Giant Caramel Apple Pop Tart
This giant caramel apple pop tart is the perfect fall dessert. With flaky, buttery pastry, spiced caramel apples and a homemade caramel cinnamon glaze, it will taste like an explosion of fall flavors!
Ingredients
For the Pastry
- 2 1/2 cups (315g) all purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup (220g) unsalted butter 2 sticks, cold, cubed
- 2 Tbsp ice water
- 1 Tbsp vodka*
- 1 large egg for egg wash
For the Homemade Caramel
- 3/4 cups (150g) granulated sugar
- 1/8 cup (30ml) water
- 3 Tbsp (40g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream room temperature
- pinch of salt
For the Spiced Apple Filling
- 3 medium (~390g) apples your choice, I like Honeycrisp
- 1 Tbsp (14g) unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp (12g) brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp vanilla extract vanilla bean paste if you have it
- 1 Tbsp (10g) cornstarch
- squeeze of lemon juice
- pinch of salt
- 2 Tbsp water
For the Cinnamon Caramel Glaze
- 1 cup (110g) powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp (30g) milk
- 1 Tbsp homemade caramel
- dash of cinnamon
Instructions
For the Pastry
- In a food processor, pulse together 2 ½ cups (315g) of all purpose flour, 1 Tbsp of granulated sugar, and 1 tsp of salt until combined.
- Add 1 cup (2 sticks/220g)) of cold unsalted butter cut into cubes directly into the food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
- Add 2 Tbsp of ice water and 1 Tbsp of vodka* and mix until the mixture comes together. Do not overmix.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured clean surface and bring it together with your hands. Form the dough into a round disc and wrap with plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour or overnight.
For the Caramel
- Prepare all of your ingredients before starting the process of making the caramel.
- To a saucepan add 3/4 cup (150g) of granulated sugar and 1/8 cup (30ml) of water. Give the mix a very slight stir just to evenly distribute the water. Then remove the spatula and turn the burner to medium/high heat.
- It is important not to stir the sugar water mixture while it toasts. If you would like to make sure the heat is distributing evenly, swirl the pan slightly from time to time.
- The mixture will bubble fiercely and turn light yellow, then light brown and then a deep amber. Pull the sugar off of the heat at your preferred color keeping in mind that the deeper the color, the bolder the flavor!
- Once you've pulled the sugar off of the heat, add 3 Tbsp (40g) of unsalted butter at room temperature to the saucepan. Whisk vigorously until the butter fully melts.
- Add in 1/4 cup (60ml) of heavy cream at room temperature and whisk again until combined. Add in a pinch of salt and mix! That's it-homemade caramel complete, set aside to cool.
For the Spiced Apple Filling
- To a medium saucepan add 3 medium apples (~390g), 1 Tbsp (14g) unsalted butter, 1 Tbsp (12g) of brown sugar, 1 tsp of ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp of ground nutmeg, 1 tsp of ground ginger, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 1 Tbsp (10g) of cornstarch, a squeeze of lemon juice, a pinch of salt and 2 Tbsp of water.
- Stir until everything is evenly distributed and then cover with a lid and allow to simmer for a few minutes.
- When the apples have softened properly, remove them from the heat to cool slightly.
- Once the apples have cooled enough, add them to a blender or food processor and pulse a few times until the apple pieces are small enough/a spreadable consistency.
- Add 1/2 of the homemade caramel to the apple mixture and set aside until it's time to fill the pastry rectangles.
For the Assembly/Bake
- Preheat the oven to 365℉ (roughly 185℃).
- Once the dough has finished chilling, remove it from the refrigerator and roll it into a rectangle roughly 10” x 5”. The dough will be very hard to work at first. You may allow it to warm up slightly on the counter but not for longer than 10 minutes.
- It’s important to work with pastry while it is cold. Perform the ⅓ fold technique to the dough by folding one short end ⅓ of the way over itself. Then fold the other short end over the previous fold. This process is similar to folding a piece of paper into thirds. Roll the dough into another 10” x 5” rectangle and perform the folds one more time.
- Divide the dough in half and roll into two roughly 12” x 8” rectangles using a knife to cut them to the size.
- Roll one of the pastry rectangles directly onto a parchment paper sheet. The pastry will be rolled thin to achieve this and there will be very little excess dough in the end.
- Carefully drag the pastry rectangle that was rolled onto the parchment paper onto a baking sheet. Spread the caramel apple filling over that rectangle leaving roughly a 1” border around the edges.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk one egg to create an egg wash. Brush the outer 1” border with the egg wash and place the second rectangle of pastry on top by rolling it around a rolling pin and carefully unrolling it over the caramel apple-covered pastry rectangle.
- Seal all edges by pressing a fork lightly around the outer edges of the pastry and three times down the center to allow air to escape.
- Brush the entire pastry with egg wash and bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven to cool completely.
For the Cinnamon Caramel Glaze
- Once the Caramel Apple Pop Tart has baked and cooled, mix together 1 cup (110g) of powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp (30g) milk, 1 Tbsp of homemade caramel and a dash of cinnamon until a homogenous glaze forms.
- Drizzle on top of the cooled pop tart, serve and enjoy!
Notes
*if you don't have vodka you can just use 3 Tbsp of ice water, however the vodka is HIGHLY recommended to achieve a super flaky pie crust