Quick Christmas Apple Pie Puff Pastry Squares
These festive cranberry apple pie puff pastry squares make the most delicious little mini apple tarts you can serve up for a festive autumn or Christmas dessert… Baked until flaky and golden brown, they make perfect little vessels for topping with dollops of fresh whipped cream or good vanilla ice cream…
Ingredients
- 2 Puff Pastry Sheets - store-bought such as Pepperidge Farm
- 3 larger Honey Crisp Apples - thin sliced (or gala or pink lady)
- ⅔ cup Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Almond Extract - optional for great flavor - otherwise add 1 tsp of good vanilla
- ½ cup Dried Cranberries
- ½ cup Raisins
- 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter - melted
- ½ cup Chopped Pecans - optional but adds crunch and texture
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees F. Peel, core, and slice your apples into thin 1/4 inch slices and toss into a large bowl. Sprinkle your apple slices with the brown sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, and the almond extract.
- Add the dried cranberries and raisins to the apple mixture in the bowl. Toss everything together with a large spoon. Toss together until dried fruits and apples are evenly coated with sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, and extract. Set aside and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes.
- While the oven heats through and the fruit sits, prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Unfold your thawed puff pastry sheets and use a rolling pin to roll your sheet out. Roll into a slightly larger 11 x 13 puff pastry rectangle. To prevent sticking, do this on a lightly floured surface and flour your rolling pin as well by rubbing it down with a little flour.
- Once you’ve rolled out your puff pastry sheet, use a pastry brush to brush it evenly with melted butter. Using a sharp knife or pizza roller, cut your buttered puff pastry sheet into 9 equal squares. Next, transfer the cut squares to a parchment-lined baking sheet using a thin, wide spatula.
- Using a paring knife, cut a border inside each square. Cut gently just to lightly score the dough but not pierce all the way through.
- Fill each square with with apple filling we prepared earlier. If needed, stir the apple mixture to bring up some of the dried fruits gathered at the bottom of the bowl.
- Layer the apple slices one atop the other while staying inside the border that we cut using the paring knife. Lastly, using a teaspoon, scoop up the juices from the bottom of the apple mixture bowl and drizzle each tart with a little bit of liquid.
- Bake the individual apple cranberry raisin puff pastries in a 400 degree pre-heated oven for 20 minutes or until borders puff up and turn golden brown.
- Once the baked puff pastries are done baking, pull them out of the oven and place them on a cooling rack. Serve immediately while still warm. Then, top each little apple tart with a scoop of ice cream, or let cool completely and then dust with powdered sugar.
Nutrition
Calories: 236kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 2gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 72mgPotassium: 76mgFiber: 1gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 41IUVitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 1mg
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