A few months back I have bought a phyllo pastry and it stayed in my freezer until I saw Nadiya Hussain’s Apple Palm Pies and during the Christmas holidays I’ve decided to give it a try and make my own version.
Yes, I know…I’m very late in publishing this recipe but please bear with me, I promise you these little apple baskets are good any period of the year or any day 😉
As you may know, phyllo pastry or spelled also filo or fillo that means “leaf” in Greek (in fact the sheets are thin like leaves) is a paper-thin pastry that gets crispy and flaky when baked and is very common in Greek, Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisines being used for making dishes such as baklava, börek and spanakopita.
These phyllo based pastries are made by layering many sheets of phyllo brushed with oil or butter that helps them become crisp as they cook.
What is the difference between phyllo and puff pastry?
Although they’re both used to create delicious, layery baked goods and both pastries give a flaky appearance, they are quite different.
Puff pastry is much denser and the butter is combined into the pastry rather than being brushed between layers. The layered effect in puff pastry is created by rolling out pastry, placing a square of butter inside it, folding the dough and then rolling it out and folding again, repeating these steps to create contrasting layers and layers of butter and dough, called laminating. Although you can’t really see all these layers when the dough is made, when it’s baked all those folds produce separate airy, flaky layers and a crunchy exterior.
Puff pastry can be used in both sweet and savory dishes such as tarts, croissants, pastry pockets, or shaped into little appetizer cups.
In contrast to puff pastry, phyllo dough has very little fat as it’s mostly flour and water and can dry out easily. For this reason each sheet of pastry is brushed with melted butter before baking. Phyllo gets crisp and flaky when baked but it doesn’t have the same rich, airy quality that puff pastry has.
Beside the popular dishes such as baklava, börek and spanakopita, phyllo dough can also make great edible serving cups for appetizers or desserts.
There are some recipes where you could substitute puff pastry, but it will give a different feel. Filo is much more crumbly and light, while puff pastry will be denser.
Tips for using phyllo pastry
- Defrost in the refrigerator and not on the counter since it can get gummy.
- The main thing to remember when working with phyllo dough is to keep it from drying out, so only take a small amount out of the packaging at a time or keep the sheets covered with plastic wrap or a damp towel while you’re working.
- Don’t be discouraged if a sheet breaks a little, just patch it back together with the butter and move on, you won’t notice the difference in the end result.
- Don’t refreeze phyllo, as it will get brittle.
The good thing about both these pastries is that are part of the frozen foods and you can find them easily already made and help us create amazing sweet or savoury treats in no time.
For me it was the first time trying to work with phyllo pastry and I must admit that it was easier than I thought.
Ingredients for 6 little apples baskets:
- 3 apples
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbs brown sugar
- 50 g roughly chopped walnuts
- 50 g raisins (preferably soaked for a few hours in water or your favorite brandy)
- 200 g pack of phyllo pastry or 12 sheets
- melted butter for brushing the phyllo sheets
Directions:
Peel and cut the apples in small cubes. Put them in a pan with a little bit of water and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and the cinnamon, cover with the lid and let it cook for 10-15 minutes or until the apples are soft and there’s no more liquid.
Let it cool and add the chopped walnuts and the raisins. I have roasted my walnuts a little bit before adding them to the apple mixture.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C.
Spray the inside of each hole of a 6-hole muffin tray with oil or melted butter.
Unroll the phyllo pastry on to a work surface and cut out all the pastry sheets in 4 stripes. Keep the stripes you’re not working with under a tea towel to prevent them drying out.
Take 1 stripe of phyllo pastry and place it inside the oily cavity of the muffin tray, press down and brush it with melted butter, lay another stripe on top, brush again with melted butter, then lay another on top and brush again and continue until you put 8 stripes on top of each other. And repeat this process until you have filled all 6 holes in the muffin tray. You may spray oil instead of melted butter if you wish.
Fill each hole with an equal amount of the apple filling and fold the stripes inwards.
If any areas feel dry, brush with melted butter. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the phyllo pastry is golden brown.
Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. These are best eaten warm, with ice cream or custard.
They are so so crunchy and flaky! And that apple filling is super simple but delicious!
Enjoy it!
Little apples baskets
Ingredients
- 3 apples
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 50 g roughly chopped walnuts
- 50 g raisins (preferably soaked for a few hours in water or your favorite brandy)
- 200 g pack of phyllo pastry or 12 sheets
- melted butter for brushing the phyllo sheets
Instructions
- Peel and cut the apples in small cubes. Put them in a pan with a little bit of water and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and the cinnamon, cover with the lid and let it cook for 10-15 minutes or until the apples are soft and there’s no more liquid.
- Let it cool and add the chopped walnuts and the raisins. I have roasted my walnuts a little bit before adding them to the apple mixture.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C. Spray the inside of each hole of a 6-hole muffin tray with oil or melted butter.Unroll the phyllo pastry on to a work surface and cut out all the pastry sheets in 4 stripes. Keep the stripes you’re not working with under a tea towel to prevent them drying out.
- Take 1 stripe of phyllo pastry and place it inside the oily cavity of the muffin tray, press down and brush it with melted butter, lay another stripe on top, brush again with melted butter, then lay another on top and brush again and continue until you put 8 stripes on top of each other. And repeat this process until you have filled all 6 holes in the muffin tray. You may spray oil instead of melted butter if you wish.
- Fill each hole with an equal amount of the apple filling and fold the stripes inwards. If any areas feel dry, brush with melted butter. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the phyllo pastry is golden brown.
Notes
Have a wonderful weekend!
Adorable and yummy!
Thank you ☺️
Good Morning R 🙂
I have had Baklava. Each layer it had was crispy. I do not enjoy much of sweet so had a bite in 2019 November I remember.
This apple one is looking delicious. Have an awesome day!
Hi Krikita! Yes, each layer of sweets made with phyllo pastry is crunchy! They tend to be a little too sweet but sometimes is just what we need ☺️ The apples in this recipe I think it gives the perfect balance ☺️😉
Have a wonderful and merry day ☺️
At times we do need the dose of this amount of sweetness. Rightly said. Thank you kindly 🙂
Have an awesome day yourself 🙂
Looks so yummy 😋
Thank you very much! ☺️
You’re welcome
You make this look so easy! And it sounds wonderful! 🙂
Thank you very much! Are easy but delicious 😋 🍏
Looks real good and tasty,peace
Thank you very much 😉
They look yummy and a nice alternative to mince pies.
Thank you very much ☺️😉😋
We made these back home, but you can’t find the pasty here. My girlfriend just got me 3 from Bosnia. I’m planning to make one today, one with cheese, one with eggplant, one with apples, nuts and cinnamon. I love it.
Oh wow! That sounds delicious 😋 3 combinations that I love 😋 I’m sure we’re gone in no time ☺️
Beautifully done
Thank you Derrick!
One for the tastebuds to savour. Delicious and with all my favourite ingredients packed into a small bundles. Happy Eating Apple Baskets Day.
Thank you very much Goff! A perfect bundle that brings joy ☺️😋 Happy eating!
Cheers. Happy Sunday.
Wow look at all the beautiful layers. I’ve never seen this type of pastry in Ireland, it’s mostly puff pastry, but I would love to try it out 😊 thanks for sharing and have a good Friday 😀 Aiva
Thank you very much Aiva! Yes, I guess puff pastry is more common and is equally delicious 😋 Have a wonderful day 😁
Looks so incredible 😍
Thank you very much! 😋
Brown is beautiful and here flaky and delicious also😋😋
Thank you very much ☺️😋
They take so much time and taste soooooo good!
Not too much time but super delicious 😋
These look so good! And they’re pretty, too.
Thank you very much Michelle!
These look fantastic, at first I was afraid they’d be too difficult to try, but I think I can do it! 😃🙌
Puff pastry or phyllo pastry can be intimidating but is easy to use ☺️ and you can have some fun ☺️
Enjoy them 😋
So beautiful to look at and i’m sure it tastes great~🙈💕
Thank you very much! Are really delicious 😋
They look so good and how clever you are!
Thank you very much Diane! Very appreciated 😁
Baklava for sure! Adorable!🍂🍮🍂🍮🔔
Thank you ☺️
This is tantalizing 😋 but to be honest I smiled to see the photo of phyllo pastry on the muffin tray. It looked like a file of paper 😂
Puff pastry is the most normal thing I find in Spain while phyllo in Norway. And to be honest the one time I bought phyllo, I ruined it because I used it like I would a Puff pastry, haha 😀 haaa… 😑
Thank you dear Jess! Exactly, it looks like a normal piece of paper ☺️
Sometimes you can use the phyllo pastry instead of puff pastry but the results will not be the same ☺️ but is always depending on what you want to do ☺️
True. But I still like puff pastry better, easier to handle and doesn’t crumble the same haha 😀