Puff Pastry Apple Tart

You’ll adore this Puff Pastry Apple Tart filled with nutty frangipane cream and fresh apples on a flaky puff pastry crust. Topped with scoops of vanilla ice cream and drizzled with salted caramel, this semi-homemade recipe is dessert heaven.

I’ll do anything legal and several things illegal to get out of making pie dough. Some call it lazy, I call it kneading, chilling, rolling, latticing and crimping. Basically lazy but with a lengthy explanation. The paradox of my life is that I love pie but have zero patience for making crust so when I’m craving that flaky texture without the high maintenance of homemade, my go-to is puff pastry from the frozen section of the grocery store.

Yes, the whole premise of this baking blog is making desserts from scratch but sometimes a girl needs a break from the tedious work of dough prep. If Pepperidge Farm wants to save my ass with mass-produced pastry sheets, I’m all for it. Let Martha Stewart slave over puff pastry prep in the Hamptons, my dough doesn’t like Florida humidity any more than my frizzy hair does.

This is why I always have my poofy curls in a ponytail and a box of puff pastry box in my freezer. It’s about keeping it easy–and it doesn’t get easier than premade crust. The hardest part of using frozen pastry dough is remembering to thaw it first. My husband thinks I have hot flashes 24/7 because I’m always rooting in the freezer for puff pastry to defrost. That happens when you have menopause and forgetfulness bordering on Alzheimer’s, but fortunately both can be treated with a puff pastry apple tart.

The best part is that the recipe is a cinch to make. Roll a rolling pin, press a button on a food processor and slice a few apples. That’s literally it. You won’t even break a sweat unless, of course, you’re having hot flashes also. To cool down quickly, scoop some vanilla ice cream on top of the tart, drizzle all that deliciousness with salted caramel sauce and enjoy this semi-homemade hack using store-bought dough.

Before sharing the Puff Pastry Apple Tart Recipe, here are a few baking tips to help you out:

Tart Ingredient Tips

What is the best apple for pies and tarts? Granny Smith apples are a baking favorite and are the recommended apple for this tart recipe.

What is frangipane? Frangipane is a creamy almond custard that’s simple to make with ground almonds and pantry ingredients you already have on hand. This sweet, nutty cream makes a nice base for fruit tarts and compliments the taste of baked apples.

Tart Preparation Tips

This recipe was tested in a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, but a 9-inch ceramic tart pan or a 9-inch pie plate can be substituted.

How to Store Puff Pastry Apple Tart

To store, cover tart tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 3 days.

Can you Freeze an Apple Tart?

Yes, you can freeze this apple tart up to 3 months. After baking and cooling completely, wrap tart tightly with plastic wrap then with aluminum foil and freeze. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

I hope you enjoy this recipe for Puff Pastry Apple Tart. Please leave a rating and review below when you try it out. And, while you’re at it, sign up for my weekly Recipe Newsletter so you never miss a tempting recipe.

Finally, if you like baking with apples then you’ll love this recipe for Jumbo Muffin Tin Apple Pies. Fresh, crisp apples are coated with dulce de leche then baked in a jumbo muffin tin to yield petit pies that are perfect for fall.

Puff Pastry Apple Tart

Heather Wolf

You'll adore this Puff Pastry Apple Tart filled with nutty frangipane cream and fresh apples on a flaky puff pastry crust. Topped with scoops of vanilla ice cream and drizzled with salted caramel, this semi-homemade recipe is dessert heaven.

5 from 11 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course Pies and Tarts

Cuisine American

Servings 8

Equipment

• Food Processor
• 9 inch tart pan

Ingredients

  

Frangipane

• 1 1/2 cups almonds
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp sea salt fine
• 2 large eggs lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract pure
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour unbleached

Pastry Crust

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry thawed overnight in refrigerator
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp heavy cream
• 2 tbsps turbinado sugar

Apples

• 4 Granny Smith apples
• 2 tbsps lemon juice freshly squeezed

Topping

• vanilla ice cream
• salted caramel sauce

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Frangipane

• Pulse almonds in a food processor until finely ground.
• Add remaining frangipane ingredients to the food processor then pulse until evenly combined. Set aside.

Pastry Crust

• Using a rolling pin, roll puff pastry sheet into a 16 x 14 inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface.
• Gently transfer puff pastry to a 9-inch tart pan, pressing pastry into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Allow excess pastry to drape over the top of pan.
• Fill tart with frangipane, smooth cream with a spatula to level then place in the refrigerator to chill while apples are prepared.
• Lightly beat egg and heavy cream in a bowl to make an egg wash. Set aside.

Apples

• Wash, dry and peel Granny Smith apples.
• Cut the side cheeks off apples then discard the cores and stems.
• Brush lemon juice on apple surfaces to prevent browning.
• Using a sharp knife, cut each apple cheek into thin, equally-sized slices.

Assembly

• Remove tart pan from refrigerator then arrange sliced apples onto frangipane, one apple cheek at a time, until tart is filled with apples.
• Carefully fold excess puff pastry up and over the outer edges of tart.
• Brush pastry edges with egg wash then sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Bake

• Bake for approximately 30 – 35 minutes or until the edges of the crust are golden brown and apples are tender when pierced by a fork.
• Remove tart from oven and cool slightly on a wire rack.
• Serve warm with vanilla ice cream and salted caramel sauce.

Store

• Cover and store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

Keyword apple, puff pastry, tart