Easy Apple Blossom Tarts

If ever asked my favorite season, my answer is always a resounding FALL!  During these months, where the air is brisk, I often seek refuge indoors through kitchen related activities such as baking. Fair warning: the next few months may bring an on slew of fall desserts. 

Warm apple pie paired with vanilla ice cream ranks highly on my list of favorite desserts for this season. While I have tried my hand at several apple pie recipes in the past, this year I wanted to challenge myself to try something a little different. Perusing Pinterest for some ideas, I came across a recipe for Apple Pie Roses. The recipe looked simple enough, but as I began the process I realized it these little pastries might be a tall order to fill.

Although my final product didn’t turn out quite like “roses” (more like blossoms hehe)- I gave it an honest try (and even made my own pie dough for the first time). The finished desserts also received Mark’s stamp of approval for taste! 

Check out the recipe below for my Apple Blossom Tarts!

Apple Blossom Tarts Recipe 

(adapted from frommyimpossiblytinykitchen )

For the crust:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tbsp sugar (see note below)

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, very cold and cut into 1/2″ cubes

• 3 tbsp ice cold water

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. Stir to combine. Add in the cubed butter. Work the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter, two knives, or your fingertips until the mixture looks like a coarse meal and there are no pieces of butter larger than the size of a pea. Add in ice water and stir to combine. The mixture should just come together into a ball, add additional ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if dough seems dry.

2. Form the dough into a disc, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour.

3. On a well floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4″ thick. Use a biscuit cutter, a cup or a bowl about 3 1/2-4″ in diameter and cut out rounds of dough. Fit each round into the cup of a buttered muffin tin, pushing the dough up the sides. Chill dough while the filling is prepped.

For the filling:

• 2 apples (Pink Lady, Braeburn, Honeycrisp etc)

• 1/2 cup brown sugar (see note below)

• 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

• 3 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

1. To cut the apples and remove the core, place the apple upright and make a cut about 1/8″ from the center of the apple – basically making straight cuts around the core. Repeat on the remaining sides, you should have 2 large pieces, 2 small pieces and the core.

2. Using a mandolin or a very sharp knife, cut the apples very thinly into half moons. Toss the apples with the lemon juice. Melt 2 tbsp of butter and combine with 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Pour mixture over the apples along with lemon juice and toss to combine. Microwave apples for about 1 minute, until soft and pliable enough to roll.

3. Melt the remaining 2 tbsp of butter and combine with remaining 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Brush the bottom of each dough cup with the mixture.

4. To form the roses, place about 10 slices of apples on a flat surface, laying them out horizontally and consistently with the skin side facing you. Place each slice so it overlaps the previous slice by half. Begin tightly rolling the apples from one end to the other. Once you’ve got the basic rose shape, pick up the apples and add any additional apple “petals” around the outside, depending on how large you want the rose to be. I used about 12-18 slices per rose.

5. Put an apple rose in each cup of the muffin tin and bake for 25-30 minutes at 375F until crust is golden and apples are cooked through.

 

What are your favorites desserts for fall? Please let me know. I may decide take a pass making them this season!