Salted Caramel Apple Tart {Grain Free, Paleo}

This gorgeous salted caramel apple tart is an irresistible fall dessert and easier than you think!  It begins with a buttery grain free pastry crust filled with juicy apples and topped with an easy dairy free salted caramel sauce.  Gluten free, grain free, dairy-free option, paleo, and family approved!

Yes – I’m guilty of bombarding you all with Thanksgiving/fall themed desserts this week.  First I threw a (classic, delicious, and paleo) pumpkin pie in your face (whipped cream and all), and now it’s a wildly seductive salted caramel apple tart (a la mode).  Also paleo.  Does that make it better?

Apologies in advance  for what’s to come tomorrow – a paleo and vegan pumpkin chocolate cheesecake.  Are you hating me yet?  Isn’t it enough that I may or may not have gained 5 lbs (or more) over the past two  weeks testing (and eating) these recipes – all for you guys?!

But no worries , it’s all in the plan: to make up for the buckets of (unrefined) sugar this week, I’ll be sharing 3 (equally delectable) savory recipes next week, two of which are Whole30 compliant.  We get the best of both on this blog – that’s how we roll (run) over here!

Now, eyes back on today’s prize – the salted caramel apple tart.  This ridiculously tasty apple dessert was brought to you by the fact that I’m too much of a coward to make an actual paleo apple pie with a lattice top.  I will try it one day, I will.  Working up the courage, it’ll happen!

Although, if you’re interested, one of my favorite bloggers, Bakerita, has a mean looking paleo apple pie that I might just attempt one of these weekends.  Maybe I’ll have my kids make the lattice!  Then they can show ME how it’s done 🙂

Anyway, I’m not sure which part of this apple tart is the star of the show.  It all begins with a pastry crust almost identical to the one I used for my pumpkin pie.  It’s a slight variation on my basic pie crust recipe that seems to work like magic for everything I need it to.

For the fat in the crust, you’ll see in the ingredients that you can use either palm oil shortening (for completely dairy-free) or grass-fed butter, or a combination of both.  I’ve been using a combination of grass-fed butter and palm oil shortening and it seems to be the best of both worlds for flavor and texture.  The only fat I don’t suggest using is coconut oil – unfortunately it creates a greasy yet crumbly texture – so sad – since I love using coconut oil whenever I can.

As for the filling, we have thinly sliced pink lady apples, a bit of tapioca (or arrowroot) as a thickener, some coconut sugar, lemon juice, and spices!  I use this organic apple pie spice from Primal Palate and love it, but feel free to use whichever spice blend suits you.

But maybe we should discuss the elephant in the room?  The dairy-free and paleo salted caramel sauce?!   Now, if you’ve been following my blog for awhile you know I like to use this caramel sauce (or some variation on it) quite often.

And if you’re new – welcome to the (paleo dessert) jungle.  This salted caramel sauce is about to rock your world.  I’m not even joking, it’s just so good!  And easy!  You simply cook up coconut milk and coconut sugar on the stove and allow it to boil until it thickens and turns into caramel, then add some vanilla and salt, and…

Well, there you have it.  The perfect Paleo Salted Caramel Apple Tart!  Again, don’t hate me, but you might have a bit of extra caramel sauce leftover after it’s all said and done, just don’t call me crying if you eat all of it with a spoon.  It happens.  We’re human and we eat yummy things with spoons sometimes.  It’s all going to be just fine 🙂

Now, are you ready to get started?!  I can’t wait for you guys to try this one!  Let’s start baking!

Salted Caramel Apple Tart {Grain Free, Paleo}

Salted Caramel Apple Tart {Grain Free, Paleo}

This gorgeous salted caramel apple tart is an irresistible fall dessert and easier than you think!  It begins with a buttery grain free pastry crust filled with juicy apples and topped with an easy dairy free salted caramel sauce.  Gluten free, grain free, dairy-free option, paleo, and family approved!

Author: Michele

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Course: Baking/Dessert

Cuisine: grain free, Paleo

Servings: 8

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5 from 17 votes

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 cup blanched almond flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• 2 Tbsp coconut flour
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 2 Tbsp pure maple sugar or organic coconut sugar
• 7 Tbsp palm oil shortening or grass-fed butter, or a combination of both
• 1 egg

Filling:

• 3 pink lady apples peeled and sliced thin, about 1/8-1/4 inch thick
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp tapioca flour
• 3 Tbsp organic coconut sugar
• 1/2 Tbsp apple pie spice
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch salt

Caramel:

• 2/3 cup full fat coconut milk You can also use coconut cream only for a thicker caramel
• 3 1/2 Tbsp coconut sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt

Instructions

Prepare the Dough/Crust:

1. In a food processor, pulse the dry ingredients with the butter or palm shortening (or both, if combining) until crumbs form, then pulse in the egg to form a dough. Flatten dough into a disk and wrap in plastic, chill for 30 minutes while you prepare caramel

Prepare the Salted Caramel:

1. Combine the coconut milk or cream with the coconut sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat and whisk, bringing to a boil. Once boiling, continue to whisk and cook over med heat for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is reduced, thickened and a deep caramel color. Make sure you continue to whisk while cooking to avoid burning.

2. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and salt. Set aside to cool a bit until ready to use - you will need to gently whisk before drizzling over the tart.

Prepare the Apple Filling:

1. In a mixing bowl, toss the sliced apples with all the other filling ingredients to thoroughly coat, cover and refrigerate. At this point, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F

Assemble the Tart:

1. Remove dough from refrigerator and flatten as much as possible while in the plastic wrap. Unwrap and place in the middle of your tart pan - either a 9” round or 14 x 5” rectangle are perfect. Using a piece of parchment paper, press the dough into the bottom of the pan and up the sides. This dough breaks easily but also patches quickly, and if it softens too much you can chill for a few minutes midway.

2. Place tart pan on a large baking sheet and bake crust in the preheated oven for 7-8 minutes, until the bottom is just set (it might puff up a bit, no worries).

3. Remove from oven and arrange the apple mixture in the partially baked crust, avoiding overfilling (apples should be mostly level with the sides), then drizzle about 2-3 Tbsp of the salted caramel sauce over the apples (you’ll save the rest for after baking)

4. Bake in the preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes until apples are softened and crust is deep golden brown. Check after about 20 minutes of baking, and cover the top with aluminum foil to avoid burning the edges of the crust

5. Remove from oven and immediately drizzle at least 3 more Tbsp salted caramel over the apple filling. Allow to cool, then cut into slices and serve with a scoop of ice cream and any extra caramel sauce if desired.  Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 350kcal

Carbohydrates: 34g

Protein: 4g

Fat: 23g

Saturated Fat: 10g

Cholesterol: 20mg

Sodium: 180mg

Potassium: 132mg

Fiber: 3g

Sugar: 17g

Vitamin A: 65IU

Vitamin C: 4mg

Calcium: 47mg

Iron: 1.6mg

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What I used To Make My Salted Caramel Apple Tart:

Want More Delicious Paleo Fall Baking Recipes?  Try One of These!

Classic Paleo Pumpkin Pie

Paleo and Vegan Maple Pecan Apple Crisp

Paleo Apple Muffins with Crumb Topping

Simple Paleo Pumpkin Bread

Paleo and Vegan Apple Pie Bars

Tell Me!

Have you made dairy-free caramel before? 

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