Baked Apple Croissant (Starbucks Copycat)
on Sep 02, 2025
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Skip the coffee shop line and bake these copycat Starbucks Baked Apple Croissants at home. Flaky layers of puff pastry wrap around a spiced apple filling for a homemade version that’s just as delicious (if not better)!
The baked apple croissant is one of Starbucks’ most popular pastry options during the fall season, but it’s so easy to recreate your own version right at home! These homemade copycat croissants are just as buttery, flaky, and full of warm apple flavor, and honestly, even better because you can pack them with as much apple filling as you want. They’re the perfect size for kids to grab and enjoy, and they make the perfect little snack or breakfast for fall mornings at home.
If you love these baked apple croissants and want to try other versions, check out my classic cinnamon apple croissant recipe. And if you’re looking for more delicious apple treats for fall, you can batch make these simple apple donut muffins, cinnamon apple pancakes, and apple oatmeal bites for simple breakfast treats!
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need
Here is what you’ll need to make this copycat baked apple croissant:
- Puff Pastry: For that flaky, croissaint-like texture.
- Apples: Crisp, sweet baking varieties. I love using Honeycrisp or Cosmic Crisp apples for the best natural sweetness.
- Unsalted Butter: For sautéing the filling.
- Maple Syrup: Adds rich sweetness and maple flavor.
- Cornstarch: To thicken the apple filling.
- Spices: Cinnamon and nutmeg for those cozy fall flavors.
- Egg: For an optional egg wash to brush on top of the pastries.
- Coarse Brown Sugar: Optional to sprinkle on top of the pastries for extra sweetness and crunch.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Ingredient Substitutions & Additions
- Egg: You can omit the egg and brush the top of each pastry with melted butter or milk instead.
- Apples: You can swap the apples with diced pears for baked cinnamon pear croissants.
- Coarse Brown Sugar: You can sprinkle the top of the pastries with light brown sugar, cinnamon sugar, or leave them plain.
Step-by-Step Instructions
STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 400 °F (200 °C). Grease a 12-cup muffin pan and set aside. Peel, core, and finely dice the apples.
STEP 2: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Once melted, add the chopped apples, maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg (Image 1). Stir until fully coated (Image 2). Cook the apples, stirring often, until softened, about 10 minutes.
STEP 3: In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of cold water until smooth. Pour this cornstarch mixture into the apples (Image 3) and cook until thickened (Image 4). Remove from the heat to cool.
STEP 4: Unroll each sheet of puff pastry and slice it into 6 equal rectangles (Image 5) to form 12 rectangles total. Press each rectangle into a muffin cup (Image 6).
STEP 5: Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the cooled apple filling into each pastry cup (Image 7). Fold the corners inward and pinch them together to slightly close (Image 8).
STEP 6: Brush the top of each pastry with the whisked egg (or milk) and sprinkle with coarse brown sugar, if desired (Image 8).
STEP 7: Bake the croissants for 20–25 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool briefly in the muffin pan before serving.
Storage Instructions
Once cooled, store the croissants in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To freeze, store in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag for up to 1 month. To reheat, bake at 350°F for a few minutes, or until warmed through, in an air fryer set to the reheat setting. I do not recommend microwaving these to reheat, as the puff pastry will become soggy.
Tips For Success
- Make sure that your pastry dough is thawed, but not too soft. If it is too soft, it will be difficult to work with.
- Let the apple filling cool completely before assembling to keep the pastry from getting soggy.
- Make sure to grease your muffin pan beforehand to ensure that the pastries do not stick.
- Don’t overfill the pastries so that too much filling doesn’t ooze out when baking. If you have extra filling, save it to top yogurt, oatmeal, or waffles!
Recipe FAQs
Nope! Peeling gives a softer filling, but if you don’t mind a little texture, you can leave the skin on to save time.
Honeycrisp, Cosmic Crisp, and Fuji apple varieties are great because they are naturally very sweet and crisp.
Make sure not to overfill, and press the corners of the puff pastry gently over the filling before baking.
Other Apple Recipes You’ll Love
Applesauce Oatmeal Bars
Applesauce Fritters
Easy Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Cookies
Stovetop Apple Crisp
If you tried this Baked Apple Croissant, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below! I love hearing from you!
Baked Apple Croissant (Starbucks Copycat)
Ingredients
- 4 apples, Cosmic crisp or Honeycrisp
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 sheets puff pastry dough
- 1 egg, or milk to brush on top of pastries
- coarse brown sugar, optional to sprinkle on top of pastries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 °F (200 °C). Grease a 12-cup muffin pan and set aside. Peel, core, and finely dice the apples.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Once melted, add the chopped apples, maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir until fully coated. Cook the apples, stirring often, until softened, about 10 minutes.
- In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of cold water until smooth. Pour this cornstarch mixture into the apples, stir, and cook until thickened. Remove from the heat to cool.
- Unroll each sheet of puff pastry and slice it into 6 equal rectangles to form 12 rectangles total. Press each rectangle into a muffin cup.
- Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the cooled apple filling into each pastry cup. Fold the corners inward and pinch them together to slightly close.
- Brush the top of each pastry with the whisked egg (or milk) and sprinkle with coarse brown sugar, if desired.
- Bake the croissants for 20–25 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool briefly in the muffin pan before serving.
Notes
- Make sure that your pastry dough is thawed, but not too soft. If it is too soft, it will be difficult to work with.
- Let the apple filling cool completely before assembling to keep the pastry from getting soggy.
- Make sure to grease your muffin pan beforehand to ensure that the pastries do not stick.
- Don’t overfill the pastries so that too much filling doesn’t ooze out when baking. If you have extra filling, save it to top yogurt, oatmeal, or waffles!
These were great, thank you for the simple recipe! I honestly wasn’t sure if they were going to turn out because they didn’t look near as beautiful as your photos, but they worked and are delicious. Thank you!
I’m so glad to hear that they turned out well, Hailey!😊
I love how easy these were to make, and more importantly, how delicious they turned out! Just the right amount of sweetness. The family loves them, especially the toddler. Thank you for this recipe!
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed them, Joleen!😊