French Apple Tart & Cinnamon Snails
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If you struggle with anger management, this post might be a good one to skip. Just send it straight to your trash can if you’re reading via email; just skip back to the grilled cheese or the French toast, if you’ve happened upon here via google. At apple-rosette attempt three, I envisioned flinging this tart frisbie style straight into my tv; at apple-rosette attempt five, I imagined raising it above my head, slamming it straight down, and splattering it all over my kitchen floor.
Fortunately — and I never imagined saying this — I have a child that drives me to read self-help books. I put myself in a timeout for two minutes (grossly ignoring the minute-per-year-of-age rule, which would have had me sitting for half an hour), during which I took a few deep breaths and told myself to let the apple rosettes go.
When I came out of my quiet time, ready to be a nice girl again, I set to work. Within minutes the tart shell brimmed with fanned apple slices, not quite so pretty as Saveur’s, but pretty nonetheless. And best of all, not too pretty to eat.\
In the Cuisinart, this tart dough comes together in seconds:
Just as I set out to work, someone ran off with my tart pan. Fortunately, I have another.
Both the dough and the assembled tart shell must chill for one hour, which allows for plenty of time to peel and slice the apples as well as to make the cinnamon snails with the leftover dough.
Making the cinnamon snails:
French Apple Tart
- Total Time: 1 hours 35 minutes
- Yield: 10
Description
Inspired by Saveur.
Notes:
- To make Cinnamon Snails: Roll out pie dough scraps into a rectangle. Spread with a layer of butter. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon and sugar. Roll into a spiral. Cut crosswise into slices. Bake at 375º for 10 to 15 minutes — just keep an eye on them; they brown quickly at the end.
- If you have extra frangipane, broil a slice of brioche, flip it over, broil it now spread with extra frangipane topped with apple slices sprinkled with sugar until it’s golden and delicious. Yum.
- While the apricot glaze gives the final tart a nice sheen, I prefer it without it.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 tablespoon sugar (optional — this is my addition. I love a little sugar in a tart shell.)
- 12 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed and chilled, divided
- 1/4 tsp. table salt
- 5 to 7 apples, such as Honey Crisp, Fuji, or Pink Lady, peeled, cored, and halved
- 1/4 cup sugar
for the frangipane, (optional):
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- pinch salt
- 2 tablespoons butter at room temperature
- 1 egg (small if possible)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla, rum, brandy or bourbon
for finishing:
- 1/2 cup apricot jam, optional (not recommended)
- Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, for serving
Instructions
- Making the pastry: Combine flour, sugar, 8 tbsp. butter, and salt in a food processor and pulse until pea-size crumbles form, about 10 pulses. Drizzle in 3 tbsp. ice-cold water and pulse until dough is moistened, about 3 to 4 pulses. (Do not pulse so much that the dough forms a mass — see the photo above with the food processor. It will clump together when you form it into a disk.) Don’t wash the food processor!
- Transfer dough to a work surface and form into a flat disk; if you aren’t using it immediately, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to three days. Otherwise, transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, flatten dough into a 13″ circle and then transfer to a 11″ tart pan with a removable bottom; trim edges; chill for 1 hour. (Note: My tart pan is 9 inches, but I still roll it out to about 13 inches.)
- Combine almond flour, sugar, salt, butter and egg in the dirty bowl of the food processor. Pulse until combined, then add vanilla or alcohol. Purée until smooth.
- Heat oven to 375º. Spread a thin layer (about 2 tablespoons) of the frangipane across the bottom surface of your tart shell. Working with one apple half at a time, thinly slice into sections, keeping slices together. Press sliced apple half gently to fan it out; repeat with remaining apple halves. Place 1 fanned apple half on outer edge of the tart dough, pointing inward; repeat with 7 more apple halves (or as many as you are able to fit — with a smaller tart pan, you won’t be able to fit as many). Separate remaining apple slices. Starting where the apple halves touch and working your way in, layer apples to create a tight rose pattern. Fill in any gaps with remaining apple.
- Sprinkle with sugar (I do not use the full 1/4 cup. Use as much or as little as you like. If your apples are really sweet, you won’t need a full 1/4 cup; if you’re using a 9-inch tart pan, you also likely won’t need a full 1/4 cup.) Dot with remaining butter — this seems like a lot of butter, and you certainly could cut back, but I think it adds flavor. Bake until golden brown, 60—70 minutes. (I do 70.)
- If you’re doing the apricot glaze: heat apricot jam in a small saucepan until warmed and loose; pour through a fine strainer into a small bowl and set aside. Transfer tart to a wire rack; using a pastry brush, brush top of tart with jam. Let cool completely before slicing and serving with whipped cream.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 70 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: French
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
68 Comments on “French Apple Tart & Cinnamon Snails”
i absolutely love this recipe! I’ve made it with apples at least 4 times, and I am currently trying it with nectarines! this is my go to recipe for easy tart crust!
So happy to hear this, Emily! Please let me know how it turns out with nectarines. I love this recipe, too. Frangipane complements everything it seems. You are inspiring me to make my first tart of the season. Thanks for writing in!
I like the way yours looks much better than Saveur’s.
Has there ever been a mother who doesn’t make snails out of the excess pie dough? We’re on the third generation of pie makers in my family, and we’ve all made the cinnamon-sugar snails for our children. {smile}
Thank you, Dani! That means a lot. And I know, is there anything better than cinnamon snails? Kiddos are never happier 🙂
Gorgeous! Just so you know, yours is way prettier, honest. I think this will be on the todo list this weekend!
Oh, thanks so much, Kimberly! I do hope it factors into your weekend somehow — it is fun to make…once you get over the apple rosettes 🙂
Making these riiiight about now… my dough is chillin’ in the fridge. I absolutely love the idea of a healthier form of apple pie (no butter filled crust on top/less work/less calories haaha).
This is one of my favorites. Hope it worked out well for you!
Lovely blog! SO glad to have found it. I’m curious about the crust on this tart–is it at all soggy? I’ve read many other recipes using frangipane that call for the crust to be blind baked. Thanks kindly in advance. 🙂
I was looking for a perfect dough recipe and this was it! First time I made it, I used 12tsp of butter but second time I reduced it to 8 and it was just as good (without the extra 4 tsp of calories)…
I loved this tart recipe so much that I’m sharing it on my blog!
Happy Medley
So good to know, Anna! Thanks for sharing.
Made it this afternoon, and while it doesn’t look quite as pretty as a picture, it certainly looks good enough to eat. And taste good enough to each too much of it. I had just enough leftover dough and apples to make a tiny “galette”. Thanks for the awesome recipe.
So happy to hear this, Amy! I love this one, too. I haven’t made it yet this season, but you are inspiring me to.
What is the fringipane for. I am quite confused. Do you put it on top of the dough than the apples or do you put the fringipane dough on top of the tart dough?
Spread the frangiapne across the tart dough once it is in the shell, then top with the apples.
I happened across your blog from googling apple tarts, and I have to say your first two paragraphs had me actually laughing and fully understanding your frustration. I’ve never made a tart, but appreciated someone else feeling defeated and wanting the smash the entire kitchen after too many attempts. Anyways, your blog is awesome, this tart looks delicious, I just love the pattern, and I can’t wait to try to make it myself! Thank you for your honesty and your incredible recipes!
Hello,
Being French this reminds me so much of the appLE tarts my grand father used to bake after picking apples in our garden… This was 20 years ago. To replace the frangipane spread over the dough a thin layer of apple compote, that you previously have prepared. And to replace the apricot jam, just sugar on top is fine..
So many memories coming back…
Such a beautiful presentation!! Wow I love how you used the leftover pie doe for mini cinnamon twists. Great job!!
Thank you, Eden!
Dear Alexandra:
Your tart looks much prettier than Saveur’s, truly. It is gorgeous.
Best regards
Magdalena
Awww, thanks Magdalena!
thank you so much! I did this for my school cultural project. It was so good. My teacher loved it!
So happy to hear this Makenna!!
In the YT video it says 400f for 35-40 mins and here it says 375f for 60-70 mins, which one is correct? I tried this recipe with an 8.5 inch pan at 400f for 35-40 mins and the butter leaked everywhere and glued the tart (which was undercooked 🙁 ) to the pan.
Oh Kitty, sorry to hear this …. the video actually corresponds to this recipe: The Easiest French Apple Tart It should be 400F for 35-40 minutes.
This looks fabulous! I only have mini tart pans. Could I bake this in a pie plate or quiche pan? Any adjustments for baking time? Pan size?
Hi! And yes, definitely, a 9-inch pie plate will work just fine. Baking time should be about the same.
I loved this recipe and came across it after an extensive research session. It’s the perfect level of sweetness and I love how the frangipane compliments the apple flavor unlike cinnamon and clove- which can upstage. Also, the thinly cut apples- mandolined – really concentrated the flavor and I loved how the exposed tops became like apple chips. Swapped in 1/3c ww flour and thought that worked well.
I didn’t notice that not all 12 T of butter go into the crust but the extra leaked onto the sheet pan – no harm done.
Great to read all of this, Candace! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
I love this recipe! I’ve been baking this every holiday season. My family absolutely loves it too. Thank you so much for sharing it. <3
Great to hear, Alice!