Ree Drummond’s Easy Apple Tart Recipe Is Delicious

Apples are my favorite fall fruit, mostly because they’re so versatile. Whether it’s comforting apple pie or a savory grilled cheese, the sweet, luscious flavor of the apple can be used in many ways. Plus, apples are packed with fiber which is great for your heart health, gut health and weight maintenance.

Safe to say, I always have a batch of apples on hand when they’re in season. The first baked apple recipe I made this year was something simple and incorporated ingredients I already had available. So after a bit of research, I found Ree Drummond’s Quick and Easy Apple Tart recipe, and the name speaks for itself. Only needing 3 ingredients and 20 minutes of prep time, this dessert is so simple and so delicious. Here’s how I made them.

All you need to whip up these tarts are apples, brown sugar and a package of puff pastry sheets. The type of apples you use depends on your preferences. For baking, Drummond recommends using granny smith, gala or honeycrisp apples—but personally, I just use whatever I have available and it’s always equally tasty.

Preheat the oven to 400°F and lay out your puff pastry onto non-stick baking sheets. Thinly slice 3 apples and add these slices to a bowl. The recipe calls for ⅔ cup of brown sugar, but I cut the sugar in half for a few reasons. First, the apples are already sweet, so I only wanted to use enough sugar to bring out the fruit’s natural sweetness. Also, I can’t help but pair a warm apple baked good with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream, so I didn’t want it to be too cloying.

However much sugar you use, add it to your bowl along with an optional pinch of salt, and mix it together with a rubber spatula or just use your hands like I did. I also mixed in a bit of cinnamon as I love the flavor combination of apple and cinnamon, but this isn’t necessary.

Once coated, layer your apples one by one on top of each puff pastry sheet so the slices are in neat lines. Pop the trays in the oven for about 18 minutes—I kept an eye on them—until the puff pastry is puffy and golden. The result is a gorgeous, decadent dessert that was so easy to make, required zero shopping and embraces the beautiful tangy sweetness of autumn’s best fruit.

I cut the puff pastries in half so they were more shareable and packed some away to give to my family. They were just as delicious reheated the next day, and they’re so comparable to apple pie that I may never spend the time on making an apple pie again. I’m definitely making these tarts all season long.

It’s a lovely treat as-is, but as I mentioned, a little ice cream goes a long way. The Pioneer Woman star likes to top off the tarts with powdered sugar or even some whipped cream. At EatingWell, we believe that any food or drink can be enjoyed in moderation within a healthy eating pattern. So use up those apples and pull out your puff pastry to make this simple dessert—or try one of our no-added-sugar apple desserts.