Easy Apple Tart with Puff Pastry

A simple, incredibly flaky apple tart recipe made with all butter puff pastry, hints of cinnamon and sweet apricot jam. Only 7 ingredients! Perfect for parties and weekend desserts!

I’m one of those people who likes to make homemade pie crust. The process isn’t necessarily difficult, but I do empathize with those who’d rather buy it from the store instead. I suspect it’s the rolling and handling of the dough that’s off-putting to some, especially in warm weather when everything seems to melt all over the place. So what happens when you crave homemade but don’t want to make it yourself? Try frozen puff pastry instead!

This easy apple tart tastes just like an open face apple pie, with a flaky, all butter puff pastry crust. It’s wonderful hot, cold, standing, sitting- I’ve tried it every which way! Try spreading a little more apricot jam over the top for a spectacular glossy glaze. And if you’re lucky, you might even score a piece with caramelized cinnamon-sugar crunchy bits around the edges…

Why This Recipe Works

• Only 7 ingredients! Four of which you most likely have on hand now: sugar, cinnamon, eggs & butter. Maybe apples, too.
• No rolling! I’ve designed this recipe so that 1 standard sheet of puff pasty is all you need. Just place it on a sheet pan and you’re ready to go. By the way, pre-rolled puff pastry comes wrapped in parchment paper; use it to line your sheet pan.
• Can be made in advance! Bake the tart in the morning and reheat in a low oven before serving.

What is Puff Pastry? And Where Can I Get it??

Puff pastry is a flaky, delicate dough made from flour, butter, water and a pinch of salt. Think: Danishes, palmiers, baked brie and this insanely delicious ham & cheese puff pastry appetizer I make every Christmas.

The process by which is made- rolling, folding and chilling the dough several times- requires time and patience to really achieve those crispy thin layers of goodness. We used to make puff pastry from scratch all the time in culinary school and the results were never “French bakery quality” no matter how hard we tried!

For sanity’s sake, it’s perfectly fine to use good-quality puff pastry from the grocery store. Trader Joe’s makes makes an excellent all-butter puff pasty as does Dufour which is more expensive. I’ve included more thoughts on puff pastry brands in Kitchen Notes below.

How To Make A Super Easy Flaky Apple Tart

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To begin, peel your apples and cut off the sides into 4 cheeks. I use Granny Smith apples which are perfectly tart and sweet. Then, thinly slice the apples keeping them stacked together as you work. It will be easier to decorate the tart this way when they’re somewhat intact.

Score a 1-inch border around the pastry to create a crust. Brush the crust section with egg wash for a light golden brown finish when baked. Spread the inside of the tart with apricot jam.

Add the sliced apples on top of the jam, fanning them out as you go. I lightly piled some of the apples towards the center (the boys kept wrecking my patterns), which is fine too. It doesn’t have to look perfect. Then sprinkle the apples with cinnamon-sugar and dot with butter.

Bake @ 425 F for 30 minutes until bubbling, golden and crisp.

Kitchen Notes  

• Dufour puff pastry is a great. The flavor is excellent. And it’s all butter. However, the dough comes in one big block as opposed to convenient pre-rolled square sheets. 
• Trader Joe’s sells the pre-rolled puff pastry sheets, which I love. They come individually wrapped and you get 2 sheets per box. 
• Pepperidge Farm also makes puff pastry and is probably the easiest to find. The sheets (2) come individually wrapped. However, their ingredient list is a little too long for my liking and includes partially hydrogenated vegetable shortening and oil. If you’re going to indulge in puff pastry, go for all butter.

*Whatever brand you choose, remember to defrost your dough overnight in the fridge, or for a few hours at room temperature before getting started. Puff pastry is usually sold frozen.

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