Apple Almond Galette

This buttery, flaky Apple Almond Galette is drizzled with a sweet almond toffee glaze. It’s full of fall flavors and easier to make than apple pie!

An Easy Apple Dessert

Apples are one of my favorite fall ingredients. Therefore, I never run out of delicious ways to bake them up!

For example, there’s a hard-to-resist Apple Bundt with Brown-Butter Vanilla Bean Glaze. And a beloved Apple Bread, a recipe Mom shared with me years ago. There’s also my favorite Apple Crisp (it really IS crispy!) and Homemade Applesauce, a longtime favorite that my parents have always made.

This Apple Almond Galette, with a beautiful almond toffee glaze, also has its own little place in my apple recipe world. Mom gets all the credit here, as she adapted a Cooking Light recipe to incorporate an easy homemade pastry dough into this rustic looking tart. Apples and almond flavoring were just meant to be together – you’ll love it all wrapped up in this buttery, flaky, easy-to-make pastry!

The almond flavor in this apple galette comes from a layer of marzipan laid over the center of the crust, plus some almond extract mixed into the apples and that gorgeous golden toffee drizzled over the top.

Seriously, though. Why don’t more apple recipes incorporate almond?!

What You’ll Need

This apple galette uses fresh apples, pantry staples, and marzipan to create an unforgettable dessert.

FOR THE APPLE FILLING:

• Apples – Use a firm, tart variety such as Granny Smith, Haralson, or Honeycrisp for this recipe.
• Sugar – Both white granulated sugar and brown sugar are used in this dessert.
• Spices – Cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg, and cloves give warm flavor to the dessert.
• All-purpose flour
• Almond extract – Be sure to use a pure almond extract (not imitation) for the best flavor.
• Lemon juice – Freshly squeezed is a must.
• Kosher salt
• Unsalted butter

FOR THE PASTRY & ALMOND LAYER:

• All-purpose flour – Divided.
• Kosher salt
• Sugar
• Butter – Using cold butter is essential for a flaky crust.
• Ice water
• Marzipan – If you’re not familiar with marzipan, it’s a paste of sugar and almonds that can be found in the baking section. Soften it before adding to the recipe.
• Egg
• Water
• Cinnamon sugar 

FOR THE ALMOND TOFFEE GLAZE:

• Sugar
• Pure almond extract

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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!

• Prepare the pan. Line a rimmed jelly roll pan with foil. Preheat the oven to 425° F.
• Make the apple filling. Combine the apple slices, sugar, spices, lemon juice, and salt in a large bowl.
• 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 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.

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• 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.

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• Add apples. Spoon the apple filling over the marzipan, leaving a 2″ border around the entire perimeter. Dot the apple mixture with butter. Then gently fold the border up and around the apple mixture, aiming for a rustic look with nothing perfectly even.

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• Bake. Brush the egg wash over the dough. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake for 30 minutes, until the crust is browned and the apples are bubbling.
• Make the almond toffee glaze. 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. Remove from heat and stir in almond extract. Quickly drizzle over the baked galette, as the glaze will harden into a crunchy toffee-like texture.

Serve. Allow the glaze to harden and then slice the galette and serve.

Tips for Success

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when making this rustic apple tart.

• Use a jellyroll pan with a rim. You want a pan with rimmed edges, should your pastry leak at all. Trust me on this one!
• Don’t over mix 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. Over mixing 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 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.
• 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

Most importantly, be sure to eat this apple galette on the day it’s baked. Enjoy 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 or a scoop of vanilla ice cream truly takes it to the next level!

How to Store

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. You can also freeze for a month, just wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil – and then thaw in the fridge.

More Apple Dessert Recipes:

• Apple Bundt Cake with Vanilla Bean Glaze
• Easy Caramel Apple Almond Crisp
• Old Fashioned Apple Crisp
• Apple Peanut Butter Cookies

Like this recipe? Save it to Pinterest!

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.