German Apple Croissants (Apfelmushörnchen)

5 from 4 votes

German Apple Croissants (Apfelmushörnchen)

The apple croissants are easy to make and hard to keep around! They're only slightly sweet thanks to the applesauce (I use my homemade applesauce) in the dough and filling, so they'r the perfect kid-friendly snack.

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Resting Time4

Total Time5

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Coffee, Kaffee, Snack

Cuisine: German

Keyword: German apple baking recipe, German applesauce croissants, German applesauce recipes, German applesauce rolls, German croissant recipe, German kid-friendly applesauce recipes, German low sugar snacks, German low-sugar apple baking recipe, German low-sugar baking recipe

Servings: croissants

Calories: 77kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Apfelmushörnchen Dough

250 g all-purpose flour plus some more
250 g quark could also use full fat (5%) Greek yogurt if you can't find quark
150 g butter room temperature
100 g applesauce I love the chunky, kettle-cooked applesauce by Grandma Hoerner's
1 tablespoon sugar

Apfelmushörnchen Filling

32 tablespoon applesauce for the filling

Other

1 eggyolk
powdered sugar for dusting, optional

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Combine all dough ingredients in a bowl and either using a dough hook and your electric mixer or your hands, knead until you end up with a smooth dough that's not too sticky. You may need add more flour, so it stops sticking. Now wrap the dough airtight and move to the fridge for at least 4 hours or even better overnight to rest.
Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit/ 180° Celsius (conventional setting, NOT convection). Divide the dough into 4 equal portions.
Working one quarter at a time, roll out the dough to rounds measuring about 12 inches or 26 centimeters in diameter. Cut the dough like a pie into 8 equal pieces. Now top each piece with one tablespoon of applesauce. If you're using Grandma Hoerner's chunky applesauce, some chunks are delicious, just avoid the large slices. It's okay if the applesauce oozes out a bit. Those pieces become extra caramelized and delicious.
Now roll up each section starting from the wide end and transfer to baking sheets covered with parchment paper. You should be able to fit 16 on a large baking sheet, so you'll need 2 baking sheets.
Whisk the egg in a bowl and brush onto the rolled up croissants. Move to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, then change to convection at 320° Fahrenheit/ 160° Celsius and continue baking for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and. allow to cool for a few minutes before eating. These rolls aren't very sweet, so if you would like, you can give them a dusting of powdered sugar or enjoy them with some jam.

Nutrition