Apple galette is like an open-face apple pie, with half the effort! This French-inspired dessert has a flaky, buttery homemade pastry and warm cinnamon apples, topped with a sweet almond caramel drizzle. It’s a rustic fall recipe that’s perfect for cozy weekends or Thanksgiving.
This apple galette is a French-style tart made from spiced apples and a buttery crust. Years ago, my mom adapted a Cooking Light recipe to incorporate an easy homemade pastry dough. Meanwhile, the combination of cozy cinnamon apples with a glossy almond caramel drizzle is one of my favorites. I think you’ll love it wrapped up in this sweet, flaky, easy-to-make galette pastry!
I’ve been baking up a storm lately, now that apples are in season. First, it was this hard-to-resist apple bundt cake. Then, my beloved apple bread (my Mom’s recipe). Of course, I made apple crisp. And any apples that haven’t found their way into desserts become homemade applesauce!
Why You’ll Love This Rustic Apple Galette for Fall
- Quick and easier than pie. I love homemade apple pie, and an apple galette delivers those flavors with a fraction of the effort.
- No special pans. That’s the beauty of a galette. You don’t even need a pie plate!
- Cozy, caramelized apples and almond flavor. It’s packed with warm cinnamon apples, with a layer of almond-flavored marzipan underneath, and a drizzle of almond-scented caramel as an extra touch.
- Any occasion. This easy apple galette recipe is perfect for weekends, brunches, and holidays like Thanksgiving.
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make This Dessert
My apple galette ingredients include fresh apples, pantry staples, and marzipan, all combined to create an unforgettable dessert. Below is a quick overview of what you’ll need to make the pastry crust and filling. Scroll to the recipe card for the full, printable recipe with amounts and details.
- Fresh apples – The best apples for galette are firm, tart varieties. I like to use Granny Smith, Haralson, or Honeycrisp for this recipe.
- Sugar – White granulated sugar, plus brown sugar for moisture.
- Spices – Cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg, and cloves. You could substitute the individual spices with apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice, which share similar ingredients.
- All-purpose flour – You could also thicken the apple filling with cornstarch. You’ll need less cornstarch than flour in this case, about half the amount.
- Almond extract – Be sure to use a pure almond extract (not imitation) for the most authentic flavor in the apples and caramel drizzle. If you aren’t a fan of almond flavor, swap it for pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste instead.
- Lemon juice – Freshly squeezed is a must.
- Unsalted butter – If you use salted butter, consider adding less salt to the filling.
- Marzipan – If you’re not familiar with marzipan, it’s a paste of sugar and almonds used in baking. You’ll find it in most baking sections. Soften it before adding to the recipe. If you’d prefer to skip the marzipan layer, that’s fine, too.
- Pastry crust – I include the homemade pastry recipe that I use for my galettes. The key is to have your butter COLD from the fridge. You could also make this recipe with a store-bought pastry. Simply follow the thawing and handling directions on the package.
How to Make Apple Almond Galette
This almond apple tart is simple to make, much easier than making a pie. If you’re pie-crust-challenged (like me!), you will love this forgiving pastry dough. Let’s get started.
Prepare the Pastry Crust
- Make the pastry dough. Mix two cups of flour with salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Cut in the cold butter until large crumbs are clinging together in clumps. Then, add the remaining 1/2 cup of flour. Mix lightly to combine. Sprinkle the ice water over the dough and mix until the dough holds together. Divide in half and form into two discs.
- Roll out the dough. Use two 12″ square pieces of parchment paper and roll the dough between them until you have a circle that’s 12″ in diameter.
- Assemble the pastry. Place the pastry circle on the foil-lined pan and remove the top piece of parchment. On a floured surface, roll the marzipan into a 9″ circle. Place on top of the pastry dough.
Assemble the Galette
- Prepare the pan. Line a rimmed jelly roll pan with foil, and preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Make the apple filling. Meanwhile, combine the apple slices, sugar, spices, lemon juice, and salt in a large bowl.
- Add apples. Spoon the apple filling over the assembled crust and marzipan, leaving a 2″ border at the edges. Dot the apple mixture with butter. Carefully fold the crust up and around the apple mixture. It’s OK if it’s uneven, as we’re going for a rustic look. Just be sure to pinch the dough together so it stays in place.
- Bake. Lastly, brush the egg wash over the edges of the dough and sprinkle on a little cinnamon sugar. Bake your apple galette at 425ºF for 30 minutes, until the crust is browned and the apples are bubbling.
- Add a caramel drizzle. Place sugar in a small heavy saucepan and heat until it dissolves, about 4 minutes. Cook for an additional minute until the sugar is golden in color. Then, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the almond extract. Quickly drizzle over the baked galette. The glaze will harden into a crunchy, toffee-like texture. You’re ready to slice and serve!
Tips for the Best Apple Galette
- Use a jellyroll pan with a rim. Trust me on this one. You want a pan with rimmed edges, just in case your pastry leaks.
- Don’t overmix the dough. Once you add in the final bit of flour, be sure to stir only enough that the flour coats all the buttered crumbs. Overmixing can result in a tough crust.
- Freeze the extra dough. This recipe makes enough dough (dough only, not apple filling!) for 2 galettes. I either make 2 galettes right away, or I’ll wrap one half of the dough tightly in plastic wrap and then place it in a resealable bag. It can go into the fridge or freezer for a future day of fresh galette baking.
- Use firm, tart apples. Because there’s sweetness in other parts of this recipe, I recommend a tart variety of apple for this recipe. I also suggest a firm apple that bakes well and doesn’t turn to mush in the oven. For more depth in flavor, you can use multiple kinds of apples.
Serving Suggestions
Like most pastry recipes, a galette is best enjoyed freshly baked. Serve it while it’s still a bit warm or at room temperature. While a slice of this is perfect on its own, adding a dollop of whipped cream, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or salted caramel ice cream truly takes it to the next level!
How to Store
- Refrigerate. For best results, store your almond apple galette leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days. I recommend bringing a slice to room temperature before diving in.
- Freeze. You can freeze this homemade apple galette for up to 1 month. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and thaw it in the fridge before serving.
More Apple Dessert Recipes
Apple Galette
Ingredients
for the apple filling:
- 5 cups peeled sliced (1/4″ thick) apples – use a firm, tart variety such as Granny Smith, Haralson, or Honeycrisp
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- pinch of cloves
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¾ tablespoon pure almond extract
- 2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
for the pastry & almond layer:
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup cold butter cut into 1/2″ chunks
- ¼ cup ice water
- ½ cup marzipan softened
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon with 1/2 tsp sugar for sprinkling over pastry
- 2 teaspoons course sugar optional
for the almond toffee almond glaze:
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon pure almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425° F. Line a rimmed jelly roll pan with foil. You want a pan with rimmed edges, should your pastry leak at all. Trust me on this one!
- For the apple filling: Combine the apple slices, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, flour, almond extract, lemon juice, and salt in a large bowl. Toss well to coat apples.
- For the pastry & almond layer: In a mixing bowl or in the bowl of a food processor, mix just 2 cups of the flour with the salt and sugar. NOTE: This recipe makes enough dough (dough only, not apple filling!) for 2 galettes. I either make 2 galettes right away or wrap one half of the dough well in plastic wrap and then place in a baggie to go in the fridge or freezer for a future day of fresh galette baking.
- Add cold butter chunks and cut into the flour mixture using a rigid pastry cutter or by pulsing the food processor. Once the mixture looks like large crumbs clinging together in clumps, add the remaining 1/2 cup of flour. Mix lightly or pulse the food processor a few times to combine. Do not over mix. The flour should coat the clumps.
- Sprinkle the ice water over the dough. With your hands or a wooden spoon, mix until the dough holds together. Divide dough in half and form into two discs.
- Using two 12'' square pieces of parchment paper, place a disc of dough between them. Start rolling the dough from the center of the disc outward, turning the dough and parchment as necessary. Continue rolling from center to outer edge until you have a circle shape that is 12'' in diameter.
- Now lift dough and parchment, still intact, and place on your foil lined pan. Peel off the top piece of parchment, leaving the circle of dough on top of the remaining piece of parchment.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the marzipan to a 9'' circle. Place the marzipan on top of the pie dough.
- Spoon prepared apple filling over the marzipan, leaving a 2'' apple-free border around the entire circle of dough. Dot the apple mixture with the 2 tablespoons of butter.
- Gently fold the 2'' dough border up and over the apple mixture, pressing gently to seal. Your aim is for a rustic look, with nothing perfectly even. The dough border will only partially cover the apple mixture, leaving exposed apples in the center. If you have any trouble lifting the dough border from the parchment paper, simply slide a thin spatula dipped in flour between the dough and parchment to loosen.
- Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water and brush some of the mixture on the dough for a beautiful golden baked pastry. Sprinkle dough with the cinnamon sugar mixture, to your liking. Then sprinkle on course sugar for more texture and a bit more sweetness (optional). Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is beautifully browned and the apples are bubbling a bit. Transfer galette from oven to a cooling rack.
- For the almond toffee glaze: After removing galette from the oven, place sugar in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until the sugar dissolves, stirring as needed to dissolve the sugar evenly. This should take about 4 minutes or so. Cook for 1 minute, or until the sugar is golden in color. Remove from heat and carefully stir in almond extract. Then quickly drizzle mixture over the baked galette, as the drizzle hardens rather quickly.
- Once glaze hardens, slice galette into individual pieces and serve. This is best eaten on the day it's baked, while still warm, or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Harvest + Apple Season Memories
These memories are part of the original post that was published in 2011.
It’s harvest time in the Midwest. My favorite time of year growing up on the farm. It’s a time when apples are being picked by the bushel basket, alongside the fading of summer gardens. Combines and grain trucks are everywhere, small dots moving back and forth across the landscape. The harvest creates a constant grain-smelling dustiness in the air as it creeps across every last dried and golden acre.
It’s the most wonderful smell, the most wonderful sight. And each harvest I am reminded of just how blessed I’ve been to have grown up this way. I love my farmgirl roots.
Because this time of year is so special to me, I took our girls back to South Dakota last week for corn harvest. We enjoyed a perfect fall day out in the corn field (until the hail shut it down!).
Although Dad is officially retired, he likes the chance to jump in and pinch-hit when extra help is needed from my uncles and their sons, who continue to provide the manpower on the farm.
Dad especially likes to show his grandchildren how farming works during harvest. So he gets behind the wheel of the semi, as the kids clamber up the steep metal steps to sit beside him in the cab. Together they haul a few loads of corn into Rosholt’s Farmers Co-Op Elevator. Can you just imagine how much those young kiddos adore their grandpa on a day like that?!
My mom, who still knows how to pack a great field lunch, enjoys being a part of the harvesting, too. She’s been drinking coffee in the field from that same ol’ white cup for as long as I can remember!
However, late in the afternoon an ominous sky rolled in from the northwest. You could hear its insides rumbling long and low as it crept menacingly nearer, chasing away our blue sky full of sunshine. The wind and rain turned to icy hail. As a result, the day’s work came to a stop. Which is not exactly the way a farmer wants to end his day!
But we had to admit, the storm left behind a pretty awesome sight.
And I was able to capture a memorable shot. That’s my uncle, calling it a day – with the sun returning, the cranky dark sky retreating off to the east. Certainly a harvest day to remember.
This post was originally published in 2011 and updated in 2021.
Enjoy
Hello! Another former South Dakota farm gal, who only visits now. Huron Aberdeen Watertown our big towns;
Wasn’t that a marvelous place to grow up? So thankful for that and for family still farming. So many small towns, as mine, are only hanging on. We finally were back in the fall wow! what harvest changes, but so many things remain the same and so nostalgic. So good to hear from others from SD. . Enjoy your blog, Thank you, Brenda for great farm pictures. More, please.
Beverly
Oh my! I have been following your blog off and on for quite some time. I chanced upon it one time when I did a google search for cake. I only today actually went to it on my computer and saw that you are from South Dakota! I am as well, although I now live near Vancouver in Canada. We try to head back to SD every summer but seeing your pictures of the corn harvest almost made me cry. I grew up on a farm and remember the corn harvest and sitting on the armrest of the seat with my dad for hours, taking the lunch out to him, and riding with my mom in the truck. Thank you so, so much for sharing these beautiful pictures! The one at the end, with your uncle…it truly brought tears to my eyes. Love that John Deere green shining in the sun!
These are the comments that truly make this all worth while. Thank you so much for writing, Stacy.
Belas imagens. Parabéns. Muito lindo este lugar.
Adorei o milharal.
Mmmm. I love apple pie, and whenever it’s easier like this, it’s pure heaven. Just beautiful.
Thank you! It makes such a beautiful presentation. I like to just place it in the middle of the table, for everyone to cut their own slice.
I am so glad I found your blog. Love your recipes and the stories you have to go along with them! Being from SD I adore harvest time and watching my hubby and FIL working side by side. Isn’t it great that our kids can participate in the family business?!
So wonderful to hear from you, Lisa – thanks for writing! Hope your harvest has been a good one!
Hi B! Your photos of the harvest are absolutely amazing!
I see Hattie has glasses now. So cute!
The Gallette may be a Thanksgiving menu item at the Cornell house hold!
Miss you!
Hello, my dear Meghan – I miss you, too!! Yes, Hatti was having headaches this past summer = glasses. She’s already bugging us about contacts. :) I hope you like the galette – it would be perfectly beautiful for Thanksgiving!! Coffee soon? My office days have freed up a bit as of very recently……..
We just picked a ton of apples from a neighbor’s tree. This dessert is on my list now (pinned it so I don’t forget).
So nice to meet you, Amanda! I hope you like this galette. I just picked up a whole bunch of apples, too – we’re making apple sauce this week – and maybe I can sneak in another galette!
You rocked this galette! Love it! And, your pictures are amazing. What a story they tell! Makes me wish we were in Iowa again. Can’t wait until our paths cross next time.
Ahhhhh…thank you, my lovely. :)
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this recipe! I adore the addition of almond flavor to any recipe with apples or even pears. My mouth is now watering…many thanks :-)
Nice to hear from you again, Avril! Those almond flavors would be so lovely with pears, I do agree!
I just printed off the Peanut Butter Apple Bars recipe and am on my way to the kitchen to try them. They sound delicious.
Besides the recipes, thank you for taking us to your home farm in South Dakota. As a southwestern Minnesota farm girl, I, too, love returning there during the harvest. Unfortunately, no one in my family farms any more, but I can enjoy just driving through that rural area in the autumn.
Your photos, especially the last one, as you noted, are splendid images that truly tell the story of harvest. Excellent work!
Thank you so much, Audrey. I think that if my family no longer lived where they do, I would still drive there each fall, too. :)
I love the landscape. Looks familiar, LOL. And hail, sigh, I always say, when it rains, it hails, LOL. Thankfully we have a carport and a garage where we can hide our cars.
As for the tart, it’s gorgeous. I love rustic looking desserts. First of all because they are PRETTY, and second of all, is that they hid the fact that I am no pie maker either! Great recipe!
I had to go find out where you live! TX! :) Thanks for your comment on the galette, too. I’m glad to know I’m not the only pie-impaired person out there!!
Your photos are as wonderful and as beautiful as your story-telling and as heart-warming as your family gatherings.
Your apple almond galette is mouth-watering, congratulations on conquering pie crust.
I love to hear from you, Paula. Thank you. xo
looks like a fun day, love the rainbow. If I had enough apples I’d make this right now….I can almost smell it :) YUM
Thanks, Diane. It was a fabulous day, with the perfect (rainbow) ending.
The food looks great, but I just love your storytelling.
Thanks, Joan. So sweet of you. I believe we share a very common childhood & perspective of our growing up. xo
The galette is beautiful! And I am so glad you liked the PB apple bars:)
Thanks, Maria. You can bet I’ve been telling people to make your bars. ;)
The apples with the marzipan and the drizzle on top is outstanding! What a great rustic dessert.
Thank you, Sylvie. It’s so much fun to make!
That close up of the apple galette with the drizzle oozing down the side made my taste buds kick into gear! Great post Brenda, loved the farm pictures.
Well, I’m just glad you made that for us, as I had passed by the recipe in the magazine. Yum! Thanks, Mom. xoxo