Apple Pecan Spring Roll Mooncakes

5 from 8 votes

Celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with our Apple Pecan Spring Roll Mooncakes. Featuring a crispy spring roll pastry wrapper crust and a sweet, spiced apple filling you’ll love.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American, Chinese

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: mooncakes

Calories: 181kcal

Author: HWC Magazine

Equipment

muffin or cupcake tin to form the round full moon shape

Ingredients

1 cup pecans unsalted
1 tablespoon butter (if lactose intolerant use dairy free alternative)
2 whole star anise dried or 1 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice powder
2 and ¾ cups apples peeled and chopped (gala, granny smith, or whatever your favorite baking apple of choice might be)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon ground
2 tablespoon brown sugar or sugar alternative of choice
pinch of salt about ⅛ teaspoon
6 spring roll pastry wrappers cut in half
cooking spray as needed to prevent sticking in muffin tins and to help with browning
1 whole egg beaten (if egg allergy, use a thick cornstarch slurry for holding the mooncake together)
1 teaspoon granulated sugar to garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 190 degrees C or 375 F. Take the spring rolls out of the freezer and place out on the counter. Keep sealed, do not open yet.
Toast pecans in a dry pan for about 3 minutes until golden. Remove from pan and a roughly chop with a clever or just a couple of pulses in the food processor. Set aside.
Peel and chop apples into bite sized pieces. Squeeze the fresh lemon juice over the apple slice and toss to prevent oxidation.
Add butter or margarine to the pan along with the whole star anise (or 1 teaspoon of Chinese 5 spice powder), apples, cinnamon, brown sugar or sugar alternative and salt. Cook for about 5-6 minutes on a medium low heat until the apples are fork tender and the liquid from the apples is absorbed. Turn off the heat and add the toasted chopped pecans and stir. Set Aside.
Spray your muffin/cupcake tins with a cooking spray oil to prevent sticking. Open the package of spring roll pastry wrappers. Gently peel off 1 spring roll wrapper and cut in half.
Make sure that you cover your unused spring roll wrappers with a damp clean tea towel. Only take out the 1 at a time that you are working with as they dry out fast)
Gently pat the apple mixture flat into the spring roll wrapper lined muffin tin very gently so you do not break the spring roll wrappers.
Gently place one half of the single wrapper inside a muffin tin. Then, place the other half of the wrapper crosswise on top of the other half. Spoon in ⅙ of the apple mixture into the spring roll wrapper lined muffin tin. Gently pat the apple mixture with the end of the spoon.
Brush the egg wash or a thick cornstarch slurry ( 1 tablespoon of water to 1 tablespoon of cornstarch) on the spring roll pastry wrapper around the apple pecan filling to seal the mooncake at the bottom. Use your fingers to gently pull the spring roll wrapper across the bottom of the mooncake and seal. Repeat this process for a total of 6 apple pecan mooncakes.
Brush the mooncakes with the sealed section facing upwards with a little egg wash and/or brush with a little light oil like canola to help brown.
Bake the mooncakes for 15 minutes. Once the timer has gone off, remove the mooncakes from the oven and gently turn the mooncakes over so the smooth side up and place back into the muffin tins. Brush the tops of the mooncakes with either egg or if egg allergy with a little light oil and bake and top with a little granulated sugar. Bake for another 15 minutes or until golden brown and crust is crispy.
Enjoy these delicious Apple Pecan Spring Roll Mooncakes hot out of the oven.

Video

Notes

Thaw frozen spring roll wrappers sealed in their original packaging in the refrigerator for a few hours or at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Cook the spiced apple mixture on the stove top until sticky and caramel like. This is to remove any excess liquid from the apple mixture. A soggy mixture will make a soggy mooncake.
Cutting the spring roll pastry wrapper in half and placing the pieces crosswise creates a more uniform structure with a double layer on top. It is much easier than wrestling with one large sheet of pastry.
Keep the unused spring roll pastry wrappers under a damp towel to prevent them from drying out and cracking.
Don’t overstuff the mooncakes or press too hard as the spring roll pastry is tender.
Unfortunately, this time we got a little zealous and overstuffed our mooncakes. This resulting in us using a sheet pan to cook them upright. They would not fit back in the muffin tin for the last 15 minutes of baking. (smiling) So, if this happens to you, now you know what to do.
If you get a little crack here and there on the apple mooncakes, don’t sweat it. It's because the spring roll crust is super flaky and crispy. Don't worry these won't affect a thing.

Storage and Reheating

Enjoy immediately or can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in 375 degree F (190 degree C) oven for 10 - 12 minutes to crisp up before serving. Alternatively, you can air fry the apple pecan mooncakes at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 5 minutes or until crispy.

Make in Advance

You can prepare the mooncakes and freeze them uncooked in the muffin tin. Then, when you are ready to eat, you can bake directly but they will take an extra 10 to 15 minutes baking time from frozen compared to room temperature.

Nutrition