These apple and chocolate cream tartlets offer a wonderful balance of textures, where a crisp shortcrust pastry meets a velvety filling. The combination of apples and chocolate is a time-tested classic, elevated here with warm notes of honey and the fragrant spice of cinnamon. The aroma of baking honey dough instantly fills the kitchen with coziness, while bright slices of caramelized fruit make the presentation truly festive. This dessert is the perfect finale to a family dinner or an elegant pairing for a cup of strong coffee.
Appetizing homemade tartlets with caramelized apples and a delicate mascarpone-based chocolate cream.
Dough Ingredients
- 40 g neutral cooking oil
- 40 g milk
- 130 g all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 20 g honey
Filling Ingredients
- 1 large apple
- 15 g granulated sugar
- ground cinnamon
- 10 g butter
- 60 g apricot jam
Cream and Garnish Ingredients
- 100 g milk chocolate
- 50 g mascarpone cheese
- 100 g sweetened condensed milk
- cashew nuts and pastry sprinkles
How to Make Apple Tartlets with Chocolate Cream
Prepare the dough. Pour neutral cooking oil into a mixer bowl, add milk and honey. Mix well, then fold in the flour and baking powder. Knead the dough quickly; if it feels too soft and sticky, you can add a little more flour. Let the prepared dough rest for 10-15 minutes.
The dough should be soft and elastic. Make sure to let it rest for 10-15 minutes before shaping.
Divide the dough into 6 equal parts—using a kitchen scale makes this much easier. Equal portions will bake evenly and yield uniformly sized tartlets.
Use a kitchen scale to divide the dough into equal portions to ensure the tartlets bake evenly.
You can use metal or silicone muffin tins for baking. If using metal tins, it is best to line them with parchment paper. Cut out a circle of paper to fit, place a piece of dough on it, and stretch it almost to the edges. Place the dough into the tin and gently press the edges. Silicone molds do not need greasing, but I recommend lightly oiling regular baking paper so the dough does not stick.
Place the dough into parchment-lined molds, gently spreading it almost to the very edges.
Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Bake the tartlet shells in the preheated oven for 22-25 minutes, until they turn a beautiful golden brown.
Bake the shells until they take on a beautiful golden color. They should be crisp on the outside and tender inside.
Slice a large sweet-tart apple. Lightly coat a skillet with a drop of vegetable oil, melt the butter, and add the apple slices. Sprinkle with sugar and ground cinnamon. Sauté for 3 minutes on each side, then let cool to room temperature.
Sauté the apples with sugar and cinnamon in butter until they become fragrant, soft, and caramelized.
Prepare the chocolate cream. Melt the milk chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave. Let the melted chocolate cool to 30°C (86°F), then add the mascarpone cheese. Whisk the chocolate and mascarpone together, gradually adding the sweetened condensed milk in small batches. If the cream isn’t sweet enough for your taste, you can sift in a little powdered sugar. Transfer the finished cream to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
Whisk the mascarpone with melted chocolate and condensed milk until you achieve a thick, highly stable cream.
Remove the baked pastry shells from their molds. Spread a layer of thick apricot jam over the cooled bases—this isn’t just for flavor. The jam acts as a glue, securing the apples and cream to the crust.
A layer of apricot jam adds a pleasant fruity tartness and helps anchor the apples to the base.
Layer the cooled apple slices on top of the apricot jam.
Arrange the cooled, spiced slices of caramelized apples on top of the jam-filled pastry shells.
Pipe the chocolate cream onto the tartlets. Garnish with cashew nuts and colorful pastry sprinkles. Keep the pastries in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
The final touch—decorating the tartlets with cashew nuts and bright pastry sprinkles for a festive mood.
These finished apple and chocolate cream tartlets are best served after a brief rest in the refrigerator—this allows the mascarpone-based cream to set and become even more tender. If you want to experiment, try swapping the milk chocolate for dark chocolate for a more intense flavor, or fold a little grated orange zest into the apple filling. Store the dessert in an airtight container in a cool place for no more than two days, ensuring the pastry retains its pleasant crumbly texture.
For a striking presentation, you can lightly dust the piped cream with cocoa powder or add a sprig of fresh mint right before serving. If you don't have cashews on hand, flaked almonds or crushed hazelnuts make great substitutes and highlight the nutty notes of the honey crust. These little culinary masterpieces prove that you can create a restaurant-quality dish from simple, everyday ingredients.
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