An apple galette is the perfect fall dessert! This easy recipe is packed with a fresh apple taste and a touch of cinnamon, and created with a homemade crust that will make you swoon.
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Pin RecipeThis delicious dessert is like a rustic, bakery-worthy apple pie but with a whole new twist. It is a little flatter than a pie which allows you to pick it up and eat it like a cookie or serve it on a plate with a fork.
It is also a little faster to make than a classic apple pie. We do love quick and easy dessert recipes! Our homemade apple galette is a versatile, tasty treat packed with that great fall taste of cinnamon, sugar, and apples.
Another thing I absolutely love about apple galettes is how gorgeous they are. The pretty sliced apples look almost like a flower! This dessert is guaranteed to be a show-stopper and perfect for your holiday dessert table. I make apple galettes for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and just as a special treat on a fall weekend. With the tips and tricks below, you’ll easily be able to make them, too!
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Homemade Apple Galette Recipe
This apple galette is made with homemade sour cream pie dough. The end result is a flakey, buttery, beautiful golden brown crust. However, if you’re looking for a shortcut, feel free to use store-bought pie crust instead. It will still be super yummy and pretty but take a lot less time to make!
Always be sure to use apples that are good for baking. Some apples are too soft and can get mushy under intense heat. We want them to hold their shape as they bake. Royal gala apples, golden delicious apples, and even honey crisp apples are perfect for making apple galettes.
Apple galettes are a fantastic dessert, but they also make a perfect breakfast. Imagine waking up to a freshly baked apple galette next to a warm latte. This sounds like a dream to me!
Ingredients for an Apple Galette
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions
Dough
- Butter – Unsalted butter is best.
- Salt
- Sour Cream – Adding sour cream to the pie dough makes it tender and also adds a nice tangy flavor that balances out the sweetness of the apples.
- Flour – Regular all-purpose flour works well. You will need a little extra for dusting your work surface. If needed, 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour can be substituted.
- Sugar
Filling
- Apples – Be sure to pick firm baking apples.
- Cornstarch – This will help thicken the juice from the apples as they bake.
- Brown Sugar – I like demerara sugar which has nice large crystals, but regular dark brown sugar will also work perfectly.
- Butter – Make sure the butter is cold.
- Cinnamon
- Egg Yolk – I use pure egg yolk to make an egg wash for the crust which helps it get a nice shine and golden color.
Variations
We have made a lot of galettes and we like to tweak the recipe a little bit each time, making the recipe new and exciting. Here are a few of our favorite variations:
- Use gluten-free all-purpose flour to make a GF galette.
- Sprinkle some chopped almonds or pecans into the filling.
- Add raisins or dried cranberries to the filling.
- Divide the dough into four pieces, and make individual-sized galettes.
- Add a few chocolate chips to the filling for a chocolate galette.
How to Make an Apple Galette
- Make the galette dough: Combine the dry ingredients for the galette dough in a bowl, and rub in the butter to make a grainy mix. Mix in the sour cream. Then, divide the dough into two balls, wrap them tightly, and refrigerate them.
- Shape the dough: Roll both dough balls into a 10-inch circle. Place each dough circle on a parchment-lined sheet tray. Sprinkle the dough with the cornstarch.
- Slice the apples: Slice the apples into ⅛ inch-thick pieces. Toss them with lemon juice to prevent them from browning.
- Place the apples: Place the apples in the center of each dough circle. Overlap them to make a pretty, flower-like design. Sprinkle the apples with the brown sugar and cinnamon, and top them with butter.
- Fold the dough: Fold the edges of the galette dough up over the apples, keeping the center open. Fold the dough inward all around the circle. Bring the dough in toward the center about 1-2 inches. You want to make it almost look like a pizza crust. Brush the dough with whisked egg yolk.
- Bake: Bake the galettes until they are golden brown and the juice from the apples is bubbling in the center. Cool slightly on the baking sheet before slicing and serving!
Quick Tip
Be sure to work with the galette dough while it is cold. It can be a little sticky so a nice, cold dough on a well-floured work surface is best!
How to Store Apple Galettes
Once your apple galettes are baked, you can let them cool completely and store them in an airtight container. Keep the galettes at room temperature for 3-4 days. Or, transfer them to the fridge for up to one week.
To reheat the apple galettes, place them in the toaster oven to heat for about 5 minutes at 350 degrees F. They’ll taste as good as new!
FAQs
Pies are baked in deep, sloped baking dishes while galettes are baked on flat baking trays. A galette is more free-form than a pie and usually has less filling and more crust.
Galette dough and pie dough are one in the same. They are both butter and flour-based doughs that bake to be flakey and tender. Unlike most recipes, our galette dough is made with sour cream for an extra tender texture and tangy flavor!
The word galette comes from the word ‘gale’ which means flat cake. It is a term often used in French cuisine to talk about flat cakes that don’t require a tin to bake. As a result, galettes are popular, because they’re easier to make than traditional tart.
More Incredible Fall Dessert Recipes
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Apple Dump Cake
Thanksgiving
Pecan Pie Bars
Quick & Easy Desserts
Copycat Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars
Recipes
Easy Apple Crumble
Apple Galette
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Rubber spatula
- Rolling Pin
- Baking sheet trays
- Parchment paper
- peeler
- Measuring cups
- measuring spoons
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon white sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter very cold cubes (you can flash freeze it before)
- 1 cup sour cream at least 20% (18% should be okay too)
Filling
- 4 medium apples (royal gala, golden delicious, jona gold), sliced into thin wedges
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter cold
- 4 Tablespoons brown sugar I used demerara (or other regular brown sugar with larger crystals)
- 1 egg yolk beaten
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, and salt. Add in very cold butter, small cubes and massage until it looks and feels crumbly.2 cups all purpose flour, 1 Tablespoon white sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ cup unsalted butter
- Follow with cold sour cream, and stir to combine until the batter comes together. You have to work fast or use a food processor.1 cup sour cream
- Shape into a large ball and divide into 2. Roll each into 2 smaller balls and tightly wrap with plastic wrap. Transfer to the fridge for 45 minutes. Once you are ready to take out the dough, prepare the next step first.
- Slice the apples (about ⅛ inches thick), drizzle them with lemon juice to prevent too much browning (they will still brown a little, which is fine too).4 medium apples, 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Cover with wet kitchen towel on top. You’ll need 1 large baking sheet per each galette. If the oven is smaller, just work with one ball at a time, keeping the other one in the fridge for longer. It’s okay, you can refrigerate the dough for 3-4 days.
- Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Remove the dough from the fridge, discard the plastic wrap. Place each ball onto parchment paper.
- Roll the dough out in a flat circle, about 10 inches wide. Sprinkle little flour for easier handling. If the edges are not even, it’s okay, we can hide and ‘’even’’ them out with just fingerstips. It’s a rustic galette, after all! The dough should not be sticky if refrigerated properly, you should be able to easily work with it. It will start to become sticky the longer it sits on the kitchen counter.
- Once ready, transfer the dough with the parchment paper onto the baking sheet. Sprinkle cornstarch all over the center part of the galette (where you’re going to layer the apples), 1 tablespoon per 1 galette.2 teaspoon cornstarch
- Arrange apple slices in the middle of the galette leaving about 1 ½ to 2 inches on the outer edges that we are going to fold in very soon.
- Dust the apples with cinnamon, about 1 teaspoon per galette. Top with cold butter cubes, 1 tablespoon per galette. Fold in the edges and generously brush with beaten egg yolk. Sprinkle brown sugar all across the galette, or just the edges (personal preference).4 Tablespoons brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 egg yolk
- Bake for 40-50 minutes until the edges become beautifully golden brown.
- Remove from the oven, let cool and enjoy as it is or top with peach, apricot or berry jam and enjoy right away. Or tangy caramel sauce with vanilla bean ice cream sounds great too!
