Embracing the crisp, golden days of autumn, I find nothing quite as comforting as the sweet buttery aroma of warm apple crumble tarts wafting through the kitchen. Picture this: a golden-brown crust, oozing with spiced apple goodness, crowned with a generous sprinkle of buttery crumble.
Let me share a secret with you: I love foraging! And we, meaning Iggy (my youngest) and I, foraged the apples from a lonely apple tree we know on our dog walk.
I mean, you can buy the apples in the supermarket or at farmer’s market, but where’s the fun in that?
Nala (our dog), loves apples too, she is of course begging for some as we stoop in the ditch trying to collect all the good ones. Then I am rubbing their luscious skins on a sleeve and taking a juicy bite. Absolute bliss!
By the way, I am not advocating eating fruit without washing it, in fact as a food microbiologist I would say quite the opposite. So, make sure you wash your fruit before eating it, everyone!
Just so we are clear LOL 😂!
What you’ll love about this recipe
I make no secret of my love of fruity desserts, in fact, you will be hard pressed to find many chocolate desserts in my repertoire 😆, hence these apple crumble tarts are packed full of fruity goodness.
And this one is no exception: it’s a true play on textures. On one hand, the apple bites are oozing with caramelized flavors and on the other, the layers of crunch from the oats topping and the flaky tart base.
I think by now, you must be craving these puppies as much as I do: sorry… not sorry 🤣.
- Perfectly Portioned and Portable : the individual Apple Crumble Tarts sizes are incredibly convenient for serving, making them ideal for family dinners, charity baking, or just a treat for yourself! Say goodbye to the hassle of slicing apple pie; each person gets their very own dessert!
- Healthier dessert: I tend to gravitate towards fruity deserts, so here it is, a good reason to make this.
- Flavorful Fusion: my Apple Crumble Tarts strike a beautiful balance between the natural tartness of the fresh apples and the comforting warmth of aromatic spices and buttery encasing.
- Flaky Buttery Crust: The secret to these delectable tarts lies in the gorgeous crisp crust, crafted to achieve just the right amount of buttery goodness. My very talented little sister tested the crust recipe time and time again during the years of running her own patisserie. And now, I am sharing the secret with you and I couldn’t be more grateful!
- Irresistible Crumble Topping: Now, for the piece de la resistance! A generous crumble topping, made healthier with the addition of oats. It’s the perfect combination of crispy and crumbly, offering a satisfying crunch in every bite.
- Customizable and Versatile: I served these tarts warm with a few scoops of Madagascan vanilla ice cream, but you can simply enjoy them alongside a piping hot cup of coffee or tea. Add a handful of chopped nuts to the crumble topping or swirl a little cinnamon, nutmeg or all-spice in the apple filling and you have a new dessert altogether!
- Entertaining or solo treats: You can bake them all at the same time, shared them with friends or one by one when you fancy a cozy hug for your senses.
- Effortless Elegance (and no blind baking hooray!!!) : While these tarts may look like they require hours of labor in the kitchen, the truth is quite the opposite. You can totally make a grand entrance to elegant dinner parties, or impress your near and dear at cozy family gatherings .
- Aroma of Home: I love the aroma of baking! Your house will fill with cozy scents of baked apples and buttery warm pastry, a slice of autumn heaven 🫶.
Watch how to make the best apple crumble tarts
Ingredients you’ll need
- Flour – all purpose or plain flour.
- Almond flour (ground almonds) – you only need a small amount, but you can skip this and just replace it with plain flour if you have a nut allergy.
- Butter – you will need it for the pastry base and for the crumble.
- Sugar– I used icing (powder) sugar for the pastry, it’s easier to incorporate. I used demerara sugar for the crumble topping, but you can use caster sugar if you want.
- Egg yolks– separate the yolks for the pastry, you will need 3 eggs. Use the egg whites to make a meringue or an egg white omelette.
- Apples – you need 4 medium to large apples. Use a variety that keeps its shape, like Cox or Granny Smith. I made this recipe with Cox apples and some wild apples which I have foraged on our dog walks 😜.
- Cinnamon or other warm spices (optional)- if you like the warming spices aromas sprinkle a teaspoon of cinnamon, nutmeg or all-spice while you gently caramelize your apples with sugar and a knob of butter.
- Vanilla – a splash with the apples will do.
- Salt – add a pinch with each of the elements, it will enhance the flavors and bring everything together.
How to make apple crumble tarts
Time needed: 3 hours and 20 minutes
Apple crumble tarts – a twist on apple pie in dainty tart cases with charming oat crumble topping.
- Make the pastry
In a food processor, mix butter, icing sugar for a minute. Then add the egg yolks and flours until they are just combined. Use room temperature butter and do not over-mix the pastry.
- Flatten the pastry for chilling
Tip the pastry between baking sheets and roll with a rolling pin to a 5mm thickness disc.
Store it in the fridge for a couple of hours.
- Prepare the apples
Wash and peel the apples of your choice, remove their cores and slice them slightly thinly but not too thin.
- Make the apple filling
Gently saute the apples with sugar and a splash of vanilla on a medium heat for a few minutes until they are soft, but still keep a good shape. You can add spices like cinnamon at this step if you like. Set them aside to cool down.
- Make the oat crumble topping (crisp)
Mix the flour, cubed butter, oats and Demerara sugar with a butter knife then with the tips of your fingers until it looks like breadcrumbs. Important: you want the butter to be cold at this step! Add a pinch of salt here to bring the flavors together. I adapted a Raymond Blanc recipe for my topping, he is also baking the crisp on its own.
- Bake the crisp (crumble topping)
I like to bake the topping ahead on its own, because it keeps it crunchy. Spread the crumble mix onto a baking sheet and part-bake for 5 minutes. Watch it like a hawk because it can burn easily if you leave it too long.
- Cool the crumble topping
Let the crumble cool down for a few minutes then break it down a little so it’s ready to be sprinkled.
- Prepare the tart cases
Take the tart dough out of the fridge and divide it into six. If you have smaller tart tins, I would say this recipe would work for up to eight smaller tins.
Work quickly here to keep the dough cool. Make each piece of dough into a ball but don’t overwork it.
Flatten each ball into a disc and gently push it into the tart tins. Scrape excess dough with a knife and prick the tart bases with a fork.
- Assemble the apple crumble tarts
Fill the tarts with the apple filling and top with the crumble topping patting down gently so that it all keeps together.
- Bake the tarts
In a preheated oven, place the tarts on a cookie sheet or on their own in the centre of the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the tart cases are nice and golden. Let them cool down fully before taking them out of the tins. Enjoy with the drizzle of caramel sauce, custard or icecream!
Pro Tips
- Avoid adding water when you saute the apples, they should have enough moisture to gently soften. Otherwise, you may get a soggy tart bottom and that would be sad.
- Pre-bake the crumble (crisp) topping, it is a game-changer! Crunchy and golden topping every time!
- Follow the tart pastry chilling instructions and work quickly once it’s out of the fridge, it keeps those buttery layers firm for a crispier crust 😊!
- BEST TIP: each element can be made ahead and kept in the fridge for several days. Bring them all together whenever you want!
Preparation time
It takes around 10 minutes to make the pastry. Then around 15 minutes to prepare and saute the apples.
Then another 15 minutes to make and bake the crumble topping. I am being generous here, because I know myself (not always super organised 😉).
Chilling time
The pastry chilling takes 2 hours, plus another 20 minutes once the tart cases are in their tins.
The sauteed apples take 10 minutes to cool down. The topping cools down really quickly, you can start crumbling it after 5 minutes or so.
Total time
This means that in around 3 hours you can have a stunning dessert, but most of it would be waiting for things to cool down or chill.
Servings
This recipe yields 6 medium tarts. My tins are 4.5 inches (or 11 cm) in diameter.
What to serve with apple crumble tarts
- I paired them with a few scoops of gorgeous store bought Madagascan vanilla ice-cream.
- But I suggest a simple drizzle of maple syrup or caramel sauce or even vanilla custard will pair beautifully.
- If you fancy more fruity desserts that are equally elegant, check out my strawberry cake that is baked in a tart tin.
variations and substitutions
- They work well with a plum filling, just slice and saute juicy plums in the same way as the apples. They form a lovely sticky sweet and aromatic syrup that the crumble topping sticks to. Yummy!
- You can replace the almond flour with plain flour. I haven’t tried the other way around, but leave a comment below if you have and it works!
- I am planning to make a whole tart using the same ingredients, after all, my sister used the tart pastry to fill all shapes and sizes. Watch this space for the update!
There’s something undeniably comforting about the aroma of freshly baked apple treats. If you crave the coziness of an apple pie, but want to impress with an elegant dessert, this recipe is it!
- If you make my recipe, take a snapshot for your Instagram
- Post and tag me @candyflosie😉🤗!
- Don’t forget to rate my recipe! It will make my day!
apple crumble tartlets FAQ
Use a variety that keeps its shape, like Cox or Granny Smith.
Not with my recipe, just prick the base with a fork and let them chill for 20 minutes. Work quickly when you fill the tarts so that they keep cold.
Yes, if you are planning to store the apple crisp tartlets in the fridge, put them in an airtight container. They will keep well for up to 5 days.
I have tried both methods without placing the tart tins on a tray and with placing them on a preheated cookie sheet. There isn’t much difference at all, the results were pretty much the same for me. But, as with any baking endeavors, depends on your oven as well.
Apple crumble tarts
Equipment
- 1 food processor paddle attachment (or handheld mixer)
- 6 medium tart tins
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 sauce pan
- 1 cookie sheet optional
Ingredients
For the pastry dough
- 100 g butter (room temperature)
- 70 g icing sugar (confectioners sugar)
- 2 g salt
- 3 medium egg yolks (approximately 50 g yolk)
- 180 g plain flour
- 20 g almond flour (ground almonds)
For the crumble topping
- 100 g plain flour
- 50 g oats
- 3 g salt
- 60 g butter (fridge cold, cubed)
- 60 g Demerara sugar
For the apple filling
- 640 g apples (peeled, cored and sliced)
- 120 g sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1-2 tbsp water (optional, if apples are too dry)
Instructions
Make the tart pastry
- Make the pastry dough in the food processor by mixing room temperature butter with the icing sugar and salt for 1 minute.
- Scrape the bowl down and add the egg yolks.
- Mix lightly until combined.
- Add the plain flour and almond flour and mix lightly until combined.
- Take the pastry dough out onto a sheet of parchment paper, bring it into a ball without kneeding or handling it too much.
- Flatten the dough and add another parchment sheet on top.
- With a rolling pin flatten further into a disc of approximately 5 mm thickness.
- Place the dough in the fridge for 2 hours. If you are making ahead, you can leave it for a few days.
Make the apple filling
- Start by peeling the apples, remove the cores then slice them slightly thinly.
- In a medium sauce pan, saute the apple slices on a medium heat for 5 minutes with sugar and a little butter. Take care when stirring them, so you don't break them too much.
- Once they have softened and are slightly sticky take them off the heat. Set them aside to cool down.
Make the crisp (crumble topping)
- Preheat the oven at 190°C or 375 ℉.
- In a large bowl, make the crumble by mixing flour, oats, sugar and cold, cubed butter together with a butter knife to avoid the butter getting to soft.
- Finish the crumble by rubbing it with the tips of your fingers briefly until they resemble breadcrumbs.
- Tip the crumble on a parchment paper on a baking tray and bake at 175°C or 350 ℉ fan for 5-7 minutes.
- Take the crumble out of the oven and set aside for 5 minutes or so until is cooled down.
- Once it's cool to the touch, you can crumble it further as it will have set in a crunchy biscuit like sheet.
Form the tart bases
- Work quickly here and don't handle the dough too much. You only need a very fine sprinkle of flour on the rolling pin to help with the pastry sticking.
- Take the dough out of the fridge, divide in 6 balls and shape each ball in 5 inches flat circles to fit in your tart tins.
- Push gently with your fingers to fit the pastry in the tin's grooves. Scrape the excess dough with a small knife.
- Prick each base with a fork then put the tart tins in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Assemble and bake!
- Preheat the oven to 175°C or 350℉.
- If you are using a preheated cookie sheet place it in the oven now.
- Whilst the oven is heating up, fill the tarts with the apple filling, making sure the filling is leveled.
- Scatter the crumble and pat it down gently so it covers and sticks to the apple filling.
- Put the tins straight onto the oven shelf or on the preheated cookie sheet if using.
- Bake the apple crumble tartlets at 175 ° c for 25 to 30 minutes until they are golden and crispy and oozing with caramel apple goodness.
Serve hot or cold!
- Once out of the oven, let them cool down fully before taking them out of the tins. Push each tart from the bottom up then gently remove the bottom.
- Serve the tarts with ice cream, a drizzle of caramel sauce or maple syrup. Or a pool of custard! 😋
Video
Notes
