Baked Apple Croissants

First, grab your mixing bowl (or go straight to the saucepan for less cleanup). Toss in the diced apples, lemonade, flour, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Mix it all together like you’re prepping for a quiet little apple party.

Put the saucepan on medium-high heat and let it come to a simmer. Stir occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Lower the heat to medium-low, cover it, and let it cook for about 7–10 minutes. You’re looking for the apples to soften just a bit and the sauce to thicken. Once it’s there, set it aside to cool.

While your filling is cooling, get your muffin tin ready. Coat each well generously with baking spray or grease. Make sure every nook is covered. Then, sprinkle a bit - about a quarter teaspoon or so - of turbinado sugar into the bottom of each well.

Now, grab those puff pastry sheets. If they’re folded into thirds, just cut along the seams to get three long rectangles. Slice each rectangle in half horizontally, giving you six pieces in total.

Take a piece of puff pastry, fold the ends together, and place it into a muffin well. Gently press it down into the well so it forms a cup, with the edges hanging over. Repeat until all the wells are lined with puff pastry.

Preheat your oven to 400°F. While it’s heating, whisk together the egg and water in a small bowl until smooth. Spoon the apple filling into each pastry cup. Don’t overdo it—just enough so each croissant is nice and full, but not overflowing. Drizzle any leftover sauce from the pan over the top of each croissant.

Fold the edges of the puff pastry over the filling, pinching them together tightly where they meet. It doesn’t have to be perfect—they're going to look lovely after baking no matter what.

Brush the tops of each croissant with the egg wash and sprinkle more turbinado sugar on top. You can be as generous or light handed as you want here with the remaining sugar. Place the muffin tin on a baking sheet and bake in your preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. You want them to be golden brown and the filling should be bubbling. If they're browned but the filling doesn't seem ready, tent them with foil and bake a few minutes longer.

Let the croissants sit in the muffin tin for a minute or two—long enough to set but not so long that the sugar starts sticking. Pop them out carefully and transfer to a cooling rack. Try to let them cool a bit before diving in. They’re great stored at room temp for a couple of days or in the fridge for up to 5—if they last that long.