Making the Perfect GF Rose tartlets
I don’t know about you, but Pinterest inspires me, so when I saw these caramel apple rose tartlets I knew I wanted to try to make them gluten-free. As you know, it’s always a bit of a challenge getting it to turn out exactly like it looks on Pinterest, especially when it comes to working with gluten-free dough. Pinterest recipes using filo or pastry flour look like they graduated from a fine art school, while mine looks like I’m still learning to draw within the lines, if you know what I mean. Working with gluten-free dough never quite performs the same, but in the end, these gluten-free caramel apple rose tartlets turned out well enough to take them to my girl’s night out event.
Successful tartlet tips
Making gluten-free caramel apple rose tartlets is not as easy as making a pie but the end result is worth it. You do have to make sure your apples are a bit soft in order to roll them up. Just a few minutes in the microwave with a little added water does the trick. I just had a wee problem, my microwave decided to quit on me the day before. You don’t realize how much you use a particular appliance until you don’t have it anymore, like heating up a cup of coffee or melting butter for popcorn. I placed the sliced apples in a frying pan with a little water and a touch of cinnamon and softened them right up. It worked, it just took a bit longer. It’s also good to use an apple with a bright red or bright pink skin. Using a Granny Smith is probably not the same because I have never seen a green rose, at least not one from nature. I did use nectarines in one of my batches and I ended up with a beautiful peach rose tart. If you are interested in checking out any of my other tart recipes here they are:
- Gluten-free Blackberry Plum Tart
- Gluten-free Heirloom Tomato Tart
- Gluten & Dairy-free Peach Tart
- Gluten-free Dried Fig & Wild Honey Tart
You may use your favorite caramel sauce for topping the apple roses. I used Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond’s recipe for my caramel sauce. You can find the recipe here: Easy Caramel Sauce
With the crisp fall air just around the corner, apple orchards are ripe for the picking. I hope you get a chance to try out this recipe. And remember to always buy organic, especially when it comes to apples. Most apples are sprayed nearly twenty times before they are picked from the tree! Of any fruit out there, apples are one of the worst when it comes to chemical sprays, so eat clean and be healthy! But there are some others that may surprise you. Here is a link to the Dirty Dozen worst fruits & veggies with pesticides.
Gluten-free Caramel Apple Rose Tartlets
Print recipe
| Serves | 6 |
| Prep time | 30 minutes |
| Cook time | 30 minutes |
| Total time | 1 hour |
| Dietary | Gluten-free |
| Meal type | Dessert |
Ingredients
apple tart
- 2 Medium Red Organic Apples (I used Gala)
- 1/2 Medium Juice from Lemon
- 3 tablespoons Apricot Preserves (slightly thinned with water)
apple tart (Optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
caramel sauce
- 1/2 cup Caramel Sauce (http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/easy-caramel-sauce/)
crust
- 1 1/4 cup GF Baking Mix (I used King Arthur's GF Multi-Purpose)
- 1/2 teaspoon Xanthan Gum
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 6 tablespoons Cold Butter (cubed)
- 1 Large Egg
- 2 teaspoons Lemon Juice
Directions
| apple tart | |
| Step 1 | |
| Slice apples in half and then carefully cut the core out. You want to keep the half of the apple in tact. | |
| Step 2 | |
| Carefully slice your half apple pieces into thin equal strips of apple. I used a mandolin to keep them uniform in size | |
| Step 3 | |
| Place those apple slices in a microwavable bowl of water with juice of half a lemon. This will help prevent the apples from browning. Microwave the apples for 3-4 minutes to soften. Then, drain the water out of the bowl. If not using a microwave, place apples in a sauté pan with a small amount of water and cook on medium until apples are soft. | |
| crust | |
| Step 4 | |
| In a medium size bowl whisk together the gf flour or gf flour blend, sugar, xanthan gum, and salt. | |
| Step 5 | |
| Cut the cold butter into pats, then work the pats into the flour mixture till it's crumbly, with some larger, pea-sized chunks of butter remaining. | |
| Step 6 | |
| Whisk the egg and vinegar or lemon juice together till very foamy. Mix into the dry ingredients. Stir until the mixture holds together, adding 1 to 3 additional tablespoons cold water if necessary. | |
| Step 7 | |
| Shape into a ball and chill for an hour, or up to overnight. | |
| Step 8 | |
| Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before rolling. | |
| Step 9 | |
| Roll out dough into a rectangle shape onto a gf floured surface to 1/8 inch thick. Slice rolled dough into six even strips through the shortest width of the dough. | |
| tart assembly | |
| Step 10 | |
| Spread a thin layer of apricot preserves onto each strip. | |
| Step 11 | |
 Start on one end and place the apple strips onto the pie crust strips. The apple slices will stack on top of each other as you work your way down. You want a little of the apple popping off the pie crust strip. Leave a little empty crust at the end of the strip. | |
| Step 12 | |
| Sprinkle with a little cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice. | |
| Step 13 | |
 Fold over the bottom half of the pie crust on top of the apple slices. | |
| Step 14 | |
| Start at one side and start rolling. When you get to the end, take the little bit of extra pie crust and press it into other pastry to create a slight seal. | |
| Step 15 | |
| Place them into a muffin pan cup sprayed with a little bit of non-stick spray. | |
| Step 16 | |
 Pour about one tablespoon of your favorite caramel sauce ( I used Ree Drummond's recipe: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/easy-caramel-sauce/ over each apple rose tartlet. | |
| Step 17 | |
| Bake at 375 for 30-45 minutes or until pie crust is fully cooked. | |
| Step 18 | |
 Cool completely before serving. Dust lightly with powdered sugar if desired. | |
This recipe is shared on the following blogs: RaiasRecipes
How pretty, Laurie! And this is a recipe that my mom can have. Nice meeting you at IFBC!
Thank you, Mary, it was nice meeting you as well! You can make the rose tarts with other fruit as well, such as peaches or pears. I hope you enjoy!
These look delicious, and they are so pretty!
Thank you Bethany, they are fun to make and they taste good too!
Those are so beautiful, Laurie! Thank you so much for sharing them with us at Savoring Saturdays! They were the most popular post from last weekend’s party, so we’ll all be featuring them this weekend. Hope to see you back again! 🙂
Thank you, Raia! They are so much fun to make too. Enjoy!
Wow these are pretty! Thanks so much for sharing this with us at Savoring Saturdays! Hope you’ll join us again tomorrow.
These look insanely delicious! I can’t wait to try your recipe! I only hope mine come out as beautiful as yours!! xx
Thank you, Andrea! The main thing is to make sure your apples are a bit soft, it helps when rolling them.
WOW. I’m a total menace when it comes to baking anything pretty. I’m used to comments about how GREAT a dessert tastes, despite its less-than-appealing form. What can I say? I was born without artistic talent. But these? So simple! They’re going to impress tonight. Thanks for this! 🙂