Name: Apricot Apple Rose Tart
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 3 apples (use whatever variety is your favorite); 1/2 cup apricot preserves; 1 cup walnuts; 2 tbsp. all purpose flour; 5 tbsp. sugar (divided); 1 package (15 oz. roll out pie crust (2 crusts)); 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

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With apple picking season in full swing, I wanted to share my all time favorite easy apple dessert, Apricot Apple Rose Tart.

apple tart on a stone baking dish with walnuts and jars scattered on the side

This apple pie dessert is made with roll out pillsbury pie crust, chopped walnuts, apples, and apricot preserves. It is SO GOOD. It is by far my favorite thing to make with apples, it beats out traditional apple pie in my book! The apples are sliced thin and then arranged in a beautiful rose pattern on top, similar to what you would see in an apple frangipane. Serve yourself up a slice with plain vanilla ice cream and enjoy the apple-cinnamon goodness for yourself.

If you are interested in other fall recipes with apples, I have a few. Apple Cider Spice muffins are delicious with apple chunks and apple sauce baked in. And of course, how to make Homemade Unsweetened Applesauce.

This recipe was originally found in a Pampered Chef Celebrations cookbook under the title French Apple Pastry. My mom made it every year growing up, on her pampered chef round stone and now when I make it, I think of her! I remember her bringing out all of her Pampered Chef tools like the Food Chopper and Apple, Peeler, Corer, Slicer (we always said the full name when referencing it), to make this dish. It always seemed like quite the to do.

When I make it at home, I don't go through all that fuss. I use a sharp knife to slice the apples and chop the walnuts, and I use my hands to shape the pie crust. This rose apple tart honestly takes no time at all to make and it looks FABULOUS. It's also great, because you bake this apple tart without a tart pan! I bake it right on a baking sheet or baking stone like an apple pizza.

This apple rose tart has some of the features of an apple crumble tart. Most apple crumbles have the crumb mixture on top of the apples, in this recipe, you will see that the walnut and cinnamon crumb topping is below the apples, and the reason for that is to keep the apples at the forefront. The apples are arranged in a beautiful rose pattern on top of the tart and that's part of what makes this apple dessert so special!

How to Arrange Apples in a Rose Pattern

uncooked apples on top of pie crust arranged in a rose pattern

The best method to arrange the apples in a beautiful rose pattern is to slice the apples very thinly and to work from the outside going in (or vice versa) and move in a spiral. Place the apples down, one at a time, overlapping ever so slightly. I like to save some of the smaller, most attractive slices for the middle of the tart as that is often where our eyes go. This apple rosette tart features apples that are laying flat which is different than some recipes you may see. I find it is just as beautiful and much easier than stacking the slices upright.

Ingredients

apples (use whatever variety is your favorite! I like pink lady or gala)
apricot preserves
walnuts
all purpose flour
sugar
pie crust
ground cinnamon

How to make Cinnamon Apple Rose Tart

Let your refrigerator pie crusts sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before working with them so that they are more pliable.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.

Gently roll out the first pie crust on to your baking stone or large baking sheet.

two circle pie crusts shown overlapping each other

With a pastry brush or your hands, lightly wet the first pie crust with a bit of water and then roll the second one over the top forming a double layer. The water helps the crusts to adhere to each other. I like to run a rolling pin over the top once or twice to make sure the crusts are conjoined.

With your hands, press the edges of the crust into a decorative design, making a ripple effect.

uncooked pie crust with a decorative edge and a rolling pin to the side

Chop walnuts until they are finely chopped and combine with 3 tablespoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons of flour. Sprinkle walnut mixture over the top of the pie crust.

walnut crumble mixture on top of raw pie crust

Leaving the skins on the apples, thinly slice them. Arrange the apple slices in a rose design on top of the walnut mixture, layer them down, overlapping in a spiral.

Combine remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar with cinnamon and sprinkle over the top of the apple tart. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the apples are soft.

Remove from the oven and spread the apricot jam over the top. The Pampered Chef instructions call to microwave the jam first, but I don't find that necessary. I just place the jam on top of the hot pastry and within a few seconds it is hot and spreadable.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Do you have to remove the apple skins?

Nope! The recipe does not call for the removal of the apple skins. Because this is a more rustic apple tart, you can leave the skins on. The apples are sliced very thinly so they will become soft without any issue.

It is also nice to leave the apple skins on, because it cuts down on prep time.

Can you use puff pastry instead of pie crust?

A lot of apple tart recipes call for puff pastry. Puff pastry is a delicate dough that is made with flour and butter and laminated, or folded, into lots and lots of layers to get that signature flakiness.

Puff pastry can be substituted for pie crust in this recipe if you would like. The texture will be slightly different, the puff pastry is not as hearty, but it will still be tasty! I use it here for a traditional pecan kringle.

one slice to the side of finished pastry on a blue plate

Can you use homemade pie crust?

Certainly! The reason that I didn't is because the Pampered Chef recipe calls for store bought pie crust and it is easy to use. Use your favorite pie crust recipe here!

How to serve

This Apricot Apple Tart is best served warm with plain vanilla ice cream. I love a good quality ice cream here, like Tillamook.

one slice of apple tart with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on a blue plate

How to Store Leftovers

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat a slice in the microwave for 15-20 seconds. It doesn't take long to reheat the apple tart, as it is so thin.