Easy Apple Galette with Applesauce

If you have some spare apples you need to use and a craving for a super quick, easy and delicious dessert, this Rustic Apple Tart is for you!

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What is a Galette

A Galette is the name given to a rustic looking tart, made without a dish or pan. This freeform tart is a traditional French dish that can be made sweet, savoury and with various types of crust, crepes or bread doughs. The edges of a Galette can be folded over the filling, or left flat.

What is the difference between a Crostata and a galette?

There is no real difference between a crostata and a galette; they are both rustic looking tarts/pies that are made without a pan. The main difference is that Crostata is originally from Italy while a Galette is a French dish – two origins for a very similar -if not exact same – recipe!

More Galette Recipes:

Cherry Tomato Galettes with Pesto

Tomato Galette with Basil Whipped Feta

Cinnamon Strawberry Galette

Bacon and Egg Galettes
from It’s not Complicated Recipes

Homemade Galette Pastry

Galette Pastry is no different than any pie or tart pastry. They just require less work when it comes to ‘shaping’ the dessert as you are going for a rustic, not-perfect kind of look.

To go with the classic Apple Filling, I decided to make add some Ground Cinnamon into the pastry and switch granulated sugar for Maple Syrup. This is a refined-sugar free galette! To make the Cinnamon Pastry, you will need:

• Plain Flour
• Ground Cinnamon
• Unsalted Butter
• Maple Syrup
• Cold Water

There are two ways of making this galette pastry: by hands or with your food processor. The result will be the same but I almost always make my pastries in the food processor because it is much easier/quicker and you don’t need to get your fingers dirty! Here is how to make pastry in the food processor:

1. Place the Flour and Cinnamon Powder in the bowl of your food processor and pulse to mix them.
2. Add the Butter cut in small cubes and the Maple Syrup. Process until you get a thick sand-like texture; all the butter needs to be covered by the flour.
3. Add the cold Water and pulse until the dough starts to come together. 
4. Transfer onto a lightly floured surface and bring the pastry together into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and gently press on the pastry dough to flatten it. Leave in the fridge to set for 30 minutes.

Rustic Apple Galette Filling

The filling of this Galette is extremely easy to put together – just like it is to put this whole dessert together! It is composed by two elements:

• some Applesauce
• fresh Apples thinly sliced

The Applesauce is spread over the Cinnamon Pastry to bring some sweetness and smoothness. I highly recommend making your own Applesauce (check my recipe here) because it helps you control the amount of sugar added to the fruit. If you use a variety of apple that is naturally sweet, you won’t even have to add any sugar!

The fresh Apples are washed, pealed, cored and sliced before being placed on top of the applesauce over the galette pastry. I simply brushed some melted butter over them and added a sprinkle of Cinnamon Powder to finish the fruits – they don’t need anything else!

What kind of apples to use to make this Galette

There are many different varieties of apples that you can use to make this galette; both sweet or tart ones. Here are a few that I recommend using:

• Granny Smith
• Cortland
• Crispin
• Fuji
• Jonagold
• Pink Lady

Read more about picking the right variety of apples for your dessert here!

How to make the Apple Galette

Making a Galette is much quicker and easier than making a tart or a pie because it does not require to fill a pan/dish and chill the pastry multiple times.

Here are the steps to make this apple galette:

1. Prepare the Pastry and leave it to chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes
2. Roll the pastry into a large, thin circle. It doesn’t need to be perfect but try to keep it as regular as possible. Place the pastry on a flat baking tray lined with baking paper or a baking mat.
3. Spread the Applesauce on the Pastry, leaving the edges clear.
4. Add the pealed, cored and sliced Apples over the applesauce.
5. Brush some melted butter over the apples (or leave small pieces of butter over each apples to melt in the oven). Sprinkle with Ground Cinnamon.
6. Fold the edges of the pastry back over the extremity of the apples – make sure all the edges are properly sealed.
7. Optional: sprinkle some flaked almonds over the pastry
8. Bake until the crust is golden brown.

Can you make a galette ahead of time?

Yes, a Galette can be made ahead of time and is better kept in the fridge! I recommend making it maximum 24 hours ahead as the pastry will start to become soggy from the filling after that time.

Can you freeze a fruit galette?

A Galette can also be frozen baked or unbaked and kept in the freezer for a few months – although I always recommend eating them fresh. The Pastry itself can also be made in bigger batches and frozen to be used whenever you need it!

How do you reheat a galette?

If you have made the Galette ahead of serving time, I highly recommend re-heating it up before serving as it will be much better lukewarm or warm. Simply place it in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes or until the filling feels warm. Make sure not to burn the pastry though.

If you are using a frozen unbaked galette, place it directly in the oven to bake with an additional 10 minutes to thaw.

With a pre-baked frozen Galette, leave it to thaw in the fridge overnight then re-bake it for 5 to 10 minutes right before being served.

More Apple Dessert Ideas:

Homemade Applesauce (in less than 1 hour)

French Apple Cake

Apple and Pear Crumble

Apple Upside-Down Cake

Apple Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread

Apple Cinnamon Muffins with Streusel Topping

Easy French Apple Galette Recipe