This salted caramel apple tart is a great dessert to make when you want to make something for a group that looks super fancy but doesn't require a lot of fuss. This tart takes about an hour and 20 minutes total time from start to finish, and only about 20 minutes of that time is you doing any work. It's so much faster than making an apple pie...and apple pie doesn't have caramel sauce in it. The apples just bake in a bed of caramely goodness.
You need this in your life.
You'll need to start off by making some homemade salted caramel...but DON'T PANIC. Everything will be okay because making caramel is actually super easy.
Step 1: Spray your tart pan with some non-stick cooking spray or butter.
Step 2: Lay your first pie crust over the tart, making sure you press down so the dough sticks to the sides of the tart pan. Trim off any excess dough.
Step 3: Add that salted caramel goodness.
Step 4: Arrange your apples as pretty as you can. It'll look marvelous because how could sliced apples not?
Step 5: Paint a little butter on your apples with a pastry brush or drizzle it gently over the apples if you don't have a pastry brush. Then sprinkle a little sugar over the apples.
Step 6: Cut your second pie crust into 1 ¼" strips using a pastry cutter or sharp knife. Lay the strips in a lattice pattern...or make up your own pattern. Trim off any access dough.
Step 7: Bake that bad boy for about 50 minutes, or until the apples get nice and bubbly and the crust is a golden brown.
Oh, hey, beautiful tart.
Step 8: Cut into that beauty and eat way too many pieces at 2 pm and ruin your dinner. Just what a friend told me they did. Not me. Nope.
Ingredients
Crust
- I used Pillsbury crust for this because, time. But I really like this pie crust if you want to make a completely homemade version. Shortening and butter is a winning combination for a nice, flaky crust, in my opinion.
Salted Caramel
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature and cubed
- ½ cup heavy cream, at room temperature
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Filling
- 3-4 medium to large apples, cored and thinly sliced
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1 Tbsp sugar
Directions:
- For the caramel sauce: Cook sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk. Continue cooking and stirring until sugar forms clumps and begins to turn into a light amber liquid. This'll take between 5-8 minutes. Once the sugar is mostly melted, add butter a few pieces at a time, whisking constantly until incorporated. Slowly drizzle in heavy cream while whisking feverishly. Let mixture boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat and pour into a small bowl. Stir in vanilla and salt. Run through a mesh strainer to take out any clumps of hardened sugar that may still be lingering. Let cool to room temperature.
- Spray a 9-inch round removable-bottom tart pan lightly with nonstick spray. Roll out one sheet of pie crust over the tart pan, lightly pressing down into the bottom and sides of the pan. Remove any excess dough. Use a pastry wheel or sharp knife to cut second pie dough into 1- 1 ¼-inch strips for the lattice top.
- Spread all but about 3 tablespoons of salted caramel sauce onto the tart shell and spread out until it's an even layer (the remainder of the salted caramel is for serving). Add sliced apples to the tart pan, arranging tightly together. Brush apples with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Arrange dough strips over the top in a lattice pattern.
- Preheat oven to 375°F and place tart on baking sheet to catch any liquid that may seep out. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until pastry is golden and juices are bubbly.
**You can make the caramel sauce in advance if you want. Just store in the refrigerator and barely microwave until it's loosened up a little bit.
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