Transform Apples And Frozen Phyllo Dough Into A Quick And Cozy Fall Dessert

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Fall brings much to look forward to, from the leaves changing color to the end of oppressive summer heatwaves. At Tasting Table, we anticipate the onslaught of vintage fall recipes and seasonal food and drinks the most. If you're feeling spoiled for choice, we urge you to discover how apples and frozen phyllo dough can be transformed into a quick, cozy fall dessert in the form of these apple pie phyllo rolls with caramel sauce.

This recipe is ideal for anyone who wants a delicious sweet treat that doesn't require an enormous amount of time and effort. You may find these rolls evocative of McDonald's famous fried apple pies, yet this dessert is undeniably its own thing, thanks to the distinctive, flaky texture of the phyllo pastry and the welcome richness of the homemade caramel dipping sauce.

To make the rolls, you'll need some store-bought frozen phyllo pastry (such as these Great Value Frozen Vegan Phyllo Dough Pastry Sheets from Walmart), water, and a neutral oil for frying. The filling calls for apples, spices, and brown sugar, while the caramel can be put together with sugar, butter, and heavy cream (be sure to familiarize yourself with the 12 mistakes to avoid when making caramel before starting). From preparing the filling and sauce, to assembling the rolls, to frying them to crispy perfection, no stage of this recipe should prove onerous.

One advantage of this recipe is that it allows for some wiggle-room, letting you personalize your phyllo rolls. For example, while the recipe recommends good baking apples (as softer apples risk turning mushy when cooked), that still leaves you with plenty of options. For the best balance and the greatest complexity, you can use a combination of tart apples like Granny Smith, Cortland, and Pacific Rose, and sweet apples like Pink Lady, Fuji, and Honeycrisp (check out our run-down of the absolute best apples for baking for more possibilities).

If you want to up the spice factor of your filling, you could elevate the cinnamon and nutmeg by taking a nod from pumpkin pie spice mix and combining them with allspice, cloves, and ginger. While we have a hard time imagining anyone dissatisfied with caramel sauce, adding additional flavor with salted maple or bourbon could work well.

In addition to making both an excellent dessert or snack, the rolls are highly portable, perfect for taking to work, a tailgate, or on a picnic. If you're enjoying them at home, the only question is what beverage to pair them with; peruse our suggestions for 13 fall cocktails so that your apple pie phyllo rolls have a suitably boozy accompaniment.