Apple Galette

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An apple galette is a classic fall treat. A crisp, flaky buttery crust is filled with juicy tart apples tossed in sweet brown sugar and warm cinnamon. It boasts all the flavors and textures of an apple pie, but takes minimal effort to make.

📌 PIN APPLE GALETTE RECIPE

A rustic apple tart is an easy dessert for lazy days. For this simple recipe you can use a homemade tart crust or a store-bought refrigerated pie crust. Make the apple pie filling at home, or buy it in a jar (or can) from the market.

Roll out the dough. Spoon apple pie filling onto the center. With your fingers, fold the edges of the dough inward, over the apples. Brush the edges with egg wash. For sparkle and texture, sprinkle the apple galette with white sparkling sugar then bake. Your whole kitchen will smell like autumn.

It’s super quick and fun to make a free-form apple pie. With a presentation that’s perfectly imperfect, it’s filled with so much rustic beauty. Not even a French bakery can make a better one!

Like peach galette, this no-hassle recipe is ridiculously simple. You can’t mess it up. For an easy recipe variation, use half apples and half Bosc pears for the filling. If desired, brush the warm fruit filling with apricot jam.

Make 1 large galette to slice like pie, or several mini apple tarts for individual servings. Enjoy this classic dessert warm or at room temperature.

To jazz things up, drizzle salted caramel sauce over the top. Garnish the dessert with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. On hot afternoons, serve apple galette with rounded scoops of vanilla ice cream.

🛒 INGREDIENTS

Rustic Tart Crust

• All-purpose Flour: This ingredient is the base of the rustic tart crust. It provides strength and structure, and helps create the pastry.
• Ground cinnamon: This warming spice has an earthy, savory flavor with a hint of sweet. It’s aromatic and comforting.
• Sea Salt: This seasoning enhances the flavor of the crust.
• Butter: Contributes delicious flavor to the homemade tart crust. But it must be very cold in order to create light lofty layers. I use unsalted butter for this recipe. But if you only have salted butter on hand, use that instead. Just reduce the amount of sea salt to 1/4 teaspoon.
• Ice-cold Water: Adds the perfect amount of liquid needed to bring the pastry together. The water used must be super cold to help keep the butter chilled for a beautiful, flaky crust. (We’re using the very cold water – not any ice.)

🍏 Apple Filling

• Apples: I prefer Granny Smith apples because they’re firm, tart, and hold up well during baking. Instead of falling apart, they hold their shape. But you can use whatever apples you have on hand, or pair Granny Smith apples with a sweeter, more flavorful type.
• Light Brown Sugar: Sweetens the apple galette filling and off-sets the tartness of the apples. If you don’t have this ingredient on hand, use dark brown sugar or granulated sugar instead.
• Ground Cinnamon: This warm spice is traditional for apple pie filling. For a fabulous flavor combination, pair cinnamon with 2 pinches of nutmeg and a small pinch of allspice. Or use store-bought apple pie spice instead. Find it at the market near the pumpkin pie spice.
• Cornstarch: Absorbs excess juices from the apples to keep the filling from being too wet. We don’t want extra moisture pooling up in the pastry dough. Because no one likes a soggy crust!
• Vanilla Extract: Is an aromatic flavoring that enhances the flavor of the other ingredients. I prefer Mexican vanilla extract for its rich buttery taste and bakery aroma.
• Lemon Juice: Adds freshness and acidity to the filling. I have several lemon trees out back, so I alway use freshly-squeezed lemon juice. But to save time and money, feel free to use bottled lemon juice if desired.
• Sea Salt: This seasoning enhances the flavor of the other ingredients.
• Butter: Adds delicious richness to the filling. It contributes a buttery, savory taste for our apple galette. And when the pastry is warm, it gives the apples a yummy glistening glimmer and shine.

For Brushing & Sprinkling

• Egg with Water: Beaten together they create an “egg wash.” We brush it on the edges of the pastry before baking. It helps the crust develop a beautiful golden-blonde color in the oven.
• White Sparkling Sugar: These coarse sugar crystals add sparkle and texture to the edges of the apple galette.

📖 RECIPE STEPS

Homemade Tart Dough

Food processor

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• STEP 1: Add flour and cinnamon to the bowl of a food processor. Briefly pulse to combine. Add diced (cold) butter to the bowl. The temperature of the butter is important for a flaky apple galette.
• STEP 2: Pulse just until the mixture resembles coarse meal. There may be some pieces of butter in the mix that are the size of small peas.
• STEP 3: With the food processor running on low speed, slowly drizzle in the ice-cold water. Pulse just until the water is incorporated. The tart dough will be shaggy and will not come together to form a ball.
• STEP 4: Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured board. Gather the dough together. Knead it 1 to 2 times with the heel of your hands. For 1 large apple galette, shape it into a round disk and wrap tightly in plastic. (For mini apple tarts, divide dough into 4 pieces.) Chill dough in the fridge for 30 minutes. In the meantime, make the apple filling.

Apple Filling & Apple Galette Assembly

RECIPE PREP: Preheat oven to 350ºF. For 1 large apple galette, pull out a round 12-inch nonstick pan. For mini apple tarts, line 2 baking trays with parchment paper or reusable silicone baking mats.

ROUND 12-inch NONSTICK PAN

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• STEP 1: Add apples, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, vanilla, lemon juice and sea salt to a large mixing bowl. Toss to combine. If the apples are extra juicy, add a touch more cornstarch and toss again. Taste the mixture. See if it could use another pinch of salt.
• STEP 2: For 1 large apple galette, on a lightly-floured board, roll out the dough into a large circle that’s 1/4-inch thick. For mini apple tarts, roll out each disk into a 1/4-inch thick circle about 8-inches in diameter.
• STEP 3: Arrange apple mixture in the center of the dough. Leave a large empty border all the way around the filling. Place thin pats of butter over the apples for richness, moisture and shine.
• STEP 4: Fold the edges of the tart up and over the filling leaving a circle of apples visible in the center. Pinch the seams together so they don’t open while baking. Brush the edges of the apple galette with egg wash. Sprinkle the tart with white sparkling sugar. Transfer to a baking pan.

• STEP 5: Bake apple galette(s) for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the crust is golden and crisp. If a luxurious shine is desired, drizzle melted butter over exposed apple filling, or brush apples with 1/4 cup apricot jam (microwaved for 30 seconds) mixed with 2 tablespoons water.

👩🏻‍🍳 RECIPE FAQ

These are the most commonly-asked questions for making the BEST apple galette, and the most helpful answers for recipe success.

👉🏻 More easy TARTS TO MAKE ASAP

If you love easy recipes like galettes and tarts, these are the recipes for you! Make each dessert with a homemade pie crust or a store-bought pie crust, or in some instances with a sheet of puff pastry.

Save your favorites for later. Pin them to Pinterest.

• Peach Galette
• Caramel Apple Tartlets
• Lemon Pop Tarts
• Blueberry Pop Tarts
• Chocolate Pop Tarts
• Strawberry Pop Tarts
• Pumpkin Pop Tarts
• Mini Lemon Tarts

RATE THIS RECIPE ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Taste testers rated this the BEST apple galette recipe. They compared it to 1 similar online recipe and 2 mini apple tarts purchased at a local bakery. They preferred the taste and texture of our delicious crust and apple filling.

If you too love this yummy apple galette recipe, don’t keep it a secret. Pin it to Pinterest to share. Then give it a 5-star rating in the comments.

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🍎 APPLE GALETTE > JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Do you prefer making 1 large apple galette, or a few mini apple tarts? Share your thoughts on this easy recipe in the comments below.