I love making apple pies, but I also love to try new recipes. So when I saw the recipe for Shortcut Easy Apple Fritters on the Half-Baked Harvest site, I had to give them a try. 

They were good... really good, but because I didn't have some of the ingredients (apple butter, puff pastry, etc.), I had to make substitutions, and my recipe ended up coming out very different from the original. So I'm not actually sure how the original recipe would have turned out. LOL! You know how that goes, I'm sure. 

Anyway, they were so fun and easy to make, I made them again the next day, making even more alterations, adding additional spices, and these Glazed Spiced Apple Smash Roll Ups are the result. 

And in fact, if you leave out the apples, they are very similar to a cinnamon roll recipe I learned from my father-in-law that he would make from his leftover apple pie crust. 

So that's kind of a neat nod to him since he's the one who taught me how to make a pie crust in the first place and also shared his blueberry and apple pie recipes with me years ago.

Honestly, I think I like these even more than apple pie. They're certainly quicker and easier to make, especially if you use store bought pie crust. You don't even have to peel the apple!

I've added cardamom to the original recipe, but if you don't have any, just leave it out, or add more cinnamon. 

I also think these would be amazing with peaches or plums....or even cherries. 

Scroll down for the printable recipe.

Glazed Spiced Apple Smash Roll Ups

Makes 6.

What you Need |

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Pinch ground nutmeg

Two 9-inch pie crusts, unbaked, homemade or store bought

1 tablespoon butter, softened to room temperature or melted

1 large apple (Cortland, Granny Smith, McIntosh, Jonathan, or other fairly crisp baking apple)

For the Drizzle |

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

1-2 tablespoons milk

Pinch salt

What you Do |

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or use a silicone mat.  In a small bowl, whisk the sugar, cardamom, cinnamon, and ginger. Dice the apple into 1/4" cubes. (You should have a very generous cup.)

Brush one of the pie crusts with the butter. Sprinkle with half of the sugar. Arrange the apples evenly on top, then sprinkle the remaining sugar over the apples, reserving 1 tablespoon. Place the second pie crust on top and press down lightly. Roll into a log, as tightly as possible.

Use a knife to cut the log into six even slices. Stand the slices up on the baking sheet, spacing them evenly, then use the bottom of a glass to flatten each roll.  Sprinkle the rolls with the reserved sugar mixture.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the apples are bubbly and the tops are golden brown. Use a spatula to move the rolls to a wire rack to cool. Put the baking sheet under the rack to catch any drips.

To make the drizzle, whisk the confectioners sugar, cardamom, cinnamon, salt and vanilla in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon of the milk. 

Add more milk as needed to make a pourable drizzle. Drizzle over the cooled rolls. Set each roll in a paper cupcake liner and serve slightly warm or at room temperature. 

Refrigerate leftovers. (LOL, just kidding! You'll eat them all.)

Although depending on how generous you are with the glaze, you might have some glaze left over. That can be refrigerated and is excellent for dipping apple slices into.

Note: the first time I made these, I baked them in the cupcake liners as directly by the Half-Baked Harvest recipe. They stuck like crazy and I ended up ripping the papers to get them off, and losing half of the bottom of each roll in the process. But I do think they're cute served in the liners, so I recommend baking them on parchment or silicone mats, then putting them in the cupcake liners on a plate to serve them.

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