Apple Ring Donuts

Firm apples work best because they soften in the oven without completely falling apart. Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, Braeburn and Granny Smith are all great choices.

Pink Lady is a particularly good all round choice because it has a nice balance of sweetness and tartness and stays fairly firm when baked. Honeycrisp gives you a sweeter juicier result while Granny Smith gives the donuts a sharper apple flavour that works beautifully with the cinnamon sugar.

Try to avoid varieties that are already very soft or mealy. They can become too soft during baking and make the pastry harder to keep crisp. You also don't need to peel the apples. Keeping the skin on helps the rings hold their shape and gives them a lovely colour too.

Aim for slices around 1 to 1.2 cm thick or roughly ⅜ to ½ inch.

This thickness gives you the best balance between a tender apple and properly baked puff pastry. If the slices are too thin then the fruit can become very soft before the pastry has finished cooking. If they are too thick the pastry may be golden and crispy while the apple is still too firm.

The most important thing is to keep the slices roughly the same thickness. That way all of your donuts should finish cooking at about the same time.

The biggest thing you can do is dry the apple slices really well after soaking them.

For this recipe the slices are soaked in lightly salted water to help reduce browning. Make sure the salt is completely dissolved in the water first then soak the apple slices for 6 minutes. After that remove them and pat them thoroughly dry with kitchen paper. Don't rinse them.

It's also important to keep the puff pastry cold. Warm pastry becomes soft and sticky and doesn't puff up as well in the oven. If the pastry starts feeling difficult to handle just put the assembled apple rings in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes before baking.

Finally, bake them until the pastry is properly puffed and golden brown rather than taking them out while they are still pale. The finished apple rings are best served warm when the pastry is at its crispest.

Yes frozen puff pastry works very well and it is an easy way to make these without making pastry from scratch.

The important part is to let it thaw according to the instructions on the package before you try to cut and wrap it. Don't try to wrap the rings with pastry that is still frozen because it can crack rather than bend around the apple.

Once thawed, keep the pastry as cold as possible while you work. Cut only as many strips as you need and leave the rest in the refrigerator. If your pastry becomes soft while you are wrapping the rings, simply chill the assembled rings for about 10 minutes before baking.

Nope, you can make them without egg wash but I recommend using it if you can.

The egg wash helps the puff pastry turn a beautiful deep golden brown and gives the finished apple rings a more attractive bakery style look. It also helps the cinnamon sugar stick to the pastry.

For this recipe a little egg yolk mixed with water gives you plenty of colour without needing to cover the pastry heavily.

If you don't have an egg you can brush them lightly with milk or melted butter instead. The result will still be delicious although it may not become quite as deeply golden as it does with egg wash.

These mini desserts are at their best when they are freshly baked and still warm because that is when the puff pastry is at its crispest.

If you have leftovers then let them cool completely and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should keep well for a few days although the pastry will naturally soften while stored.

For the best texture reheat them in the oven or an air fryer rather than the microwave. A short blast of heat helps bring some of the crispness back to the pastry. The microwave will warm the apple quickly but it can make the puff pastry soft and chewy.