Made for the Manor Pirates of Pacifica, CA, for FOGFEST 2026, these golden apple-cinnamon roses rose together on a sheet pan before getting a generous soak of spiced rum syrup. They’re soft, fragrant, gloriously boozy, and the proud debut creation of Executive Chef Bleep the Tattoo. Find the recipe at tretaylor.com
Boozy French Apple, Rum Rose Cinnamon Buns
Breakfast for Pirates
From The Nomad Kitchen · Deliciously Fun Life with Tré Taylor & Executive Chef Bleep the Tattoo
🏴☠️
The Manor Pirates needed a treat for Fog Fest. Bleep needed the dough. Tré was the one who actually had to touch it—occupational hazard when your executive chef is a tattoo on your hand.
Together, we rolled paper-thin red apples into soft cinnamon dough, baked the roses side by side, and soaked every golden blossom in spiced rum syrup. The pirates raved. Bleep is taking calls from his agent. 🥃
Makes: About 25 large roses
Oven: 350°F · Bake: About 45–50 minutes
This slicer made this easy. Get one here!
🥖 Sweet Dough
2½ pounds bread flour (about 9 cups, spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling
2 tablespoons instant yeast
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon fine salt
3 cups warm milk
2 large eggs
½ cup melted butter, cooled slightly
The first rise after 60 minutes.
🍎 Apple-Cinnamon Filling
5–6 red apples
½ cup softened butter
¾ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
These are easy to form and bake. They came out of the oven tasting elegant and expensive.
🥃 Pirate Rum Syrup
2 cups Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
Folding the dough around the bottom so it stands up on the baking sheet, these beauties are easy to roll.
🌹 Roll, Rise & Bake
Make the dough. Mix the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Add the warm milk, eggs, and melted butter. Mix into a soft dough and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8–10 minutes. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1–1½ hours.
Slice the apples. Use a mandolin to cut the apples paper-thin, keeping their red peels for the rose edges. Use the hand guard! If the slices won’t bend easily, warm them briefly and let them cool.
Build the roses. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon. Working in manageable portions, roll the dough into rectangles about ¼ inch thick. Spread with softened butter and vanilla, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Cut into strips about 2 inches wide. Overlap apple slices along one long edge of each strip, leaving the red edges peeking out. Roll each strip into a rose.
Give them their second rise. Arrange the roses on parchment-lined baking sheets, close enough to support one another with a little room to grow. Cover loosely and let rise until puffy, about 30–45 minutes. This rise is where the magic happens.
Bake. Heat the oven to 350°F. Put a foil-lined pan on a lower rack to catch drips. Bake for about 45–50 minutes, until golden and cooked through in the centers. Loosely cover the tops with foil if they brown too quickly.
Make the syrup. Warm the rum, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Simmer gently for a few minutes, then turn off the heat and let it rest.
Soak the treasure. While the roses are still hot, slowly spoon all that glorious syrup over the blossoms and between them. Let them rest and drink it in before serving.
Berfore…
👨🍳 Bleep says: “I kneaded the dough. Tré did the kneading. There’s a difference when you don’t have your own hands.”
Pirate’s note: These generously soaked roses contain alcohol. Serve to adults and refrigerate leftovers within two hours. Warm them gently the next day.
After…
Bleep the Tattoo, Executive Chef—Deliciously Fun Life Cooking Show @TreTaylorTransformations - Tré Taylor - Gratitude Tour YouTube Channel.
