Happy Halloweekend! Looking forward to all the fall festivities as Halloween approaches. As someone that’s not a huge Halloween costume/going out person, I still much enjoy the actual season of it. Cozy Fall weather, the scariest of scary movies on every channel, halloween decorations on the brownstone lined streets, and obviously Pumpkin EVERYTHING. So of course to me, the beginning of Fall would mean a big ole Vegan Pumpkin Pie. My absolute favorite pie in life. Until now… because this one is game changing.
I’ve never made a tart before, but since my Grandma recently gave me her old tart pan, I knew it was an excuse to make something new. Rather than resorting to my regular pumpkin norm, it was time for this. Not another apple crumble recipe- which don’t get me wrong.. that’s still a top fav dessert of mine- or a classic apple pie. It was time for an Apple Tart!
BUT not just any Apple Tart. I had to elevate it somehow. Make it stick out from the many I’ve see scrolling through my feed. And to be fair, I’ve wanted an excuse to make Vegan Coconut Caramel for a whiiiiiile now. What says Autumn Festivities better than an Apple + Caramel combo?! BAM. This was made. And it was soOoOo perfect. Time consuming? Slightly. But perfect for a cold Saturday, PJS and fuzzy socks, with candles lit and heat blasting in your little home or apartment? HECK YES!
Don’t let the fear of making crust from scratch, or the intimidation of a homemade pie scare you again because this.is.it. And it isn’t hard at all! Promise you’ll love it (and possibly finish it within one night. Like Ryan + I. This tart lasted 48 hours.) Enjoy!
I N G R E D I E N T S:
- 4 small granny smith apples, peeled + sliced
- 1 Tbs of fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tbs of cornstarch
- 2 Tbs of cane sugar
- 2 Tbs of brown sugar
- 1 tsp of cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp of nutmeg
VEGAN BUTTER[LESS] CRUST
- 2 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
- 1 cup of solid refined coconut oil (if melted, pour + pop in the fridge for about 30 minutes or so- mix halfway)
- 6-8 Tbs of ice cold water
- 1 1/2 Tbs of sugar
- 1/2 tsp of sea salt
DOUGH: Let’s start with the crust because this part takes a tad bit more time to prep. In a food processor (or you can do in a bowl with a fork by hand), add the flour, sugar and salt. Pulse to combine. Then, add in the hard coconut oil but in tablespoon size bits/large pieces. Process (or mash to break down with a fork by hand) until crumbly and pea size pieces remain mixed with the flour, almost sand looking. Now, add 1 tablespoon a time of water while processing on high until a ball of dough is formed. Make sure to be patient while adding a tablespoon as a time because you don’t want it to get too wet and sticky. Once it comes together, add to a floured surface and carefully form a ball. Wrap and place it in the fridge for 30 mins to set.
SWEET APPLE TART: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. In a large bowl, add your sliced apples and remaining ingredients. Mix well to combine and set aside.
Once the dough has chilled, take out and cut in half. NOW, my tart pan is larger than the normal size, and half the dough was plenty amount. I saved the other half wrapped well in the fridge for another tart (!!), but you can either save it for later, or if making a pie, this will be the perfect amount for the bottom, and top to cover. Anyhow, roll out half to fit your tart pan, and place while handling gently, pushing down evenly in your pan— you don’t want to warm and melt all the coconut oil before baking. Add the apples on top! I carefully placed mine in a circular pattern around the edges, working into the middle, but all to your fancay desire. It will still taste perrrrrfect! Pour the left over juices from the bowl over the top.
Cook uncovered for about 60-70 minutes until edges are golden and cooked to perfection. Watch carefully to avoid burning, incase your tart pan in smaller, or your oven it a tad bit hotter. Remove from the oven, and drizzle as much caramel as you desire alllllllll ova the tart. MMMM!
vegan salted caramel sauce
- 1 13.5 oz can of full fat coconut milk
- 1/2 cup of coconut sugar
- 1/4 tsp of sea salt (more to taste for a saltier caramel)
- 1 tsp of coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
COCONUT CARAMEL PERFECTION: In a small sauce pan over high heat, add the coconut milk and coconut sugar + salt. Whisk well until combined, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to low and cook while stirring/whisking and scraping the sides and bottom every so often for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, increase heat to medium low and stir much more frequent. You’ll notice the dark color it begins to take on! After 10 minutes, your sauce will be a dark amber color, and has thicken a bit. It will thicken as it cool so don’t worry if it looks runny. Color is key here! Pour in a glass jar, and pop in the fridge once it’s cooled down a bit. Use as desired- you’ll have plennnnnty left over. 🙂
*Notes: The crust was adapted by Sweet Simples Vegan’s recipe, and the caramel was adapted by Downshiftology’s recipe 🙂