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Welcoming the first Friday of September with this easy Salted Maple Apple Tarte Tatinโฆwith Cinnamon Pumpkin Seeds. This Tarte Tatin has a show stopping look but minimal effort. With browned butter, sweet maple syrup, and Honey Crisp apples, every bite is insanely delicious and just perfectly sweet. Enjoy this apple Tarte Tatin warm, right out of the oven, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and toasted, buttery, cinnamon pumpkin seeds. Roll your eyes back delicious! The perfect dessert to welcome the start of apple season.
Happy first Friday of September! Itโs maybe a little on the early side, but I thought weโd kick September off with a sweet apple recipe. I know everyone is dying for all things pumpkin. But like most years, Iโll be holding out until closer to the end of the month to share pumpkin recipes. September in my mind is all about the apples.
So letโs embrace them!
Can you all tell that I am so happy itโs Friday? Itโs been the longest week, and after a huge photoshoot yesterday, Iโm very much ready for a chill Saturday. No plansโฆand yes, even no cooking. This week has been non-stop, so Iโm ready to just enjoy this beautiful early fall weather weโre having. AND to make this Tarte Tatin once more. Itโs easy enough to make on a momentโs notice, and really, itโs just what Iโm craving for the weekend.
A sweet dessert with very subtle hints of warming fall flavors.
To make this tarte tatin.
For any of you who might be unfamiliar, a tarte tatin is a french dessert. Typically, it consists of butter, fruit, and puff pastry. Itโs made in a cast-iron skillet, baked upside down, then flipped, and served warm with ice cream or cream. They can really be made with any kind of fruit, but apples are my personal favorite.
Traditionally, a tarte tatin is made using butter and sugar, but Iโm swapping out the sugar and using warming maple syrup for a more autumn-like twist. Personally, I find using sugar to be a bit bland, but using maple not only makes things healthier, it adds warm flavors that pair wonderfully with the sweet apples.
But then, Iโm biased, I LOVE anything involving maple and apples paired togetherโฆdelicious.
Start out by melting together the butter and maple in a skillet. Bring it to a boil until the maple slightly thickens like caramel sauce, then add the apple slices. Itโs going to seem like A LOT of apples for one skillet, but theyโll cook down and be delicious. Also, no need to peel the apples.
Once the apples have cooked and the sauce has thickened up a bit, add a splash of vanilla and arrange the apples in an even layer.
Now, lay a sheet of puff pastry overtop of the apples and transfer everything to the oven. As the tarte tatin is baking, your kitchen will be filled with sweet smells of apple pie filling. Itโs the coziest, and the perfect scent for these September days.
It. Is. Truly. Wonderful!
While the tarte tatin is bakingโฆ
Make some salty, sweet, and crunchy, toasted pumpkin seeds.
Since this is a soft apple dessert, I love adding a sweet, salty crunch for topping. I simply toast up some pepitas (raw shelled pumpkin) with a touch of butter, maple, and cinnamon in a skillet.
Simple, but truly these pepitas are an addicting crunchy, salty, sweet snack.
Tip? Double the batch, these go fast.
When the tarte tatin has finished baking, let it sit fifteen minutes in the skillet, then run a knife around the skillet edges. Be sure to release anything thatโs stuck. Then invert the tarte tatin onto a serving plate. I know this sounds scary, but I actually had no problems with this step. That said, if any of your apples slide out of place, you can just arrange them back onto the tarte tatin.
Itโs simple, so donโt stress about this step.
And my favorite way to serve this tarte tatin? Warm, right out of the oven, with a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream right on top and a generous helping of those salty pumpkin seeds. Thereโs truly nothing more delicious than eating this right out of the skillet.
Roll. Your. Eyes. Back. Delicious!
So how about a fancy(ish) apple tarte tatin tonight? Itโs September, so grab those apples and start baking. Cheesy, I know, but really, itโs what you should be doing this (long) weekend.
Promise, it will be good. ENJOY!
See you guys Sunday!
Looking for other Septemberย apple recipes?ย Here are a few ideas:ย
Spiced Pecan Apple Cider Doughnut Cake
Mulled Spiced Apple Cider Doughnuts
Homemade Slow Cooker Maple Apple Butter
Lastly, if you make this salted maple apple tarte tatin with cinnamon pumpkin seeds be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, donโt forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Salted Maple Apple Tarte Tatin with Cinnamon Pumpkin Seeds.
Ingredients
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter
- 1/2 cup real maple syrup
- 6 Honeycrisp apples, sliced into 1/3-1/2 inch rounds, seeds removed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
- flaky sea salt , for topping
- ice cream, for serving
Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 1/2 cup raw pepitas
- 1 tablespoon real maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.2. Place the butter and maple syrup in a 10-12 inch oven-safe skillet over medium high heat. Bring to boil and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the apple slices in an even layer, it's going to seem like a lot, but they will cook down. Continue cooking another 9-10 minutes, gently tossing the apples occasionally to ensure they evenly cook. Remove from the heat add the vanilla and arrange the apple in an even layer. 3. Press the 2 sheets of puff pastry together to make 1 large sheet. Using a dinner plate as a guide, cut out a 12-inch circle. Place the pastry over the apples and press down gently, tucking the sides of the pastry under the apples as best you can. Make 3 small cuts in the center of the pastry. Place the skillet on a baking sheet and cook for 30-35 minutes, until the pastry is deep golden brown. 4. Meanwhile, make the pumpkin seeds. In a medium skillet set over medium heat, melt together the butter, pumpkin seeds, maple syrup, and cinnamon. Toast the seeds until caramelized, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a parchment lined plate. Sprinkle with sea salt. 5. Remove the Tarte Tatin from the oven. Let the cake cool in the skillet for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge to loosen. Carefully invert the Tarte Tatin onto a serving plate. If any apples fall out of place, just rearrange them. Serve warm topped with ice cream and toasted pumpkin seeds. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Hi Tieghan,
I love this recipe and have made it several times. I’m wondering about using pears in this recipe, instead of apples? I have some nice pears and thought they might be good to try.
Hi Wendy! Yes, you could totally use pears! xT
Hi Tieghan,
I did try this recipe with pears instead of apples. I added some crumbled blue cheese.
It was ok, but your recipe with the apples was much, much better! I will not be making this with pears again.
Thanks for your awesome recipes that you share with us all!
This is hands down one of the most delicious things I have made. Bless you and your recipe brain.
Hi Kelly,
Amazing!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend! xTieghan
For the puff pastry, do I lay them side by side or one on top of the other? Last time I did side by side and wasted a lot of the pastry and it came out a little thin
Update: I used one sheet rolled out and other than being lopsided, it seemed to work with minimal waste
That’s great!
Hey Lauren,
I lay them side by side to get the large circle. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I made this last night, followed the directions exactly with the exception of adding a little bit of flour to thicken as previous commenters suggested and it was a disaster. When I went to flip it onto a plate, the whole thing was stuck to the pain. My guess is all the sugar from the maple syrup burned. The only thing I could get out of the pan was the puff pastry and maybe 3 apples that were stuck to it. I ended up having to soak the pan to get everything off. I didnt want the crust to go to waste so I just cooked down some apples in a skillet and threw them in a bowl with chunks of the crust and some vanilla ice cream. The flavors were great, the execution was terrible. Next time I would bake it as a tarte instead.
Hey Shannon! I am so sorry this recipe didn’t turn out, is there anything you did differently! Please let me know how I can help! xTieghan
This was fantastic! I followed the recipe exactly, didnโt change a thing.
It took 30 mins of cook time to brown up beautifully.
Let it rest for about 20 min, and it flipped out of the pan nice and clean!
I was worried after a few reviews said they had issues. But I had a fantastic experience. I used a 10 inch cast iron and it was just right. Definitely will be making this again!
Hi Dana,
I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for trying it out! Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
Can this be prepped ahead and put in the oven later? It looks amazing and want to make it for Christmas Eve dinner. thanks
Hey Jane,
Yes that would be totally fine. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I had a problem with the apples setting in the maple syrup/butter. I followed all the quantities as per recipe and baked until pastry was very golden, maybe too golden for 30 minutes. After waiting 15 minutes , I flipped it onto a plate but apples were loose and liquid just poured out. Not sure what went wrong.
Taste was good but the puff pastry was mushy because it was too liquidy. My husband still ate it all up.
The recipe probably deserves 5 stars but I just wasnโt successful.
Hey Hannah,
So sorry you had issues with the apples. Was there anything you adjusted or a different cooking method that was used? Did you use a cast iron skillet? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
I had a feeling that would be an issue, so I sprinkled it with a tablespoon or so of flour before adding the crust. It helped the liquid come together and be less runny.
Holy cow! I’m not usually a fan of apple desserts but I made this for my husband and wow! This might be the best dessert I’ve ever made. The sweet maple apples paired with the salty pepitas and flakey crust, truly the perfect combination! I am never disappointed with your recipes. Thank you for blessing me with this new household staple!
I am so happy this turned out so amazing for you all! Thank you so much for trying this one! xTieghan
Loved this recipe! I made this after eating it at a friendโs home.
A few edits Iโll make next time:
– decrease the Apple count to 3 or 4
– slice the apples thinner than 1/2 inch
– Be certain to tightly seal the seam of pastry. Mine separated at a couple of points.
Next time Iโm going to try this with pears and walnuts!
Thanks for this great treat!
Amazing! Thank you for trying this one, Wendy! I hope this turns out even better with these changes! xTieghan