Whenever apples are in season, my daughter gets especially excited about this Easy Apple Tart recipe that we often bake together. Flaky, buttery pastry puffs topped with apples and cinnamon, it is such a treat! If you have children at home, you’ll have fun making this delicious dessert together.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Absolutely foolproof. Anyone can make this apple tart—including kids and non-bakers—because you really can’t go wrong with this recipe.
- Easiest fall dessert to make with all the apples you pick from the orchard.
- Light and flaky texture. This is the one to make when you prefer a lighter and non-heavy dessert.
- Elegant and pretty. The open-face presentation showcases the thinly sliced apples, which makes it an elegant dessert to serve on holiday get-togethers or special occasions.
The Ingredients You’ll Need
- Frozen puff pastry
- Cold unsalted butter
- Apples – see below for the best apples to use
- Confectioners’ sugar/powdered sugar
- Apricot jam or apricot jelly (or apple sauce or fig jam) – optional but it adds a nice jammy sweetness to the tart
- Egg wash
- Cinnamon sugar – a combination of sugar and cinnamon powder
Best Apples to Use
For this recipe, I used Fuji apples, which are our family’s favorite kind of apple. However, according to The Food Lab’s test result, it’s not the best kind of apple for an apple pie. Granny Smith apples are one of the top choices for baking. What are your favorite(s) for making apple pies and tarts?
Here are some of the popular apples to use in pies and tarts (in alphabetical order).
- Braeburn
- Golden Delicious
- Gala
- Golden Delicious
- Granny Smith
- Honeycrisp
- Jonagold
- Jonathan
- Melrose
- Mutsu
- Pink Lady
- Rome Beauty
- Winesap
Use Puff Pastry for Easy Apple Tart
We’ll begin with the versatile puff pastry, which is a blessing for time-saving purposes when making a tart.
I always have one or two rolls of frozen puff pastry in the freezer because I can just whip up some fruit tarts, pastries, or pies whenever we have unexpected guests. With this tart recipe, you can also make it with seasonal fruits besides apples.
What else do I love about these pastry sheets? The buttery, flaky puff pastry crust! You really don’t need to be an expert baker to use these sheets, but the final results will surely impress your friends and family.
You can find frozen puff pastry in the freezer section of your local supermarket.
Best Ways to Enjoy This Apple Tart
This apple tart is light and delicious when eaten on its own, but is also amazing a la mode with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. You could do it with fresh whipped cream or crème fraîche too.
Here is another tip, you can make this tart ahead of time and set it aside. Simply reheat in a low oven temp before serving!
How to Store the Leftovers
Wrap the tart in aluminum foil (I keep them individually packed for a later snack) and put in a freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to a month. Reheat the frozen tart (do not defrost) in the oven or oven toaster before you enjoy.
More Tart and Pie Recipes You’ll Enjoy
- Pear and Almond Tart
- Perfect Sweet Tart Crust
- Cranberry Brie Bites (with Puff Pastry)
- Japanese Sweet Potato Pie
- Kabocha Squash Pie
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Easy Apple Tart
Ingredients
For the Tart
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (each box comes with 2 sheets)
- 1½ Tbsp unsalted butter (cold)
- 2 apples (I used Fuji apple, but you can use your favorite baking apple)
- 1 Tbsp confectioners’ sugar
For the Apricot Glaze (optional)
- 2 Tbsp apricot jam (or substitute apple sauce or fig jam)
- 2 tsp water
For the Egg Wash
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tsp water
For the Sugar Sprinkle
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- ¼ tsp cinnamon powder (optional)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). For a convection oven, reduce the cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Cut 1½ Tbsp unsalted butter (cold) into small cubes.
- Place 1 sheet frozen puff pastry on a sheet of parchment paper. Allow to thaw at room temperature for about 15–20 minutes. When the dough is thawed enough, carefully unfold it. Then, roll out the puff pastry sheet with a rolling pin. This helps make the dough more even and connects the creases (if there are any) at the folds. Work quickly while it’s still cold. If the sheet reaches room temperature, return to the refrigerator to chill (but do not refreeze).
- With a sharp knife, score a ¾-inch (2-cm) border around the edges of the puff pastry sheet to create a crust (do not cut all the way through the dough). Poke the rest of the dough (the inner rectangle) all over with a fork. Transfer the puff pastry sheet with the parchment paper to a rimmed baking sheet.
- To a small bowl, add 2 Tbsp apricot jam and 2 tsp water. Stir well to combine so it’s easy to spread.
- In another small bowl, combine 1 large egg yolk and 1 tsp water. Whisk well together.
- In a third small bowl, combine 2 Tbsp sugar and ¼ tsp cinnamon powder.
- Peel, core, and cut 2 apples into slices ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick. Try to keep the slices stacked together so you can easily spread and fan them out on the puff pastry.
To Assemble the Tart
- Evenly spread the apricot glaze on top of the pastry sheet, avoiding the crust edges.
- Arrange the apple slices on the jam, overlapping them slightly and fanning them out as you go. You may end up not using all the apple slices.
- Sprinkle with the sugar mixture. Brush around the crust with the egg wash. Then, dot the butter cubes over the apples.
To Bake
- Bake at 400ºF (200ºC) for about 22 to 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
To Serve
- Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing into squares. If you‘d like, sprinkle 1 Tbsp confectioners’ sugar on top. It‘s also delicious served with vanilla ice cream.
To Store
- Wrap the tart in aluminum foil (I keep them individually wrapped for an easy snack) and put in a freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to a month. Reheat the frozen tart (do not defrost) in the oven or oven toaster at 350℉ (180℃) until warm.
Nutrition
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