** I partnered with Ontario Apple Growers to create this recipe. Although I received monetary compensation for this post, reviews and opinions expressed are my own. **
Sweet pastry dough is pressed into mini muffin cups and filled with a sweet-tart apple cranberry jam. They’re topped with a heart motif and a sprinkle of coarse sugar to add some sparkle.
These apple cranberry tarts are the perfect Valentine’s treat to share with your loved ones and will melt your heart.
On Valentine’s Day, we typically express love with red roses and heart-shaped chocolate boxes. I prefer to touch the hearts of those most important to me with a homemade meal, dessert, and good wine. It’s my way of showing them my love, gratitude, and appreciation. My Valentines are my husband and two daughters.
I’m not sure what our Valentine’s Day dinner will be this year. Maybe Pork Medallions in Mushroom Sauce or my oldest daughter’s favourite, Coq au Vin. I’ll let my husband choose the wine: he’s good at that. But what I do know is that for dessert I will be serving these Two-Bite Apple Cranberry Tarts!
Your family needs to indulge in these treats this Valentine’s Day! Since the tarts are just two bites, you’ll want to eat more than one. This recipe yields 30 tarts so there’s plenty to pass around and share.
The delicious apple cranberry filling
I like using local McIntosh apples since they have a gentle sweetness and cook up smooth and creamy which is just right for these tarts. Along with the McIntosh apples, I add red cranberries to give a pop of red colour (a must for Valentine’s Day). The flavour of the tart cranberries compliments the sweet apples beautifully.
At the beginning when the apple cranberry filling starts cooking, it doesn’t look very red. But just wait until the cranberries heat up and start bursting and mixing in with the creamy apple pieces. The whole mixture turns a beautiful bright red.
The apple cranberry filling makes a generous amount for 30 tarts so you may end up with spoonfuls of extra filling. Set it aside to snack on, it’s perfectly sweet and tangy!
The no-fail sweet pastry
I’m in love with the buttery rich sweet pastry which is so easy to make. Just whirl up the pastry ingredients in a food processor then chill the dough before rolling. Even if you’ve never made any type of pie dough before, I guarantee you won’t fail with this sweet pastry dough! It’s smooth and silky to roll and bakes up to a crumbly flaky texture with a subtly sweet taste. It’s the ideal pastry to hold the amazing apple cranberry filling.
Tips for making the tarts
You’ll easily find fresh local McIntosh apples all year round at any grocery store. If cranberries are not in season, use frozen cranberries; you don’t even need to thaw them.
For best results, make sure you work with chilled dough. Also, make sure the assembled tarts are cold before popping them in the oven; this ensures they bake up flaky.
You need a 3” round biscuit cutter as well as a 1” heart cookie cutter to make these tarts. I happen to have a 3” round scalloped biscuit cutter that creates pretty wavy edges, but a simple round 3” cutter works perfectly too. You also need mini muffin tins; ideally two 24 cavity muffin tins so you can complete the recipe in one round. If you have only one tin, you will have to reserve ingredients and repeat the process with remaining ingredients as the recipe yields 30 tarts or possibly a few more.
Show your family you care on Valentine’s Day and make a batch of these adorable two-bite tarts!
Two-Bite Apple Cranberry Tarts
Sweet pastry dough is pressed into mini muffin cups and filled with a sweet-tart apple cranberry jam. Topped with a heart motif and a sprinkle of coarse sugar.
Ingredients
Sweet pastry
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup cold butter, cubed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, separated
- ½ cup cream cheese
Apple-cranberry filling and sugar topping
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ cup water (plus ¼ cup more as needed)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 4 cups cored, peeled and diced local McIntosh apples (about 3 – 4 medium)
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
- ¼ cup coarse sugar crystals (for topping)
Instructions
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For the sweet pastry: Add flour, butter, sugar and salt to the bowl of a food processor and whirl until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Separate the egg; place egg yolk in one small bowl and egg white in another small bowl. Reserve the egg white for brushing the top of tarts. Add egg yolk and cream cheese to the food processor and pulse until combined and the dough starts to clump together.
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Divide dough into 2 portions and shape each into a disk. Wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 – 2 hours until firm.
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Meanwhile, make the apple cranberry filling: In a medium-sized saucepan whisk the lemon zest, lemon juice, ¼ cup water, sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch. Add apples and cranberries and cook over medium heat for 4 – 6 minutes (longer if using frozen cranberries), while stirring occasionally, until most of the cranberries burst and the apples soften. Add up to ¼ cup more water, a little at a time, if necessary.
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Break up apple pieces and any un-burst cranberries with a fork to achieve a lumpy consistency. Continuing cooking for 2 - 3 minutes until the mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl and refrigerate to cool, at least 1 hour or longer. The filling will thicken as it cools.
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare two 24 cup mini muffin pans.
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Roll out the sweet pastry: Working with one disk of dough at a time, on a lightly floured work surface roll dough into a 14” circle (about ⅛” to ¼” thick). Cut out 30 three-inch circles, re-rolling the scraps from each disk as necessary. Place the circles into the cavities of the muffin pans by gently pressing them into the bottom and up the sides, bringing the edges of the dough to just above the rims. Wrap and refrigerate remaining scraps for the heart cut-outs.
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Fill each pastry cup with about 2 teaspoons apple cranberry filling. Place the pans in refrigerator to keep the tarts chilled for at least 10 minutes while cutting out the hearts.
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Re-roll remaining scraps to ⅛” - ¼” thickness. With a small heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out 30 hearts. Place a heart cut-out on top each tart, do not press. Lightly whisk the reserved egg white. Brush the heart and exposed pastry edges with the egg white and sprinkle with coarse sugar crystals.
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Bake for 20 - 22 minutes until golden brown. Let tarts set in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely. Store in refrigerator and serve cold or at room temperature.
Last fall I participated with Ontario Apple Growers on a local apple farm tour with several other food influencers. I had the opportunity to learn all about local apples directly from the growers.
Find out more about other types of local apples and how to use them.
I can’t wait to make these but unfortunately, it won’t be for Valentine’s Day this year with going away the next day….but they will definitely be for a special occasion soon!
When you have a chance to make them I’m sure you’re going to love them!
These look super yummy! Bet they taste even better 🙂
Thank you Heather! They are supper yummy and we’ll be enjoying them for Valentine’s Day. Wish you could join us!
Love, Love, Love,…All you need is Love!
And these Tarts!!!!
I cant wait to try them. So Cute!
I agree Love is all you need! I think you’re going to enjoy them! Easy as apple pie! Thank you Janis.
Looks delicious!