French Apple Tart In Puff Pastry | You Can Make Tonight!

This French Apple Tart recipe is just about perfect. 

Anytime I use puff pastry in a recipe, I’m delighted with the result, and you will be too.

All you need to do is get the puff pastry out of the freezer and let it thaw. You can even do this overnight in the fridge. And while you’re at it, slice and core some apples.

That. Is. It.

Now comes the fun part. Arrange those apple slices into a beautiful design or, better yet, create a pattern of your own! 

Usually, puff pastry packages come with two sheets of pastry per package. That’s more than enough for this delightful tart.

Want to save even more time? Make a batch of our amazing Freezer Apple Pie Filling. You will love it!

Of course, there are some finishing touches you’ll need to add before popping it in the oven. And I’ll share my ideas for garnishing the tart that will make it extra yummy. Hah! Is extra yummy a thing?

Anyway, this simple apple tart recipe is dee-licious. Simple food is the best, I think, don’t you?

Perfect for dessert, a sweet snack, and you will love it for breakfast!

Ingredients

You’ll find all the ingredients to make this French Apple Tart recipe in your local grocery store:

• Apples: Can’t have an apple tart without apples, right?
• Puff pastry: This is the base of our tart. Buy it frozen – quick and easy, and you’ll still get that amazing flaky crust. 
• Brown sugar: Sweetens the apples and helps draw out all their yummy juices.
• Butter: Adds a bit of richness, and balances out the sweetness. Use unsalted.
• Walnuts: They’re the secret ingredient! They add a nice little crunch to the tart. Chop them into little bits. 
• Caramel sauce: Drizzle on top for extra sweetness.
• Powdered sugar: A sprinkling at the end makes the tart look super pretty.

When it comes to equipment, I really love these baking pans by Kitchen Aid!  They can be used for so many things besides cookies, and I often use mine for making slab pies.

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How to make French Apple Tart

Follow these simple instructions to make this easy French Apple Tart. See the recipe card below if you need more help.

1. Heat oven to 425 F.
2. Using a sharp knife, thinly slice the apples and place them into a large bowl.
3. In a separate small bowl, mix together sugar, lemon juice, and spices.
4. Pour this mixture over the apple slices, making sure they’re well-coated.
5. Take your thawed puff pastry dough (already on parchment paper) and place it onto a cookie sheet.
6. Using a pastry cutter, slice the pastry sheet in half with a straight line.
7. Arrange the apple slices on the pastry rectangles so they overlap slightly.
8. Curl up the edges of the pastry dough to slightly cover the sides of the pan.
9. Brush the dough with heavy cream and sprinkle sugar on top for a nice golden brown finish.
10. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the apples are bubbly.
11. For the best results, allow the tart to cool before slicing each section into thirds.
12. Garnish with a dusting of icing sugar glaze or a drizzle of caramel sauce for that perfect finish. Enjoy!

Expert French Apple Tart tips

Follow these expert tips to make the best French Apple Tart:

• Stick to the plan: Follow the recipe directions carefully.
• Thin slices: Get those apples really thin so they cook evenly. 
• Cream and sugar it up: I always brush the puff pastry with a little cream and a sprinkle of sugar for that extra yummy factor.
• Have fun with your design: Don’t be afraid to get creative with your apple arrangement – make it your own! Bonus: You can skip the peeling.

How to serve

When it comes to serving French Apple Tart, you have lots of options! 

My personal favorite? Serving it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. The way the ice cream melts over the warm tart…it’s just heavenly. 

If you want to go a little fancier the next time, a bit of caramel sauce on top or some powdered sugar is great.

A nice, hot cup of coffee or tea on the side is always a good idea too!

How to store

Once your tart has completely cooled, pop it into an airtight container, and into the fridge it goes. This way, your tart will stay fresh for about 3-5 days.

For longer storage, you can freeze it, and it should stay good for up to a month. Wrap it carefully in layers of plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil. This combo helps keep the tart fresh and avoids freezer burn.

When you’re ready to eat it, just thaw it out in the fridge.

FAQs

Here are some of the questions people have asked me:

What is an apple tart?

An apple tart is a small open pie that uses apples, and sugar and is sometimes lightly spiced. The crust can be shortcrust pastry or puff pastry. We’ve used frozen puff pastry for this recipe.

Can I use apple pie filling instead of real apples?

Yes, you can, and I’ve done so. I’ve even got a great apple filling recipe for when you have a big batch of apples that need to be used. 

What you can then do is add the cinnamon and ginger to the apple pie filling. Then, spread the apple mixture fairly thinly across the pastry, leaving room around the edges.

How do I thaw the frozen puff pastry?

There are two ways to thaw frozen puff pastry. You can leave it out at room temperature so that it softens or leave it in the refrigerator – This is the preferred way for me, so that it stays chilled and is easier to work with. Thawed puff pastry gets very sticky when it warms up.

What kind of apples should I use?

What are the best apples to use? Just use whatever apple varieties you have on hand. For this recipe, I had Macintosh and Granny Smith apples, so I used two of each and made two tarts.

But you can also use Golden Delicious, or even Honeycrisp apples. 

Where did I get my inspiration for this recipe?

I originally developed this recipe as part of an online baking course I used to deliver a few years back. I wanted something simple for my students so that they would have a sense of accomplishment quickly!

The original recipe included apple pie filling, and that works really well.  But for the update of this recipe, I decided to use fresh apples, and a combination so that you would have both red and green apple peel showing.

This method of slicing and baking apples in a pie or galette right now is really popular, and I thought it would be perfect for this recipe. I think I was right!

So the holidays are upon us – with American Thanksgiving just over, and then there is Hanukkah, Christmas, and lots of time for celebrations and family get-togethers. I love getting together with my family and creating delicious treats, and of course, pies are always on the menu!

We always have the traditional favorites, pumpkin pie, lemon meringue pie, and chocolate cream pie. It’s a lot of baking but always a labor of love.

But I was thinking that everyone needs a little pie-baking hack they can count on – and this simple recipe is it for me. What could be easier than frozen puff pastry and sliced apples?

Add some spices and brown sugar, and voila! Spiced apple pie in puff pastry. This is so easy you can make it with your kids or grandkids!  Served warm with French vanilla ice cream, it’s the bomb.

You might also like…

I’ve got a lots of delicious apples desserts right here. Check out these particular favorites:

• No-bake Apple Lasagne
• Homemade Apple Pie Recipe
• Apple Cobbler
• Apple Galette

French pastries like this apple tart are a specialty of the Barefoot Contessa! We have some of her cookbooks here at home.

And if you need help setting up your pantry, this baker’s pantry guide is perfect for you!

Final thoughts

If you plan to serve this for breakfast or brunch, you can whip up this recipe while your family is still sleeping. They will be pulled out of their slumber by the sweet, spicy apple cinnamon and & ginger aromas wafting from the kitchen.

I like the powdered sugar icing, but folks love caramel sauce. We just put the bottle of caramel sauce on the table!

Likewise, it’s just as quick to make for a ‘coffee and dessert’ get-together with the neighbors, or to take to a potluck. You can serve 12 if you double the recipe and use both sheets of puff pastry.

THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the Pie Lady Bakes community! We’re all about sharing easy-to-make vintage recipes that remind us of the ones our moms and grandmas used to make.

If you haven’t already, you can sign up for my weekly email newsletter using this link. It’s absolutely free, and you’ll never miss out on any of my new recipes.

See you soon!

Judy

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