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There’s something so charming about a rustic French tart — a simple combination of fruit, butter, and pastry that feels both effortless and elegant. This apple blueberry tart brings together thinly sliced apples and fresh blueberries in a buttery pâte sucrée crust for a dessert that’s as beautiful as it is delicious.
About the Crust
The base of this tart is a classic pâte sucrée — a lightly sweetened shortcrust pastry used often in French baking. Buttery, versatile, and tender, it makes the perfect canvas for fresh fruit.
This recipe yields enough dough for two 9-inch tarts (or sixteen 4-inch minis). You can bake two at once, or save half the dough for another day (storage tips below). We’ll be par-baking the crust — which means baking it just partway before adding the fruit filling — so it stays crisp once the apples and blueberries are added.
Tip: I love using a tart tin with a removable bottom — it makes for a beautiful presentation — but any pie dish or tart pan works.
Tips for Making the Dough
- Keep it cold: Cut your butter into small cubes and chill until ready to use. Cold butter creates that flaky, tender texture.
- Work quickly: Incorporate the butter into the flour until it resembles pea-sized crumbs, before it softens.
- Flour lightly: Too much flour when rolling makes dough tough; too little and it sticks. A light dusting is just right.
- Dock the crust: Use a fork to prick the base before baking. This keeps it from puffing up, no pie weights needed.
- Cool properly: After baking, cool the tart on a wire rack. Removing it from the tin while still warm prevents the bottom from becoming soggy.
Storing Extra Dough
One of my favorite things about pâte sucrée is having extra on hand. With half the work already done, a tart can come together in minutes.
Freezer: Wrap in plastic + place in a freezer-safe bag. Keeps up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or leave at room temperature for a couple of hours before using.
Refrigerator: Wrap dough in two layers of plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature for 20 minutes before rolling.
What Apples Work Best?
Use whatever you have on hand! When I tested this recipe, I used Cosmic Crisp apples, but Granny Smith would lend a tart note if you prefer. The key is slicing thinly — about ⅛ inch thick. A sharp paring knife works well, though a mandoline is perfect for uniform slices.
Before baking, the apple slices are tossed with flour, sugar, vanilla bean seeds, and lemon juice. The lemon brightens the flavor and helps prevent browning.
Can You Use Frozen Blueberries?
I don’t recommend it. Frozen blueberries release too much liquid as they bake, leaving the crust soggy. Fresh blueberries give you that lovely pop of flavor without excess moisture.
This tart is beautiful in its simplicity, but a little something extra never hurts:
- A scoop of vanilla ice cream
- A dollop of whipped cream (chantilly)
- Or simply dusted with powdered sugar
With its red and blue hues, it’s also perfect for summer gatherings like Bastille Day (July 14th) — or even the Fourth of July!
How to Serve & Store
Serve warm or at room temperature. Any leftovers can be covered with foil or plastic wrap and kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Why You’ll Love This Tart
This recipe is proof that with just a few ingredients, you can create something that feels special — the kind of everyday French dessert that’s as welcome at a Sunday lunch as it is at a summer fête. And because the crust recipe makes extra, you’re always just one step away from another tart, whether with apples, peaches, or whatever fruit the season brings.
Bon appétit!
Gaby
Apple Blueberry Tart
Equipment
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 tart tin or pie pan
- 2 sheets of plastic wrap
- 1 small bowl
- 1 large bowl
Ingredients
Pâte Sucrée tart crust
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
Apple Blueberry Filling
- 2 1/2 cups thinly sliced apples about 2 large apples
- 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- seeds 1/2 vanilla bean pod
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
Instructions
Pâte Sucrée Tart Dough
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and salt.
- Add the cubes of cold butter to the flour mixture. Using your hands, toss the cubes of butter in the flour mixture until they are coated.
- Working quickly as to not allow the butter to melt, press the flour and butter mixture between the fingertips of your thumbs, index, and middle fingers. Continue to press the mixture with your fingertips until the it resembles a grainy mixture. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks, and heavy cream together.
- Drizzle the egg mixture over the flour and butter mixture, and use a fork to toss the mixture until no dry ingredients are visible. Be careful to not overwork the dough.
- Divide the dough into two parts, and shape each into a disk. Wrap them in plastic wrap and place into the refrigerator for at least one hour to chill.
Apple Blueberry Fruit Filling
- Wash apples thoroughly. Slice them in half, and remove the core. Using a sharp paring knife, or a mandoline, slice the apples into thin slices, about 1/8 inch thickness. Place the apple slices into a large bowl and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and vanilla bean seeds. Stir to incorporate, then add the lemon juice. Continue stirring until a paste forms.
- Pour the past mixture over the sliced apples and toss until the apple slices are fully covered.
- Add the blueberries, and gently fold into the mixture using your hands, being careful not to crush the blueberries.
Baking The Tart Crust
- Remove the tart crust from the refrigerator, and roll out on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out to a large enough circle to fill the tart tin, plus 1-2 inches for the sides (eg. a 9 inch tart tin would need a 12-13 inch circle).
- Using your rolling pin, wrap the dough around the rolling pin and gently transfer to the tart tin. Press the dough into the tart tin and up the sides. Use your rolling pin to roll over the edges of the tart tin to remove any excess dough. If the dough tears, simply use the excess to do a little patchwork.
- Place the tin and dough into the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Remove the tin and dough from the refrigerator, and use a fork to poke holes on the bottom surface of the unbaked tart dough.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
Assembling The Tart
- Remove the par baked tart crust from the oven, and start arranging the apples slices in fan type fashion, being sure to overlap slices (like roof shingles). You will start on the outside of the tart shell, and arrange them in concentric circles until you reach the center.
- Sprinkle the blueberries evenly on top.
- Sprinkle the small cubes of butter evenly over the mixture.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.
- When the tart in baked, place the tin on a wire rack for cooling. When the tart tin is cool enough to handle, remove the tart, and allow it to finish cooling on the wire rack.
