Salted Caramel Apple Tart (Printable Version)

Buttery crust with spiced apples and rich salted caramel, offering sweet and salty balance.

# What You'll Need:

→ Tart Crust

01 - 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and diced
03 - 1/4 cup powdered sugar
04 - 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
05 - 1 large egg yolk
06 - 2 to 3 tablespoons ice water

→ Spiced Apple Filling

07 - 5 medium apples (Granny Smith or Honeycrisp), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
08 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
09 - 1/4 cup light brown sugar
10 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
11 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
12 - 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
13 - 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
14 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

→ Salted Caramel Sauce

15 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
16 - 3 tablespoons water
17 - 1/4 cup heavy cream
18 - 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
19 - 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt, plus additional for topping

# How-To Steps:

01 - In a food processor, pulse flour, powdered sugar, and fine sea salt together. Add cold diced butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg yolk and 2 tablespoons ice water, pulsing just until dough comes together. Add additional water if needed. Shape dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
02 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll out chilled dough on a lightly floured surface and fit into a 9-inch tart pan, trimming excess dough. Prick base with a fork. Line with parchment paper and fill with baking weights. Blind bake for 15 minutes, then remove weights and parchment. Continue baking for 8 minutes until lightly golden. Allow to cool completely.
03 - In a large bowl, combine sliced apples with granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and lemon juice, tossing gently to coat. In a skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add apple mixture and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until just tender but still holding shape. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
04 - In a medium saucepan, combine 3/4 cup granulated sugar and 3 tablespoons water. Cook over medium heat without stirring until deep amber in color, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and carefully whisk in heavy cream, watching for bubbling. Add 3 tablespoons butter and 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt, whisking until smooth. Cool slightly.
05 - Arrange cooked spiced apples evenly in the cooled tart crust. Drizzle approximately half of the salted caramel sauce over the apples.
06 - Bake tart at 350°F for 20 minutes until apples are bubbling and crust edges are golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack.
07 - Drizzle remaining caramel sauce over baked tart and sprinkle with additional flaky sea salt. Serve warm or at room temperature, optionally accompanied by vanilla ice cream.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The buttery crust shatters just right under your fork, and the apples stay tender without turning into applesauce.
  • Making your own caramel sauce means you control the salt-to-sweet ratio, and that's where the magic actually lives.
  • This tart doesn't demand perfection; it looks rustic and beautiful whether you're a baker or just trying your luck.
02 -
  • Never stir caramel while it's cooking—the sugar crystals will make it grainy and you'll have to start over, which I've done more than once.
  • The tart crust needs to cool completely before you fill it, and the apples need to cool slightly before they go in, because warm on warm creates steam and soggy pastry.
03 -
  • Keep your butter cold—cut it into small pieces and even refrigerate your bowl before mixing so the crust stays tender and shatters instead of bending.
  • Make the caramel right before you bake the tart so it's still warm and pours beautifully; cold caramel becomes thick and difficult to drizzle.
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