This rustic apple tart was definitely a labor of love. This was my first time using the tart pan, and it was a bit of struggle to get the tart out. Luckily, with my husband’s help and a lot of patience we were able to manage. So you might want to get an extra set of hands in the kitchen for this recipe. Arranging the apple slices was a bit tricky as well. The closer to the center, the more difficult it became. The thinner the apple slices, the easier it is to arrange them, so take your time. If it’s not perfect don’t stress, just call it “rustic” like I did. It’s not a bad thing if it looks a bit homemade. You don’t want your guests to think you bought it!
I sprinkled it with a little bit of cinnamon instead of powdered sugar. We are trying to be healthy here! The crust is a paleo pie crust made with almond flour, coconut oil, and an egg. Honestly, I prefer a savory crust when the filing is sweet. I kept the amount of natural sweeteners I used in this recipe low as well. Only one tablespoon of honey is used in the filing, and I brushed a little bit of maple syrup over the apples before I put them in the oven.
- 2 cups of almond flour
- 2 tbsp of coconut oil
- ¼ tsp of sea salt
- 1 egg
- 4 fuji apples
- 1 tbsp of honey (optional)
- ¼ cup of maple syrup
- ½ tsp of cinnamon
- ¼ cup of water
- Peel and chop two fuji apples. Add apples to saucepan with water and boil until soft, about 30 minutes.
- Then transfer to food processor and puree to get a small batch of applesauce. Add honey if apples aren't sweet enough.
- Use the food processor again to make tart crust. Combine almond flour, coconut oil, egg, and sea salt until it forms dough.
- Then roll dough out between two pieces of plastic wrap. Otherwise the dough will stick to your roller since we use almond flour instead of regular flour.
- Transfer rolled out dough to pie tart. I wet my fingers with water, since there is oil in the dough, to shift dough around until tart mold is completely filled.
- Spread homemade apple sauce on bottom of tart.
- Then, peel remaining apples and arrange apple slices in an overlapping circle until you reach the center. The thinner the apple slices the easier it is.
- Brush maple syrup over apple slices and bake at 450 for fahrenheit for ten minutes.
- Then turn down the temperature to 350 for twenty minutes.
- Let apple tart cool before removing from tart mold.
- Use a sifter to garnish apple tart with cinnamon.
So gorgeous! I have been wanting to try something like this, but am not sure I have the patience to arrange all the apples. It does look worth it, though!
Thank you! It was a bit tricky to arrange the apples, kind of like a puzzle 🙂 But I was happy with the way it turned out.
This looks great! What is the size of the tart pan that you used for these recipe measurements?
Thanks, it’s a 9 inch.
Hey can we use AP flour and vegetable oil as a replacement for coconut oil and almond flour? This looks delicious!!
Thank you! If you are going to use a vegetable oil, I recommend non hydrogenated shortening, also known as palm oil. It’s vegan and solid at room temp just like coconut oil (or butter) but without the coconut flavor. Almond flour does have a specific flavor and texture that I like for pie crust, however, I don’t see why you couldn’t sub AP Flour.
Almond flour is actually a bit difficult to work with, so if anything the recipe should be easier, but the taste might turn out different. Almond flour is slightly sweet and I add salt in the pie crust to give the crust a salty, sweet, and crumbly crust, so you might want to adjust the salt in the recipe. Good luck!
I made this tonight & i have wracked my brain because you listed honey but do not mention it in the recipe. I even made my husband proof read to make sure I’m not crazy!
I’m sorry for the confusion, I’ll fix this as soon as possible. Sometimes I put honey in the applesauce puree, sometimes I skip it depending on how sweet the apples are. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving.
I asked my sister and that’s where we decided it went as well! I ended up drizzling it over the top though! I wish I could share my photo with you of how mine turned out!
That sounds delicious! I’d love to see a picture. You can email me at lauren@healingandeating.com or post to the healing and eating facebook page and I’ll definitely check it out.
I tried the recipe as directed but it looked to me the temp/time were off. Mine came beautiful but burnt on top and sides and raw in the center. Also, where do you add the 1/4 of water?
Thanks.
Sorry to hear that! I’ve burnt lots of pies/tarts too.
It’s been a while since I made this, but the water I believe is used on your hands for shaping the dough into the mold so it doesn’t stick to your hands, since oil and water don’t mix. Also water is used in the recipe for the small batch applesauce.
A lot could have effected cook time. Ovens have different temperatures, also how thick or thin a crust is. Also, sugar/honey/glaze on top could burn. I will have to revisit this recipe, but it’s a labor of love I don’t make often lol.