Your house is going to smell amazing when you bake this Simple Puff Pastry Apple Tart! This dessert is every bit as delicious as apple pie, but not having to make a pie crust is a game changer! It’s exactly what fall should taste like!
NOTE: The pictures and narrative in this post were updated in 2018. The recipe is still a favorite and hasn’t changed!
Kids love this dessert!
Carson, my oldest, is always begging me to make him an apple pie. Except he chooses to use the most interesting words when he talks. He doesn’t ask me to bake him an apple pie, or even to make him a pie. Instead, he asks if I will “build” an apple pie for him. I’m not sure where he comes up with these words, but that’s the way he talks.
When your son asks you to “build” him and apple pie there’s a part of you that wants to run in the kitchen and whip that pie up. You know, because you love your kids and you’d do anything for them?
Then there’s that little part of you that wants to tell him to learn to “build” his own apple pie. You know because you want them to be successful adults and be able to do things for themselves. I’m happy to teach him, I just want him to help!
But there’s the reality part of my mind that tells me I don’t have time to make, bake, or build an apple pie regardless of who is helping me. That’s when we say hello to Simple Puff Pastry Apple Tart!
This dessert satisfies his apple pie cravings without needing to know-how, or having enough time, to make a pie crust! He’s a happy boy, and I’m a happy mamma!
Tips on how to use puff pastry
- It’s found in the freezer section, usually near the frozen pies and pie crusts
- Buy it ahead of time and store it in the freezer
- Wrap them in plastic wrap or put them in a sealable bag and lay flat to thaw. It usually takes about 20 minutes letting them sit at room temperature
- Unfold puff pastry. If it has tears gently press them back together. You may need to moisten your fingers with a little water to help it stick together.
- Roll it out on a lightly floured surface.
- Puff pastry can be cut into shapes, slices, squares, circles, or left whole
How to quickly assemble Simple Puff Pastry Apple Tart:
- Make sure puff pastry is thawed
- Roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it’s about an 8″ x 14″ rectangle
- Transfer it to a parchment-lined baking sheet (parchment makes dishes easy and keeps food from sticking to the pan)
- Create a 1/2″ border around the edges of the sheet. Be careful to only cut partway through the sheet. This helps the apple filling to stay in the middle and the outside edge to puff up creating a nice little edge that helps keep the filling inside.
- Brush just inside the border with beaten egg.
- Peel, core, and thinly slice apples. Toss with lemon juice, sugar, spices, and seasonings.
- Arrange apples over the puff pastry.
- Bake
- Drizzle with icing
What are the best apples for baking and eating fresh?
There have been a few questions about how to get the apples without being too crunchy or too soft. Some varieties of apples are better for baking and some are better for eating fresh. It seems like there are more and more multipurpose varieties available than there used to be. I love that because I don’t want to have to buy and store a couple of different kinds of apples, remember which is which, and try to teach my kids which is which. I already feel overwhelmed!
Here are a few of my favorite apples that are great for cooking as well as for eating fresh.
- Honeycrisp
- Fuji
- Gala
- Braeburn
- Golden Delicious
- Pink Lady
Perfect fall desserts!
- Caramel Apple Blondies
- Caramel Apple Cheesecake Sliders
- Apple Crisp Cheesecake Bars
- Apple Cider syrup
- Caramel Apple Floats
- Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- No-Bake Pumpkin Spice Cookies
The other day I went downstairs to see exactly what Carson was doing down there. As soon as I got to the bottom of the stairs I heard him blasting his George Jones CD, yes he listens to super old country music and yes he still has a CD player and loves it! He truly was born a hundred years too late!
“What in the world are you doing down here”, I asked him when I walked through his bedroom door. He informed me, “I’m cleaning up my property!” As I said, I’m not sure where he comes up with these words and I’m not going to complain because I saw his bedroom floor for the first time in a while!
Anyway, enjoy your teenagers and enjoy this super scrumptious Simple Puff Pastry Apple Tart!
Here’s the printable recipe!
Simple Puff Pastry Apple Tart
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry
- 1 egg beaten
- 3 medium-sized baking apples I used Fuji
- 1/4 c. brown sugar
- dash salt
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 T. butter
- 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
- Vanilla Frosting
Instructions
- Thaw one sheet of puff pastry until room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Roll out into a 8" x 14" rectangle. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Score edges of puff pastry creating a 1/2 inch border all around the pastry. You don't want to cut all the way through. Just make a score.
- Brush pastry, inside of border, with beaten egg.
- Peel and slice apples. Toss with lemon juice.
- Melt butter in a mixing bowl. Mix with cinnamon, a dash of salt, and brown sugar. Add to apples and toss together.
- Arrange apples as desired over puff pastry making sure to keep them inside scored border. Pour any remaining brown sugar mixture over apples.
- Bake at 30-35 minutes or until apples are tender and pastry is golden brown.
- Warm vanilla frosting in microwave until it reaches drizzling consistency. Drizzle over tart.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition
This was a major hit in my home! I made it with apples, pears, and a dollop of vanilla ice cream…SO DELICIOUS! Thank you for sharing.
Pears would be so yummy with this, and yes of course vanilla ice cream. Always vanilla ice cream!
Pears would be so yummy added to this. And of course vanilla ice cream, always!
Hi Amy, this looks great! Do you think it would be possible to leave off the egg? One of my boys has an allergy. I want to experiment but I don’t want to waste ingredients if it’s vital. Thanks!
Hi Seanna! I think you could easiely leave the egg off. It helps to make the pastry turn that gorgeous golden brown color! Good luck!
You can put a thin layer of applesauce in place of the egg there, and use milk to brush the crust rim to brown it up
Great tips! I brush milk over the top of my pie crust to brown it but never thought of using it on my puff pastry. I’m going to try it next time!
Do you fold the scores edge in after scoring it? I don’t see that step in the directions but how else does it form an edged crust?
I’m not exactly sure how the magic happens but it happens! Just score the edges before baking and they create a crust while it bakes! It’s so easy!
Okay, so according to the way I read the directions, the egg goes under the apples??? I thought it would go on the border. Please clarify.
Yup! The egg gets brushed right over the puff pastry before adding the apple mixture! It turns out perfect!
thanks for clarifying!
This is becoming a standard in our house for just the two of us or company. So easy, I have never used puff pastry before and will now never be without it in the freezer. I reduce the sugar and drizzle my apples with homemade boiled cider before baking for an extra rich apple taste.
Aren’t quick and easy recipes the best? I’m going to reduce the sugar next time I make it!
Hey! I’m from the UK and stumbled across your very delicious sounding recipe. Could you tell me what a ‘T’ of butter is the equivalent to in ozs? Many thanks
Hi Michelle! A “T” of butter is a Tablespoon, which is .5 ounces! Hope that helps!
I had some puff pastry left over and made this, was easy and delicious. Will bd making it again!
I am making your tart for our New Year’s Eve party. It’s looks great except I’ve already doubled the time and the apples are still raw. I’m using a professional oven that is excellent so it must be my apple type I chose. I am go8ng to give it a third 20 minutes (an hour) and hope it bakes. It looks good, just raw apples seem not quite right. Thanks for easy recipe. I usually make excellent apple pie as I’m a pie crust expert but too much work for 20.
It would depend on the type of apples you use. You could always steam, or sautee them for a few minutes before setting them on the apple tart just to let them cook a little first! Hope your party was fantastic!
I made this recipe but it was still raw in the middle as was my apples but more so the dough was raw in the middle please help !!!!
Hmmm! I’m not exactly sure why it’s not baking all the way through. Some varieties of apples take a little longer to soften than others which could affect baking time. I’m wondering if your apples were extra juicy causing the crust to be too moist? You could always steam your apples a little bit before adding them to the crust so they are more tender. Hope that helps!
Was in a hurry and this is what I found first on Pinterest. This recipe is incomplete, instructions are missing and having never used puff pastry before, I realized too late that the egg should have been brushed over the whole pastry before putting the apples on top. I am hoping this turns out, but I somehow think he crust will be soggy!
Please reread your instructions and ingredients before posting.
Not happy with this, maybe you should fix the post and clarify your instructions!!
Hi Donna! Sorry for your frustration! I’m not sure what is missing from the ingredient list. Can you please let me know which ingredients you aren’t seeing on your end so I can get them added. Also, from what I can see step five explains that you need to brush the egg over the puff pastry. Let me know if that step, or which other steps, aren’t showing up on your end and I’ll make sure to get them added. These dessert is so simple and yummy so I don’t want you to miss out because of error on my part!
Hi there
I loved the simplicity of this puff pastry apple pie. I am going to make it for my 4 year old grandson tomorrow. Thanks for sharing your recipes
Cheers
Lesle
Hi Lesely! I think your grandson is going to give you an extra hug after he tastes this apple tart! Enjoy your time with him!
Amy this tart looks amazing and wonderful that it’s SO simple to make!! Such a great idea for quick and simple, yet homemade dessert!
Thanks Jessica! The simple recipes are the ones we come back to over and over again! So yummy!
Do you think this will work with homemade jam? If so, do I add the jam before or after the puff pastry bakes?
Thanks
Hi Elizabeth! I’ve never tried making this with jam, but it sounds delicious! I’m not sure if you add the jam before baking if it will get runny and spread all over the place. Maybe you could make them in individual sizes. I’d probably cut the puff pastry into squares, then add the jam to half of each square, then fold the other half over and seal it with a fork. Then bake it like that. Let me know if you try it! Homemade jam is the best!
Excellent flavor, but puff pastry got soggy in the middle. Will try precooking the apples.
These are delicious! Sorry they were soggy. I’ve never had that happen to me. I wonder if it’s the variety of apples you used?
Hi there. Just wondering what to do with the salt? I see It on the ingredient list but unless I’m missing someting, the recipe doesn’t include instructions on when to add It. Thanks!
Hi Beth! Good catch! I love adding a little bit of savory to offset all the sweet! Adding just a dash of salt to the brown sugar mixture gives it that flavor I’m looking for! I just updated the recipe. Thanks for letting me know! Enjoy!
Looks great. Can you freeze it?
Hi Helen! I wouldn’t recommend freezing it, although I’ve never tried it. The crust might get soggy during the freezing and thawing process. Thank goodness it’s pretty easy to make so it’s not too hard to make fresh! Enjoy!
I accidentally bought Fillo dough instead of puff pastry…think I can still make it?
I’ve never tried making this recipe with Fillo dough so I can’t say for sure how it would turn out. I don’t think it would puff up around the edges creating that border though. Let me know how it turns out if you decide to try it!
Making this tomorrow but cannot see the frosting part of the recipe?
I used one of my favorite shortcuts, a can of vanilla frosting! It’s so quick and easy!
Can you PLEASE remove the ad from the middle of your ‘printable recipe’?
With that ad there, pressing the ‘print’ button just keeps throwing me out!
The only way to print is via the main page with all the ads all over the place!
Thanks for letting me know! I’ll check into it!
This looks amazing and I don’t think I can wait until fall to bake it. Thank you for the recipe and the tips you shared.
Thanks Sandra! It really is so easy and so delicious! I’m trying to wait until fall to start baking with apples too, but it’s tempting to squeeze this recipe in right now! No judgement from me! Enjoy!
Can I make this one day ahead of time
Yes! You can make it a day in advance, although the crust could get a little bit soggy depending on the variety of apples you use. I’ve never had a problem with it though. Enjoy!
Can I assemble this and bake it later?
If I were making this ahead of time I’d assemble it and bake it ahead of time, then microwave it for a few seconds before serving to make it seem like it just came out of the oven. If you assemble it and don’t bake it the apples will turn brown. Also, as it sits the crust could get a little soggy, although this doesn’t typically happen to me.
I made this puff pastry tart for the first time and will definitely make it again. It’s easy to make and very easy to eat. I put a low layer of whipped topping on my slice and ate it like pizza. It’s got all the apple pie flavors but it’s a relatively “light “dessert.
I used equal parts Honey Crisp and ripened Granny Smiths.
I didn’t have vanilla frosting but did have some caramel ice cream topping which I drizzled sparingly but that up to you.
Other than that I followed the recipe.
The other advantage to this tart is that it only takes 30 min to bake.
I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe! Using caramel ice cream topping is a fantastic idea! I’m glad you loved it!
Delicious. It made me think of the holidays. Such warm flavors. And not overally sweet. I used liquid lemon and slightly more than 1/4 cup so I needed a tbsp of flour to slightly thicken. It was wonderful and so simple.
The holidays are the best and it’s fun to be able to feel that special feeling throughout the year! Fresh lemon juice would be even better! Glad you enjoyed them!
Great recipe. First time using pastry. I made individual 6 tarts as had pre rolled bought pastry with two apples not 3. Burnt bottoms as I cooked for 30m when I should’ve prob done 15-20 as they were individual. After scraping bottoms it was still tasty. So lesson learnt: individual tarts = less time in oven.
Individual tarts would be so fun! I love that idea! Yes, if they are smaller they will require a shorter cook time. Great tip!
Hi Amy,
I’m looking forward to making this, but can you explain why we need TEN images of a simple dessert? Once the ads are inserted, the scrolling takes an e-ter-ni-ty…
Hi Angela! I can’t wait for you to make this dessert because it’s one of my favorites! There are a couple of reasons bloggers add photos of their recipes to the page. First of all, there are quite a few visual readers that enjoy seeing what the recipe is supposed to look like including step by step shots and the finished recipe. Advertising is one of the ways bloggers are compensated for their time. As you can imagine it takes quite a while to create, make, photograph, and write the information for a recipe. It’s one of my favorite hobbies but takes so much time that I need to be compensated for what I’m providing to my readers for free. Advertising is one reason I can keep doing what I love! Also, there is a “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of each post, if you’re not interested in the story behind the recipe, tips on how to successfully make it, or seeing the images you can always bypass all that and skip straight to the printable recipe. Thanks for understanding!
There isn’t a recipe for the vanilla frosting
To make this recipe really easy I use a can of vanilla frosting. I’ll clarify that in the recipe card. You could always make your own frosting if you have time! I’ll also add instructions for that in the recipe card! Thanks for pointing that out!
I have made the apple tart twice now and found that the center of the tart does not puff up while cooking . Am I missing something?
The center of the tart really usually puff up too much. Sometimes it gets and air bubble and puffs up, but settles after cooking. The edges get nice and puffy which I love!
Easy to make, great choice of apples to use. Don’t forget the egg wash on pastry. I did and it didn’t seem to make a difference, tho. Takes very little time to make and is an instant hit! Can be served warm or room temp. Poured a bit of heavy cream over it, not much, and served it room temp. Delicious!
The egg wash gives the pastry a makes gives the crust a nice golden brown finish, which I like! Heavy cream, ice cream, or whipped cream are all great choices for adding to the top! Yummy!
Ferocious recipe! I left out the egg but covered the pastry with cream cheese mixed with a little icing sugar before placing the apples on top. I’ve always like cheese with apple pie. Also for the finishing drizzle of icing I used icing sugar mixed with a little fresh lemon juice. It gives it a sweet but tart flavour.
Should have said – Delicious recipe! Typo!
Yum! Those sound like amazing variations! I’m a cream cheese lover too. I’m definitely going to give that a try! Thanks for your suggestions!
I tried the recipe but it was a failure. The puff pastry did not rise on the edges. what went wrong?I thought puff pastry needed a higher temperature than 375 fahrenheit
Darn it! I’ve cooked puff pastry at 375 degrees lots of times without any trouble. If you bake this recipe hotter than that the apples won’t have time to cook without overcooking the puff pastry. Sometimes puff pastry won’t puff correctly if it’s too old, or if it’s been thawed and frozen too many times. It’s hard to say exactly why it didn’t work without being there or seeing it. Sorry.
Can I use pears. What kind?
I’ve never tried using pears in this recipe, although I imagine they would work just fine. Bosc and Anjou varieties are both great pears for cooking. Let me know how it turns out!