This mini puff pastry apple tart (a fun twist on the classic apple pie) is sure to WOW your friends and family! Individual-sized for easy eating and bursting with cuteness! Vegetarian.
This easy apple tart on puff pastry is made using a frozen puff pastry sheet that is cut, shaped, and topped with diced, sugar-spice coated apples. The charm is in the way the pastry is cut and shaped, creating irresistibly cute, bite-sized desserts!
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INGREDIENTS
These tartlets are easy to make with just a few ingredients some of which we've highlighted here.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
- Apples. Use your favorite baking apple - a firm apple that holds up when baked; there are so many to choose from - Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Jonathan, Braeburn, or Pippin. Gala and Fuji apples are a little to soft for our taste. BUT, any apple will work, some will bake up softer than others but the taste will still be delicious.
- Sugar. We don't use a lot of sugar in this recipe but, depending on the sweetness of your apples, you can definitely add more or less to suit your taste.
- Spices. We're sticking with the classics for apple pie here, cinnamon and fresh ground nutmeg. Adding some ginger or allspice is also delicious.
- Puff pastry. We simplify this recipe by using a frozen sheet of store-bought puff pastry. We like Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets, they are consistent, good, and readily available in the freezer section at most grocery stores. Make your own puff pastry for a 'bushel full' of extra points! Let us know if you make your own!
WHAT IS PUFF PASTRY DOUGH
Puff pastry is a laminated dough made by rolling many alternating layers of dough and butter together and repeating this process again and again to create a multilayered dough. When the dough bakes at a significantly high temperature, the moisture in the butter converts to steam causing the layers of dough to puff up. The result is a flaky pastry that is delicious in both sweet and savory dishes.
Try some of our favorite puff pastry recipes.
SWEET: Puff Pastry Peach Tartlets
SAVORY: Tomato and Corn Pastry
HOW TO MAKE EASY APPLE TARTS WITH PUFF PASTRY
THAW PUFF PASTRY
Remove the puff pastry sheet from the freezer early enough to thaw; on the countertop 30-60 minutes or in the refrigerator 4-5 hours. It is best to use cold, thawed puff pastry sheets. We like to thaw it in the refrigerator overnight to make sure it is thawed, yet still cold.
PREPARE THE APPLE FILLING
Peel and core your apples. Dice them into SMALL pieces (they need to fit in the small cups we are making) and add to a mixing bowl along with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour (image1). Mix until everything is well combined (image 2). Note: For an even coating, you may find it easier to mix the sugar, flour, and spices together first before adding them to the apples. This will help ensure everything is evenly distributed. Set aside until ready to fill puff pastry.
PREPARE PUFF PASTRY
Place the sheet of thawed puff pastry on a lightly floured surface (image 3 above). Gently roll the pastry out to form a square roughly 10 inches x 10 inches (image 4). Cut the large pastry square into 4 equal sized smaller squares (image 5). Cut each quarter into 4 equal pieces (image 6).
WHY DO I HAVE TO ROLL THE PUFF PASTRY?
Rolling the dough smooths out the folds and also thins the dough a little to provide a better balance of pastry to fruit. Thicker puff pastry (not rolled) has too much dough for the small amount of apple filling we put on the dough. You can skip rolling the puff pastry for a thicker dough or to save a few minutes.
FORM THE SQUARE CUPS
Starting in one corner, cut a slit ¼ inch from the edges about ⅔ of the way down the square. Do the same thing on the other edge of the slit. Repeat this for the opposite corner (image 7). (Now you have a square where the two opposite corners are slit on both sides; ¼ inch from the edges and about ⅔ of the way to the other corner.)
Brush an egg wash on the two edges of the cut piece (image 8). Take one of the slit edges and pull it up and over the bottom. Line up the edges with the inside edge of the opposite slit side (image 9). Take the other slit side and pull it up and over the bottom and line up the slit strip with the inside edge of the opposite slit side (image 10). (This will make a square ‘dish’ with two twisted ends.) Repeat this with each square.
FILL THE PUFF PASTRY CUPS
Place each puff pastry cup on a lined baking sheet (image 11). Fill the middle of the pastry with some apple mixture (image 12). Try to keep the filling off of the folded-over edges of the pastry cup. Continue dividing the apple mixture between the remaining puff pastry shells (image 13). Brush the edges of the pastry with your egg wash (image 14). OPTIONAL: sprinkle a bit of demerara sugar on the top of the apples.
Bake until golden brown.
SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS
This apple puff pastry tart recipe is easy to make your own. Add additional spices like ground ginger or allspice to the apples. Depending on the sweetness of your apples you may want to add more or less sugar. Use honey or maple syrup instead of white sugar.
Use diced nectarines, diced peaches, or fresh berries instead of apples. If using a different fruit, make sure you drain the fruit completely before filling the pastry.
We like making these puff pastry tarts in a mini tartlet size, making them easy to pick up and eat at parties without needing a plate and fork. However, you can make them into an individual sized pastry and serve them as a plated dessert. Keep in mind that baking time may vary based on the size; just be sure to bake until the pastry is a golden brown and fully cooked.
MAKE AHEAD TIPS
We think puff pastry bites are best when eaten within 24 hours of baking, but they will last up to 2 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat in a 400°F oven for 3-5 minutes until the pastry is crisp and warm.
TIME SAVER TIPS
Forming the 'puff pastry cups' takes 10-15 minutes. If you don't have that time, omit steps 7-10 above and place a scoop of apple mixture in the center of the square, leaving about ¼ inch of pastry around the filling. The pastry will puff up around the apple mixture similar to how it puffs around the peaches in the Puff Pastry Peach Tartlets recipe.
While these only take about 45 minutes to make there are a few tips to save some time if you are baking them right before serving.
- Cut all of the puff pastry into squares, slit the two corners, and form the cups. Place on a lined baking sheet. Cover tight and store in the fridge until ready to assemble. This can be done up to a day in advance.
You can stack layers of parchment paper with the cut squares on them, don't press down on the layers or you'll crush the nice cup design you just made. This saves space in the fridge and makes it easy to transfer parchment sheets with the cut squares to baking sheets when needed. - Dice the apples and place in a bowl with 1 Tablespoon lemon juice and water. Make sure the apples are completely covered with the water-lemon juice mix. Cover and store in the fridge overnight until ready to assemble. Drain completely and mix with the sugar-spice mixture before filling the tartlet shells.
- Have the egg wash made and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. This can be done a day in advance, just give a quick shake (or whisk) before using.
Filling the tartlets will take about 5 minutes, then bake and serve.
SAVING LEFTOVERS
The FDA recommends discarding any perishable food that has been out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
If you are within the FDA recommendations, these mini apple tartlets will last in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat in a 400°F oven for 3-5 minutes to crisp pastry and warm.
OTHER FAVORITE PUFF PASTRY BITES
SOME FAQ'S
Any apple will work but some will bake up softer than others. Using a firm apple that holds up when baking is our preferred choice. There are so many good choices to choose from; Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Jonathan, Braeburn, Pippin. Gala and Fuji are a little too soft for our taste. BUT, use your favorite or what you have on hand, the taste will still be delicious.
Puff pastry and pie dough are both made with flour, fat (like butter), water, and salt. A good pie dough, which mixes the flour and fat together will be flaky and crisp, but not have thin, puffy layers. The alternating layers of fat (butter) in puff pastry release steam when baking, creating thin, puffy layers. Puff Pastry is flaky yet sturdy, crispy yet light.
Since pie dough doesn't puff up like puff pastry, folding the pie dough into a 'dish shape' won't have the same effect. If you want to use pie dough, we recommend making more of a galette - cut the pie dough, fill the middle with the apples, and fold the edges of the dough over the filling. You may have to adjust the bake time if using pie dough.
We don't recommend freezing baked puff pastry. No matter what we try, the pastry is never as crispy or flaky as we want when they are thawed and reheated.
See the Make Ahead and Time Saving Tips in the post above for ideas on how to free up more time for your preparations and guests.
There could be a few reasons for this.
If you have filling on the edges of the pastry, the weight of the filling will prevent the pastry from puffing up.
The oven temperature needs to be hot (425°F) for the moisture in the butter to convert to steam causing the layers of dough to puff up.
Rolling the puff pastry too much can prevent it from rising properly. If you use dough that has been cut and rerolled, the delicate layers may combine, preventing sufficient steam release during baking which results in a less puffy crust.
If the dough is too warm the pastry may not rise as much. Make sure the dough is cold before placing it in the hot oven for the best results.
📖 Recipe
Mini Puff Pastry Apple Tarts
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 16 tartlets 1x
Description
A fun twist on the classic apple pie, these mini puff pastry apple tarts are sure to WOW your friends and family! Individual-sized for easy eating and bursting with cuteness! Vegetarian.
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- water
FOR THE FILLING
- 1 apple
- 25 grams (2 Tablespoons) sugar
- 4 grams (2 teaspoons) cinnamon
- Dash of nutmeg
- 7 grams (1 Tablespoon) flour
FOR THE PASTRY
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Whisk egg and 1 Tablespoon water in a small dish to make egg wash. Set aside until ready to use.
FILLING
- Peel and core the apple and dice it into small pieces. The pieces need to fit inside the small puff pastry cups we are making.
- Combine the peeled, small-diced apples, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour in a medium bowl.
- Stir until well mixed. Set aside while preparing the dough.
PASTRY
- Place the sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and roll out to a 10 x 10 inch square.
- Cut the sheet into quarters and then cut each quarter into 4 smaller squares. You should end up with 16 - 2 ½ x 2 ½ inch squares.
- Take one small square. Starting in one corner, cut a slit ¼ inch from the edges about ⅔ of the way down the square. Do the same thing on the other edge of the slit. Repeat this for the opposite corner. (You have a small square where the two opposite corners are now slit on both sides; ¼ inch from the edges and about ⅔ of the way to the other corner.)
- Place each square on a lined baking sheet and brush the slit corner with egg wash.
- Take one of the egg washed, slit edges and pull it up and over the bottom of the pastry. Line up the edges with the inside edge of the opposite slit side. Take the other slit side and pull it up and over the bottom and line up the slit strip with the inside edge of the opposite slit side. (This will make a square ‘dish’ with two twisted ends. See the post for photos of how to form these 'cups'.)
- Repeat this with the remaining squares.
- Transfer squares to a lined baking sheet.
- Divide the apple filling mixture evenly between the 16 squares. Keep the apples in the middle of the pastry between the raised, overlapping sides. Approximately 2 teaspoons per square. NOTE: Depending on the size of your apple, you may not use all of the apple filling.
- Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash.
- OPTIONAL - sprinkle top of apples with demerara sugar or cinnamon sugar.
- Bake at 425°F for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and serve.
Notes
Make ahead. Puff pastry is best eaten the day it is baked, but these can be made up to 2 days in advance. Cool completely and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat in a 300°F oven for 3-5 minutes or until warm.
Serve hot or cold. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.
Double the recipe. Use 2 sheets of puff pastry (1 box) for 32 bites. Use the buttons on the top of the recipe to calculate the additional ingredients needed.
Make individual sized pastries by cutting the sheet of puff pastry into 4-6 squares. You can make these any size you want, just make sure they are squares so when folding the cut pieces over the bottom pastry they line up correctly.
Feeling adventurous? Cut the pastry into a circle or oval. Cut the edges (¼ inch from the edge) on both sides leaving about ¼ inch from the ends. Fold each side over and line up with the inside edge just like with the square shapes. Fill and bake as directed.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tartlet
- Calories: 104
- Sugar: 2.9 g
- Sodium: 43.3 mg
- Fat: 6.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 10.7 g
- Protein: 1.6 g
- Cholesterol: 11.6 mg
Rhonda @ Appetizer Bliss says
I love how these turned out! Besides being delicious - like really good - they were so cute.