This French Apple Tart Recipe is the 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 easily unthaw overnight in the fridge) and slice and core some apples.
That. Is. It. Slice your apples very thinly so that they will soften while baking, and have fun creating this design, or make up one of your own! You don’t even need to peel the apples!
Just use whatever apples you have on hand too. For this recipe, I had Macintosh and Granny Smiths, so I used two of each and made two tarts. The puff pastry packages usually come with two sheets of pastry per package.
Want to save even more time? Make a batch of our amazing no cook freezer apple pie filling. You will love it!
There are some finishing touches you will need to add before popping it into the oven for a delicious treat. 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!
You will need: 3 medium apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, 1 package of frozen puff pastry, unsalted butter, chopped walnuts, caramel sauce and powdered sugar for the garnish.
This post was originally published November 23, 2015 and updated on December 20, 2018.
FRENCH APPLE TART RECIPE BACKSTORY
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, 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 labour of love.
But I was thinking that everyone needs a little pie baking hack they can count on – and this recipe is it for me. What could be easier than frozen puff pastry and sliced apples?
I’ve added some spices, 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.
FRENCH APPLE TART FAQS
What is an Apple Tart?
An apple tart is a small open pie that uses apples, 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. What you can do is mix in the cinnamon and ginger and then add the apple pie filling, making sure to spread it fairly thinly across the pastry and leave 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 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.
TIPS FOR MAKING A GREAT APPLE TART IN PUFF PASTRY
- Follow the directions carefully.
- Make sure the apples are thinly slice so that they cook evenly
- I brush the puff pastry with a little cream, sprinkle white sugar on it.
YOU MAY NEED…
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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.
If you liked this recipe….
French pastries like my French Apple Tart are a specialty of the Barefoot Contessa! We have some of her cookbooks here at home.
EASY FRENCH APPLE TART RECIPE
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 neighbours, or to take to a potluck. You can serve 12 if you double the recipe and use both sheets of puff pastry. Enjoy and be sure to let me know in the comments how you made out!
If you like this recipe, please give it a 5 star rating.
French Apple Tart in Puff Pastry
A deliciously easy dessert or breakfast treat, you can make this easy apple tart recipe in a matter of minutes with frozen puff pastry, sliced apples, sugar and cinnamon and ginger
Ingredients
- 1 puff pastry, sheet, thawed
- 4 apples, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ginger
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tsp lemon, freshly squeezed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F
- Slice the apples thinly and place in a medium bowl. Mix the sugar, lemon juice and spices together and pour over the apples making sure they are covered in the syrup.
- Place thawed puff pastry (already on parchment paper) onto a cookie sheet
- Using the pastry cutter, cut the sheet in half and arrange the apple slices, slightly overlapping as shown in the picture.
- Curl the edges of the puff pastry up slightly and brush with heavy cream. I like to dust sugar on the puff pastry.
- Bake for 20 minutes until crust is golden and apples are bubbling.
- Let cool and slice each section into thirds.
- Garnish with icing sugar glaze or caramel sauce!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 123Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 13mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 3gSugar: 13gProtein: 1g
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Judy Kahansky
Judy Kahansky is an experienced baker and writer. She loves to take classic and vintage recipes and update them to fit the busy lives of her readers. When not baking, Judy and her husband Mark are passionate golfers, travelers and dog lovers, spending as much time as they can with their sweet pup Millie.
Melissa
Saturday 20th of June 2020
There are no amounts for brown sugar or lemon juice
Judy Kahansky
Wednesday 24th of June 2020
Melissa! Thanks so much for pointing this out. Not sure what happened here, but I've fixed the recipe to include these two very important ingredients. Thanks so much!