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Apple Oatmeal Crumb Tarts

4.85 from 19 votes
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Refrigeration time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 35 minutes
Servings 16 slices
Calories 281
Four separate layers bring a symphony of flavor with every bite of these tarts. This recipe makes two tarts.

Equipment

  • 2 8-inch tart rings or pans

Ingredients

Tart Dough:

  • 210 grams all-purpose flour (1¾ cups)
  • 32 grams sugar (2 Tablespoon. plus 2 teaspooons)
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • teaspoon allspice
  • pinch nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 113 grams cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼ inch pieces (8 Tablespoons.; If mixing in a food processor, place your cut up butter in the freezer for at least 15 minutes before using.)
  • 60 grams sour cream (¼ cup)
  • 2-3 Tablespoons ice water

Oatmeal Crumb Topping:

  • 60 grams flour (½ cup)
  • 45 grams old fashioned rolled oats (½ cup)
  • 50 grams sugar (½ cup)
  • 55 grams light brown sugar (¼ cup)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 83 grams cold unsalted butter (6 Tablespoons)

Oatmeal Cream:

  • 83 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature (6 tbsp.)
  • 83 grams light brown sugar (½ cup plus 2 Tablespoons. plus 1 teaspoon)
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 83 grams old fashioned oatmeal ground in blender or food processor (¾ cup plus 2 Tablespoons)
  • 1 large egg
  • 13 grams all purpose flour (1 Tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons)
  • 13 grams cornstarch (1 Tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons)

Apple Filling:

  • pounds apples, peeled, halved, cored and cut into ¼ inch squares (about 4 or 5 apples)
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • ½ vanilla bean, split and scraped (see Note below)
  • 1 teaspoon clear gel or cornstarch

Instructions 

  • Dough by Hand. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and salt. Add all the butter. Using your hands, toss the butter to coat each piece with the flour mixture. Pinch the pieces of butter to flatten them a bit. Keep working the mixture for a couple of minutes until the mixture resembles coarse sand with most of the clumps of butter the size of peas and some larger pieces the size of walnuts. Make a well in the middle. Add the sour cream. Using your hands, scoop the flour from the sides and bottoms towards the sour cream until combined. Add 1 Tablespoon of ice cold water. Using your hands, scoop the flour from the sides and the bottoms towards the water to hydrate the flour. If the mixture is too dry, create another well in the middle and add more ice cold water, one teaspoon at a time. You should not need more than 3 teaspoons more. Repeat as necessary, but be careful not to over-hydrate the dough. You know you are done when a clump of dough flattened in your palm is smooth. Clump the dough together, weigh it, and divide it in half, placing each half on a sheet of plastic wrap. Push down on the plastic wrap to flatten the dough together into a disc, making it as circular as you can. Repeat with other half of dough. Place the wrapped doughs in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 48 hours. Continue with Step 4, below.
  • Dough by Food Processor. Combine all the dry ingredients in a food processor and pulse several times. Add the sour cream and all of the frozen butter. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand with most of the clumps of butter the size of peas and some larger pieces the size of walnuts. Add 1 Tablespoon ice cold water and pulse a few times to combine. If the mixture is too dry, add more of the ice cold water a teaspoon at a time. You should not need more than 3 teaspoons more. You know you are done when a clump of dough flattened in your palm is smooth. Clump the dough together, weigh it, and divide it in half, placing each half on a sheet of plastic wrap. Push down on the plastic wrap to flatten the dough together into a disc, making it as circular as you can. Repeat with other half of dough. Place the wrapped doughs in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 48 hours. Continue with Step 4, below.
  • Dough by Mixer. Combine all dry ingredients in a mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low until combined. Add the sour cream, mixing just until combined. Add the cold butter and mix until the mixture resembles coarse sand with most of the clumps of butter the size of peas and some larger pieces the size of walnuts. With the mixer on low, slowly add 1 Tablespoon of ice cold water. If the mixture is too dry, add more of the ice cold water a teaspoon at a time. You should not need more than 3 teaspoons more. You know you are done when a clump of dough flattened in your palm is smooth. Clump the dough together, weigh it, and divide it in half, placing each half on a sheet of plastic wrap. Push down on the plastic wrap to flatten the dough together into a disc, making it as circular as you can. Repeat with other half of dough. Place the wrapped doughs in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 48 hours. Continue with Step 4, below.
  • Butter your tart rings or tart pans. Remove one of the dough discs from the refrigerator and place on a slightly floured surface. With a rolling pin lightly covered with flour, roll the dough out so that it is a circle (or circle-ish), approximately 9 inches in diameter. (If the dough cracks when you first start rolling, let it sit on the counter for a couple minutes. It just means the dough is too cold. Join any broken edges together with your fingers.) With a dry pastry brush, brush off any excess flour from both sides. Place the dough over the prepared tart ring or tart pan and press into place along the edges and sides. Do not trim the top. Refrigerate at least 10-15 minutes. Repeat with second disc of dough. (If the dough becomes difficult to work with at any point, place it on parchment paper on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes before continuing.)
  • Prepare Oatmeal Crumb Topping. To work by hand or with a pastry cutter, combine all dry ingredients and then add butter, pressing the dry ingredients into the butter with your hands or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles wet sand. (Alternatively, combine all ingredients except the oats in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand. Then mix in the oats.) Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
  • Prepare Oatmeal Cream. In a mixing bowl with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and ground oatmeal until light and fluffy, stopping the mixer a couple of times to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg, thoroughly incorporating. Add the flour and cornstarch and mix just to combine. Set aside.
  • Prepare Apple Filling. In a bowl, mix the sugar, clear jel (or cornstarch), and vanilla seeds. Add apples and toss to combine.
  • Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  • Remove the prepared tart doughs from the refrigerator. (If they are very solid, let them sit for a few minutes at room temperature.) With a paring knife, trim the tops of the tarts so that the dough is aligned with the top of the tart ring/pan. Save the scraps in case you need some filler dough as you assemble the tarts.
  • Spread half of the oatmeal cream (about 155 g.) into the center of each dough and spread evenly to completely cover the bottom of the tart. Divide the apple mixture in half and place apples to form one layer over the oatmeal cream. Divide the topping and sprinkle over both tarts. Refrigerate the prepared tarts for at least 30 minutes. (Or place in freezer for 15 minutes.)
  • Bake for 45-50 minutes. The tarts are done when the top borders are golden brown. Allow to cool completely before removing tarts from ring or pan.

Notes

  • This recipe makes 2 8-inch tarts. Each tart will serve 8-12 people. Once baked, they freeze beautifully.
  • It is important to keep the dough cold at all times so that you prevent gluten development in the flour. This will result in a flakier dough.
  • The recipe has you make the oatmeal crumb topping early on so it can sit in the refrigerator. It is best to add the crumb topping when it is very cold.
  • For the oatmeal cream, do not use quick oats. Use old fashioned oats.
  • In the apple mixture, you can use 2 Tablespoons of vanilla sugar instead of sugar and vanilla seeds.
  • You can make some of the components ahead of time. You can make the dough up to two days before you plan to bake, storing it wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator. You can also make the crumb topping up to two days in advance, storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Finally, you can make the oatmeal cream also up to two days in advance, storing it in an airtight container in the refrigerator, but you will need to mix it so that it is light and fluffy just before filling the tarts with it.
  • Once baked, the tarts will stay fresh for up to one week covered in plastic wrap stored in the refrigerator. They are equally delish cold.
Calories: 281kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: oatmeal, tart

Nutrition

Calories: 281kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 132mg | Potassium: 61mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 476IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg