These lovely apple tartlets are prepared with a buttery crust and a creamy apple filling flavored with cardamom. Sweet, subtle and delicious, they make a lovely individual dessert anytime of the year.
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Here’s a fun little baking projects for an afternoon tea with your loved ones. As much as I love apple pie, I can never turn down a cute individual apple tartlet. So I revisited an old favorite of mine that has been on the website for over a decade. I improved the recipe a little with more detailed instructions and I added new photos to make it more… 2026!
Now let me tell you my secret here. These are not your regular apple tartlets. They’re prepared with condensed milk, which makes the apples super soft and tender, adding some sweetness too. For the gourmet palates out there, I also suggest you flavor with just a pinch of ground cardamom. Try them and let me know how you like them!
Apple tartlets, in short:
- A lovely individual apple tartlet perfect for a tea party
- Soft and tender apples, cooked in a creamy condensed milk mixture
- An irresistible homemade buttery, flaky crust
Apple tartlets’ key ingredients
The recipe obviously comes in two parts: the homemade crust on one side and the apple filling on the other side. As tempting as it can be, I strongly recommend you make your pie crust from scratch here. It takes a little more effort for sure, but the result is really worth it: no store-bought pie crust can beat this buttery, flaky pie crust. And believe me, in a tartlet in particular it makes the difference. Now here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe:
- For the pie crust: all-purpose flour, cold unsalted butter, and one egg.
- Apples. Choose apples that are good for baking. I used Granny Smith apples here, but other apple varieties will do too: Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Gala, Golden Delicious…
- Condensed milk. It’s the secret ingredient in the recipe, that makes apples soft and tender, with a touch of sweetness.
- Cardamom. Ground cardamom subtly flavors the apple tartlets. Bu you can totally do without or replace with either cinnamon or vanilla bean paste if desired.
Pro tips for success
- Cut the apples into equal size wedges, not too thin, not too thick so they hold their shape while still become tender when cooking and later on while baking.
- Be quick when adding the beaten eggs to the condensed milk to prevent them from “cooking” in contact of the hot creamy mixture.
- Do not overcrowd the tartlet tins. When adding the apple wedges, leave some room to cover with the creamy condensed milk filling. If the latter goes over the crust, it will stick to the tin, making it difficult to invert afterwards.
- Don’t wait too long before inverting the tins. Allow the apple tartlets to cool down for 5-10 minutes in the tin, and then invert. The longer you wait the more difficult it will be to invert the tins.
Can I turn them into a family-style apple tart?
Yes, it works. The crust itself is big enough for a 9-inch (23 cm) tart tin and the creamy mixture should be plenty enough to cover the apples. If not, feel free to add a few Tablespoons of condensed milk to the mixture.
You may also like…
- Apple Hand Pies
- Rosemary Honey Pear Galette
- Apple Ricotta Cake
- Apple Clafoutis
- Spiced Chocolate Cobbler
Apple Tartlets
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 tartlets 1x
- Category: Fruit desserts
These lovely apple tartlets are prepared with a buttery crust and a creamy apple filling flavored with cardamom. Sweet, subtle and delicious, they make a lovely individual dessert anytime of the year.
Email me this recipe
We’ll send it straight to your inbox, along with weekly food inspiration!
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 ½ cup (180g) all-purpose flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 stick (115g) unsalted butter, cold and diced
- 1 medium egg
For the filling:
- 3 Tablespoons (45g) unsalted butter
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 4 small apples, peeled, cored and sliced into wedges (Granny Smith)
- ½ cup (120 ml) sweetened condensed milk
- ½ teaspoon cardamom seeds, freshly ground (optional)
- 2 medium eggs, beaten
Instructions
- For the crust. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Rub in the diced butter until you get a crumbly texture. Add the egg and work until the crumb mixture comes together to form a firm dough. Shape into a ball, flatten a little and wrap into cling film. Chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Butter and flour the bottom and sides of six 3.9-inch (10 cm) tartlet tins.
- Roll out the dough and cut into circles, about 3.9-inch (10 cm) in diameter. Line the small tins with the dough circles and prick the bottom and sides with a fork. Place in the refrigerator while making the filling.
- For the filling. Melt butter and sugar in a saucepan. Stir and allow the mixture to get a light brown color. Add the apple wedges and let them simmer for about 5 minutes, until tender. Remove the apple wedges (leaving the butter-sugar mixture in the pan) and arrange them on top of the dough in the tins.
- Pour the condensed milk to the remaining melted butter. Add cardamom (if using) and let simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes or until mixture thickens, stirring regularly. Whisk in the beaten eggs, and carefully pour over the apple wedges.
- Bake the tartlets for about 25 minutes, or until slightly golden brown in color. Let cool for 5 minutes, then carefully invert the tins and allow the apple tartlets to cool down before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Note that you can make this recipe with or without cardamom.
Did you make this recipe?
Lastly, if you make this Apple Tartlets, be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Thank you and enjoy!
