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Brown Butter Apple Tart

Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: apple tart, brown butter, brown butter apple tart, browned butter
Servings: 8
Author: Hip Foodie Mom

Ingredients

For the pastry crust:

  • 1 1/2 cups White Lily all purpose wheat flour or all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 stick very cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
  • 1/3 cup very cold ice water + more if needed

For the tart:

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 vanilla bean halved and scraped of its seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large Granny Smith apple peeled and cut into thin slices
  • 2 large Honey crisp apples peeled and cut into thin slices
  • 3 tablespoons salted butter
  • 1/2 vanilla bean halved and scraped of its seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons turbinado sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

For the pastry crust:

  • Using a food processor, combine the flour with the sugar, salt and butter and process for about 5 seconds. Sprinkle the ice water over the flour mixture and process until the pastry just begins to come together, for about 10 to 15 seconds and resembles coarse, wet sand. Transfer the pastry dough to a lightly floured work surface, gather it together and pat into a round ball or disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Take the dough out of the refrigerator about 10 to 20 minutes before rolling out.

For the tart:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Using a small stainless steel saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter is golden brown and fragrant, about 8 minutes. (The butter should be golden brown. Some foam will subside and the milk solids at the bottom of the pan will be toasty brown. It will smell intensely buttery and nutty.) It should not smell burnt.
  • Remove from the heat. Let cool for a bit and whisk in a vanilla bean and the vanilla extract. Set aside.
  • Roll out your pastry dough into about a 12-inch round. Transfer to pie plate and let the edges hang over. Cut off the excess pastry dough around the edge of the pie plate and crimp the edges all around. Alternatively, you can use a fork to press in all around the pastry dough edges as well. Prick the pastry dough with a fork, all over the bottom and edges. Add pie weights and bake the pastry crust for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until just slightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool.
  • Once cooled, arrange the apple slices into the tart, making a circle with the apples and having them overlap. I used the granny smith apples for the outer edge but you can arrange however you like! Continue with more apples until the tart is full. Repeat with a second layer of apples on top. Brush the apples and crust with the brown butter vanilla mixture, discarding the vanilla bean. Combine the turbinado sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle over the top.
  • Bake the tart until apples are golden brown and the filling is slightly bubbling, for about 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool. Serve warm and enjoy!