Save room for dessert (and seconds). Apple Galette with Vanilla Glaze packs all the things you love about everyone’s favorite classic American dessert in a rustic, free-form tart. Buttery cinnamon apples encased in a crisp, golden crust, drizzled with a warm vanilla glaze. Plus, it’s (literally) easier than pie!
It’s officially fall, y’all. And we know what that means – it’s about to get rustic up in these United States of America. Between pumpkin spice and corn mazes and shabby chic decor, we have this winsome (and almost wholly aesthetic) notion of what it means for something to be “rustic,” but when I hear that term my head goes to one place: “Aww yeah, I’m about to cook up some ugly delicious French *bleep*.”
Rustic is one of my favorite terms in the culinary lexicon. Forget “peasant food” – it’s treasured family recipes. It means slow cooked. It means a deep, robust amalgamation of flavor arrived at through time-honored techniques.
It also means it can, and should, be a little rough around the edges. It means we get to go back to a time before our home-cooked food needed to look Instagram-perfect. (And trust me, there’s a difference between something looking pretty and something looking delicious.)
I recognize the irony of someone who does all this for a living pooh-poohing presentation, but at some point in history, food became…persnickety. I mean, look at France. The same country that gave us French country classics like cassoulet, coq au vin, the galette, and ratatouille (traditional, NOT Pixar), also gave us the Bocuse d’Or. (Editor’s note: Enjoy. It’s the highest-class food p*rn on the market.)
Historically, the goal of any rustic, country recipe was to marry as much flavor from your very locally (and, in most cases, personally) sourced ingredients into a hearty dish fit for sustaining country-folk through long days of manual labor. Today, by embracing and celebrating the spirit of those culinary traditions, we sustain our souls. Santé!
What is a galette?
My absolutely favorite way to make cheaters pies – aka, lazy lady pie. The galette! It’s simply a free form tart that follows the same principles as a pie without the fussiness. You can actually pick up a slice and eat it like pizza, and tell me right now who does NOT want to do that with their dessert?
How to make an apple galette
The very best alternative to pie, hands down. Be sure to see the recipe card for detailed instructions and step-by-step photos.
- Make the crust. I use a food processor for the perfect crust every single time. My best tip? Use very cold ingredients.
- Chill the crust. Wrap in parchment or saran wrap, then chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours. Crust can also be frozen for up to 2 months.
- Make the filling. Thinly sliced apples brown sugar, flour (for thickening), cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Form the galette. No perfect circles required, but do aim for an even thickness.
- Prepare the edges. Fold up the edges around the filling, then brush with heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake. Galettes don’t require a pre-baked filling or crust. Huzzah! They do have a slightly longer baked time of about 45 minutes.
- Make the glaze. Confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract make for a rich and creamy glaze.
- Slice and serve. Pretty self-explanatory! Galettes are delicious straight from the oven, as well as at room temperature.
What kind of apples should I use?
An apple is an apple is an apple? Not so fast. There is such a thing as baking apples.
Select apples that are more tart than sweet (they’ll still taste apple-y after being sweetened with brown sugar) and are firm so they hold up well to baking. We used Honeycrisp in this recipe. Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Jonagold, and Braeburn are also all great baking apples.
Tips for making the perfect galette, every time!
For the Crust
- Always start with cold ingredients – cube the butter, then place into the freezer for a few minutes, and use ice cold water. If regularly bake pies, stash a bag of flour in the freezer for making crusts.
- The secret to flaky pie crust is simple – big chunks of cold butter. When that cold fat his the warm oven, it creates those delicious little air pockets and layers that are the signature of a flaky, buttery pie crust. If you have one, make the crust in a food processor instead of by hand for perfectly sized butter crumbles.
- For the reasons noted above, always thoroughly chill the dough before rolling it out. At least one hour in the fridge and up to 24.
- Don’t stress about a perfect circle. If you’re gonna stress about anything, even thickness is the goal to avoid doughy spots!
For the Filling
- Use the right apples for baking, and slice them uniformly thin. This will allow for even cooking and frankly, it looks lovely.
- Don’t overfill the galette. You want to give both the crust and filling some breathing (i.e. cooking) room. Plus, too much fruit could yield too much juice, and you know what that means – soggy bottom!
That vanilla glaze…
There are two schools of thought on toppings: either they exist to enhance dessert, or dessert exists as a polite vehicle to get toppings in your mouth. This glaze is for those who fit into either category. Classically sweet, but rich in flavor and body from the vanilla and cream (You read that right – Cream. Not milk.). Don’t skip (or skimp) on the drizzle.
Other fall desserts that make you go MMM…
- Cinnamon Apple Bread Pudding
- Fig Bars
- Healthy Pumpkin Bars
- Paleo Pumpkin Bread
- Gluten Free Apple Crisp
Did you make this apple galette recipe? I’d love to know how it turned out! Leave a comment and a rating below 
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Apple Galette with Vanilla Glaze
Print Recipe Rate this Recipe Pin RecipeRecommended Equipment
- Food Processor
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
Galette Crust
- 1 c all purpose flour
- ½ c cornmeal
- 2 tbsp sugar
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ½ c (1 stick) unsalted butter, diced into small cubes
- 1 egg yolk
- 4-6 tbsp ice water
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 tbsp demerara or other coarse sugar
Apple Filling
- 1 pound apples, cored and thinly sliced
- ¼ c light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 3 tbsp butter
Vanilla Glaze
- 1 c confectioners sugar
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the crust. Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor, pulse to combine. Sprinkle the butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the mixture is coarse and resembles cornmeal. (see notes)
- Add the egg yolk and pulse 4-5 times more, or until incorporated. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse 10-12 times after each addition until the dough forms a loose ball (see photo below). Remove the dough, press into a ball, then form into a flat disc. Wrap in plastic wrap, transfer to the fridge, and chill until firm, about 1 hour and up to 12 hours.
- Position a rack in the center of the oven then heat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Unwrap the dough and place onto a work surface dusted with flour. Roll to a thickness of ¼” in a 12-14” circle. Wrap the dough around the rolling pin and gently transfer to the parchment lined baking sheet.
- Combine the apples with the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Toss until the slices are well coated.
- Arrange the fruit on the dough in an even layer, leaving a 2” border. Gently fold the edges around the filling. Dot the filling with the butter cubes.
- Brush the edges of the dough with heavy cream, then sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake 40-45 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the apples are starting to caramelize.
- Make the vanilla glaze. Wisk the confectioners sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract until smooth. Drizzle galette with vanilla glaze. Serve warm or room temperature.
Notes
- Cut the butter into cubes, then place into the freezer for 5 minutes.
- Keep a stash of four in the freezer for pie-making.
- Make ice water by combining water with ice cubes.
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