Super easy and made with 6 ingredients only, these Puff Pastry Apple Tartlets are the perfect treat to enjoy in Autumn and Winter. Combining Frozen Puff Pastry, fresh Apples and a homemade Applesauce Filling, these Mini Apple Tarts make a delicious afternoon tea sweet treat or breakfast!
Why we love this Recipe
There is something so comforting and delicious about these Apple Tartlets - I cannot stop making them! The classic combination of Apple, Cinnamon, Brown Sugar and a super flakey Pastry is always a winner.
Using frozen Puff Pastry and an Applesauce filling that can be made in advance (or bought) makes this recipe so easy and quick to prepare.
I love to use Winter Fruits to make tarts - they always work so well with spices and warm flavours like my Pear Frangipane Tartlets.
These Individual Puff Pastry Apple Tarts are a quicker and easier version of my French Apple Tart and a flakier version of my Apple Galette. All equally delicious if you ask me!
Ingredients
This recipe is made with 6 ingredients only and minimal prep time.
- Frozen Puff Pastry Sheets: I used pre-rolled 25x25cm / 10x10inch squares of puff pastry for this recipe. Use a good quality, all-butter Puff Pastry if you can for the best flavour. Most frozen puff pastries are made with shortening or oil - not butter.
- Melted Butter: I used a simple Unsalted Butter here, but it will be equally delicious with Salted Butter too (think salted caramel flavours!).
- Cinnamon: because what other than cinnamon to compliment baked apples!? You can also add any extra spices you'd like.
- Applesauce: I can only recommend using a homemade applesauce to get the best flavours without any additives or tons of added sugar. But using store-bought applesauce is a great shortcut if you are after a quicker recipe!
- Brown Sugar: the best kind of sugar to go with cinnamon and apples. The delicious caramelised taste of this type of sugar is great for fall baking.
- Apples: make sure to pick a variety of apples that cook well and will become soft when baked. I used Pink Lady Apples for their mild sweet taste, but you could also pick a more tart Apple like Granny Smith.
Ingredient Variation and Substitution
These apple tartlets are so simple... there are MANY ways to customise them and make this recipe your own too! Different fruit, different pastry, more spices, adding some nuts,... get creative!
- Different Fruit: I have made a similar version of these tarts with Pears and it was just as delicious! You can basically use any fruit you'd like, and change the filling to match it.
- Different Pastry: I think that Puff Pastry works best for this recipe, but you could also use a simple flakey Shortcrust Pastry if preferred.
- More Spices: along with the Cinnamon, you could also add Allspice, Nutmeg, Ginger, Star Anise, Cardamom,..
- More Toppings: chopped Nuts will add a delicious crunch to the recipe. Try it with Almonds, Walnuts or Pecans!
I finished the pastries with a simple sprinkle of Icing Sugar, but if you want to take them to the next level, you could also drizzle some classic Icing or even a Salted Caramel Sauce over them!
How to make Apple Tarts with Frozen Puff Pastry
There are two main steps to make these Puff Pastry Apple Tartlets:
- prepping the Pastry & the other ingredients
- assembling the tarts
For the first step, we will prepare the Puff Pastry, cut the Apples and prepare the Cinnamon Sugar Glaze.
- Take the Frozen Puff Pastry out of the freezer and leave it at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes, or until soft.
- Preheat your oven on 180'C/350'F and line a flat baking tray (you might need two) with baking paper.
- Cut each pre-rolled Puff Pastry sheets into 4 squares of 12x12 cm / 4,5x4,5 inch.
- Fold each edges on about 1 cm / 0.4 inch and gently press on them so they stick to the bottom pastry. Prick the centre of the pastry with a fork, then place on the baking sheet - photo 1
- Blind Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the Pastry starts to puff and get a light golden colour. Remove from the oven and set aside - photo 2
- In the meantime, peel, core and slice each Apple in half. Using a small pairing knife, thinly slice each apple half. Set aside - photo 3
- Mix the cooled down Melted Butter, Brown Sugar and Ground Cinnamon to make the Glaze - photo 4 and 5
Once all of your ingredients are ready, it is time to assemble the Apple Tarts.
- Spread some Applesauce over each Puff Pastry Square - photo 6
- Place your sliced Apples over the Applesauce, orienting them on a slight angle. Note that depending on the size of your apples, you might need to remove a few slices for them to fit inside the pastry square - photo 7
- Brush the Butter, Cinnamon and Brown Sugar Glaze over the sliced Apples using a Pastry Brush. Be generous with the glaze! Note that it is easier to brush when the butter as cooled down and is starting to harden again - it will stick to the apples better - photo 8
You can also brush only half of the glaze on the apples, them re-glaze them half way through the baking for a more caramelised finish.
- Optional: whisk a small Egg Yolk for the egg wash and brush it over the edges of the pastries. This will create very golden edges, but is completely optional! - photo 9
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the edges of the Pastry are golden and the apples are slightly soft.
- Optional: leave to cool down completely, then dust the edges with a little bit of Icing Sugar.
Tips to make this recipe
- If using non-rolled Puff Pastry, simply roll it on a 25x50cm / 10x20inch rectangle then cut it into 8 equal squares.
- Make these Apple Tartlets Dairy-Free and/or Vegan by using an Oil or Shortening based Puff Pastries and replacing the Melted Butter for Coconut Oil.
- Press well on the Folded Edges to make them stick to the bottom of the pastry or they might unfold during the blind baking.
- Adjust the quantity of Brown Sugar to your liking. I personally prefer a less sweet taste so this recipe is relatively low in sugar, but you can absolutely increase the amount of sugar if you like your pastries to be sweeter!
- Let the melted Butter cool down before mixing it with the Brown Sugar and Cinnamon. It is much easier to brush the glaze over the apples once the butter has started to slightly harden than when very liquid. The glaze will then stick to the apples rather than drizzle straight down.
- You can also use half the glaze over the raw apples only, then brush the rest halfway through the baking. This will create a more caramelised Apple finish.
- Wait for the pastries to have completely cooled down before dusting with Icing Sugar, or the sugar will melt straight away.
Recipe FAQs
Choosing the the right type of Apples is important here. You want a fruit that will bake well and become deliciously soft and juicy, yet still keep its shape.
You could use: Pink Lady (the ones I used here), Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Fuji, Jonagold or Braeburn.
You can read more about picking the right apples for baking here.
These puff pastry apple tartlets are best eaten straight away or within a day. They can be kept at room temperature - well covered or in an air-tight container - for 1 day. Or they will last 2 days in the fridge.
If kept in the fridge, be aware that the puff pastry will quickly loose its crunch and become soggy - so you might want to re-heat them up in the oven for a few minutes before serving them.
Puff Pastry is best eaten when just baked - that's when it is the flakiest and crunchiest! I would personally recommend not making these apple pastries more than 1 day in advance for the best texture and taste.
You might also want to re-heat them slightly in the oven (about 5 minutes at 180'C/350'F) just before serving.
If needed, you can prepare most of the ingredients in advance and assemble the tartlets just before serving if preferred as well.
No, I do not recommend freezing these apple tartlets unfortunately!
More Apple Desserts
- Apple Loaf Cake with Applesauce
- Apple Cinnamon Streusel Muffin
- Pear and Apple Crumble
- Easy French Apple Cake
- Upside Down Apple Cake
- Apple Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread
- Gluten-Free Apple Cake
- Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Bake
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Puff Pastry Apple Tartlets
Ingredients
Apple Tartlets
- 2 Frozen Puff Pastry Sheets - 25x25 cm / 10x10 inch
- 180 ml (3/4 cup) Applesauce
- 4 Small Apples
- 45 gr (3 tablesp.) Unsalted Butter - melted and cool
- 30 gr (3 tablesp.) Brown Sugar
- 1/3 teasp. Ground Cinnamon
Optional
- 1 Egg Yolk - for egg wash
- 1/2 tablesp. Icing Sugar - for dusting
Instructions
- Take the Puff Pastry Sheets out of the freezer and leave to thaw at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes, or until softer.
- Preheat your oven on 180°C/350°F. Line a baking tray (you might need two) with baking paper or a baking mat.
- Cut each Puff Pastry Sheets into 4 equal Squares (see note 1), and fold about 1 cm / 0.4 inch of their sides to create an edge. Gently press on each folded edge so that they stick to the bottom of the Pastry. With a fork, prick the bottom of the Pastries.
- Place the pastry squares on the lined baking tray and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until slightly puffed and lightly golden. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- While the pastries are blind-baking, prepare the rest of your ingredients. Mix the cooled, melted Butter (see note 2) with the Brown Sugar and Cinnamon.
- Peel, core and cut each Apple in half. With a small sharp knife, thinly slice each Apple half.
- Spread some Applesauce on the centre of each Pastries, then top it with a sliced Apple half (see note 3). Brush the Butter, Sugar and Cinnmon Glazeover each Apple (see note 4).
- Optional: whisk the Egg Yolk in a separate bowl and brush it over the edges of the pastries for a golden finish.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the edges are puffed and golden, and the apples are slightly soft.
- Optional: Leave to cool down completely before dusting with Icing Sugar.
Notes
- Each individual Pastries should be about 12x12 cm / 4,5x4,5 inches.
- The glaze will be easier to brush over the apples if the butter is cool and has started to slightly harden again. That will help the glaze stick to the apples rather than drip straight down.
- Depending on the size of your Apples, you might need to remove a few slices to make them fit inside the pastry squares.
- For more caramelised Apples, only brush half of the glaze on the raw apples, then remove the pastries from the oven half-way through the baking and brush them with the rest of the glaze before finishing the baking.
