples that were slightly cooked and the ones that weren’t?

Use a pizza cutter to make your four cuts into the puff pastry dough.

First cut in half and then half those halves for the exact right size.

Roll and fold is the name of the game.

The fun part is actually the rolling up the dough. When you roll up the pastry, the apples (which are malleable because they’ve been slightly cooked), bend and make the rose. It’s so pretty to see how each one comes out different like every real rose does.

And don’t forget to fold up the puff pastry in half after you’ve added the apples! (It doesn’t work out well either.)

Put the tarts in the oven and for the next 35-40 minutes enjoy the aroma that will take over your kitchen. And then you’ll have around eight lovely apple rose tarts ready for presentation and for your palate pleasure!