When autumn arrives, I immediately start craving apple desserts. This simple Maple Glazed Apple Galette was the antidote to my undeniable desires!

This Rustic Apple Tart makes a whole lot of sense if you don’t like making pie crust! Only one crust is needed and most of it is hidden below a beautiful swirl of apples. Give it a try!

Maple Glazed Apple Galette on a white serving plate on a red napkin.

Why You Must Make

  • This apple galette recipe is the perfect fall dessert.
  • Of all the apple tarts you can make, this is one of the easiest!
  • Serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to dinner guests and you’ll get rave reviews.

As a cold front swept across the Midwest, a thunderstorm brought a deluge of rain, followed by cool autumnal breezes. The crisp air felt like fall. I peeled a few Granny Smith apples, rolled out some pastry and slid this Maple Glazed Apple Galette into the oven. This rustic apple tart is such an easy way to enjoy the first apple dessert of the season!

Overhead view of a Maple Glazed Apple Galette on a white ceramic serving plate.

How to Make

Much as I adore peach, strawberry and raspberry desserts, it brings such pleasure to bake with seasonal fruits as we enter the month of September. And a galette is so much easier than a pie.

  • Top a round of pastry dough with apple slices tossed with cinnamon and sugar, then tidily folded the edges up around the perimeter.
  • After baking for a half-hour, paint the exposed crust with egg white, then sprinkle the whole tart with sugar.
  • As the final gilding, reduce some maple syrup to brush over the apples as a glaze once the tart had cooled. The maple syrup reduction also provides flavor.
  • Nick was home for the weekend (note: 20-year-old boys can pack away the food!) and he and his dad made of this apple galette disappear within 24 hours. I should have made two! Or added this breakfast-worthy Maple Glazed Apple Tart to our menu, too! 

Tips for Making a Perfect Galette

A galette is a perfect dessert when you want a pie, but don’t want to deal with making a double crust. Here are a few tips and tricks for making this easy apple tart.

  • Like with a traditional pie, you want your galette dough to be a good rolling consistency. It should hold together when you take a few tablespoons and squeeze them in your hand. If not, just add a few sprinkles of water and combine them. But be cautious as too much liquid is also problematic.
  • Roll the dough to approximately -inch thickness. Thicker will be difficult to pleat, and thinner can break when folding.
  • Though this is a rustic tart, I like to use a large bowl as a template to cut the pastry crust into a round before adding the filling.
  • PRO-Tip: Don’t pile on too much filling. One layer is just right. Any more and the crust can either not cook properly or get soggy.
  • I start arranging the apples about 3 inches from the perimeter and working inward. Slightly overlapping the slices and placing them in a spiral pattern makes for a beautiful presentation.
  • If filling your galette with juicy fruit, like peaches, you may need to add a thickening agent, like flour or cornstarch or your crust could be soggy. FYI, the Italians refer to a galette as a crostata.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Galette?

Galette is a French term that refers to a rustic, free-form tart made with a single layer of pastry. The perimeter of the pastry is pleated over the filling to contain the fruit and juices.

What are some Tips for Making a Galette Crust?

Using the combination of butter and shortening provides flavor (the butter) and elasticity (the shortening). Keeping the dough cold ensures the tiny bits of butter will make steam when the galette is placed in a hot oven. And that steam makes little pockets of air which is key to a flaky crust.

What Kind of Apples are Best for a Galette?

Like with my apple pie and apple crisp recipes, I like to use a variety of apples to provide a good depth of flavor. Two favorite, easy-to-find baking apples I like to use together are Granny Smith and Golden Delicious. If you can find Northern Spy apples, they are my favorite stand-alone baking apples.

More Fabulous Fall Desserts:

Autumn is the time to focus on apple and pumpkin desserts. What’s your favorite fall dessert?

Stay in touch through social media @ InstagramFacebook, and Pinterest. Don’t forget to tag me when you try one of my recipes! And if you love the results, please give it a 5-star rating in the recipe card.

Maple Glazed Apple Galette Recipe

Maple Glazed Apple Galette Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield 6 servings

A maple glaze pushes this rustic apple dessert over the top. Adapted from Cook's Illustrated.

Ingredients

Dough:

  • 1 ¼ cups flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 8 tablespoons cold butter (1 stick), cut into ½-inch pieces
  • 4 ounces cold cream cheese, cut into ½-inch pieces
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1-2 tablespoons ice water (I used closer to 2 tablespoons)

Filling:

  • 6 medium apples (about 2 ½ pounds), peeled, cored and cut into ¼-inch slices (I used 3 Granny Smith and 3 Golden Delicious)
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Glaze:

  • 1 egg white, lightly beaten
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • ¼-⅓ cup maple syrup

Instructions

  1. In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter and cream cheese and pulse till the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal, about 10 pulses.
  2. Sprinkle with lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of water and pulse a few times till combined.
  3. Pinch a bit of the dough to see if it holds together, if not, add some more water and pulse to combine.
  4. Pour out dough onto a large sheet of plastic wrap. Gather into a ball, then flatten into a disk. Wrap in the plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  5. Preheat oven to 375º.
  6. Remove dough from refrigerator. Roll into a 15-inch circle.
  7. Place dough on a piece of parchment and slide onto a rimless baking sheet.
  8. Toss apples with the sugar and cinnamon; and arrange apples overlapping in semicircles, starting about 3 inches in from the edge of the dough, placing the thicker sides of the apples facing out.
  9. Fold the outer dough border up over the apple filling, making pleats to allow the dough to lay flat.
  10. Bake for 30 minutes, then brush the exposed crust with egg white and sprinkle the remaining sugar over the whole tart. Bake until crust is golden and apples are tender, about 30 more minutes.
  11. While the tart is in the oven cook maple syrup till it reduces almost in half. Set aside.
  12. Cool 10 minutes, then slide tart and parchment onto a cooling rack. Cool completely. Use a large spatula to remove the tart from the parchment onto a serving plate. Brush apples with maple glaze.

Notes

Another favorite baking apple is the Northern Spy. If you're lucky enough to find some, they make excellent pies and tarts.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1 slice

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 541Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 60mgSodium: 286mgCarbohydrates: 84gFiber: 5gSugar: 55gProtein: 5g

HOW MUCH DID YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE?

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