Puffed Pastry Apple Tart

Last Updated 12/4/2024

The holiday season is perfect for a Puff Pastry Apple Tart! I am excited to share this recipe with you today! They are flaky, delicate, perfectly sweet and easy to make for the holidays. During this time of year, apples are fresh and abundant in stores with lots of varieties to choose from. For this recipe, I chose Honeycrisp apples. They are firm with a hint of tartness. You can also use Gala, Braeburn or Fuji. Granny Smith apples may be too tart for this recipe and Red Delicious would be too mushy.

You will need an apple corer, parchment paper, two sheet pans and a rolling pin for this dessert. If you use an apple peeler/slicer for the apples the slices are thicker and take a little longer to cook. The thinner the apple the quicker the tart bakes.

These apple tarts have few ingredients: pastry dough, apples, sugar, lemon juice, spices, and jam or honey.

Puff pastry can be time consuming to make from scratch. It has many layers of butter and dough. Who has time for that? Store bought puff pastry saves time and is perfect for this recipe! I used Pepperidge Farms Puff Pastry Sheets. The best thing about the frozen store bought ones is that they are always ready! Puff pastry can be used in other dishes as well that can be either sweet or savory.

It’s best to wait until the dough is thawed before rolling out, otherwise it can break. Thaw pastry dough in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours or on the counter for about an hour. Be careful not to leave it on the counter too long because it won't puff well if it becomes too warm. I learned the hard way on this one!

The butter in the layers of dough creates steam when it is baking, which is what creates those puffed up pockets of air, and thus the flaky layers. You have to work quickly so it’s a good idea to have all the ingredients measured and ready to go. If the dough gets too warm, put it back in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes before baking the tart.

Puffed Pastry Apple Tart Recipe

1 package puff pastry sheets, thawed

3 to 4 Honeycrisp apples, thinly sliced do not peel

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

¼ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon apple pie spice or just cinnamon will work too

¼ teaspoon Kosher salt

Apricot Jam

Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.

Combine the sugars, spice and salt with the lemon juice.

Slice apples as thin as you can and toss them into the sweet sugar spice mixture - set aside.

Cut the thawed pastry sheet into 3 rectangles or any shape you want. Just make sure they are wide enough to hold the apples and have room on each side for the pastry to puff.

Using a rolling pin, roll out the pastry dough to smooth the borders and to make them wide enough to fit the apples. Do not roll too thin.

Place the puff pastry sheets on the sheet pans with a little space between them. Cut shallow slits around the borders (without piercing all the way through) - this will allow the borders to puff up nicely to create a "nest" for the apples.

Arrange the sliced apples on top of the pastry sheets inside the border, overlapping them on top of each other. * Note the apples will release juices. Pat them dry a bit as needed to minimize moisture on the dough.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until puffed up and golden brown. Let cool for 5minutes.

Spoon or brush apricot jam on the top and dust with confectioners sugar if desired. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for an extra bit of goodness!

You can store them for 2-3 days but they may lose their flakiness over time. It is best to enjoy them when made fresh and besides, if you have a sweet tooth like me, then you won't be able to wait once you smell that wonderful aroma of fresh baked apples, cinnamon, and buttery dough

By: Maria Smith, Photos by Tammy Lovvorn

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