What apples are the best to use?

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.

Can I use pie dough instead of puff pastry?

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.

Can I freeze baked apple tartlets?

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.

Why didn't the edges of my pastry puff up?

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.

Mini Puff Pastry Apple Tart

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

Scale

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

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

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 1/2 x 2 1/2 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