This rustic apple tart recipe is easy to make and delicious. Tart sliced apples are topped with warm cinnamon and brown sugar on top of crisp, perfectly baked pie dough.
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I absolutely LOVE this rustic apple tart. Sometimes referred to as a galette, this sweet dessert is so easy to make and I have yet to meet someone who doesn't love it. It's like an apple pie, but about a thousand times easier to make.
This is one of the more popular recipes on my blog, and for good reason, but it seems to hit it's most popular season in the fall. And while I get that - fall = apple season, this rustic apple galette is good any time of the year. So break out your rolling pin, and get started making one of the best desserts you'll have all year.
Other Apple Recipes You'll Love
Air Fryer Baked Apples
Apple Pie Granola
Easy Baked Apple Cider Chai Donuts
Ingredient List
- Pie crust - I'll provide a recipe for pie crust, but most of the time I use a store-bought crust.
- Apples - I usually go with Granny Smith apples or Honeycrisp apples as my go-to baking apple.
- Cinnamon - fresh ground is always best when it comes to cinnamon
- Brown Sugar - light or dark - it doesn't matter
- Nutmeg - again, freshly grated nutmeg is the way to go. If you want to, you can leave the nutmeg off.
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- All purpose flour
- Egg
- Granulated sugar (you can also use turbinado sugar)
- Fig preserves (optional)
How to Make an Apple Tart
1. Peel the apples. Cut them into quarters and remove the cores. Slice them thinly using a knife or a mandoline. Toss the apple slices in a large bowl with the cinnamon, brown sugar, nutmeg and vanilla extract and toss to combine. Allow the apples to sit for 10 minutes.
2. Lay the pie crust out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Gently scatter ½ a tablespoon of flour around the middle of the crust leaving an inch or so border clear. Pile the apple filling over the floured part of the pie crust. You can arrange them in a fancy way (concentric circles), or you can just pile them up. I usually just pile.
3. Fold the edges of the crust up around the apples, pleating the dough around the fruit.
4. In a small bowl mix the egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Using a pastry brush, brush the beaten egg along the edges of the dough. Then sprinkle sugar over the egg wash.
5. Chill the galette for at least 30 minutes before baking.
6. Bake in a preheated oven until the crust is golden brown and the apples are cooked through.
7. While the tart cools, stir together fig preserves and 1 tablespoon of water. Using a pastry brush, brush the fig jam over the apples and let the tart finish cooling.
PRO TIP: The addition of the flour under the apples keeps the fruit juice from seeping through the crust as it bakes.
To Make a Pie Crust:
This recipe for pie crust is made using a stand mixer instead of a food processor. As my blog name implies, I have a small kitchen and limited space. Between my mixer, mini food processor and blender, I have the mixing world pretty well covered. A pie crust made in a mixer is just as good as one made in a food processor.
- Flour
- Sugar
- Salt
- Butter - cut into small pieces
- Ice water
INSTRUCTIONS
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine flour, sugar and salt.
2. Add the cold butter to the flour mixture and run the mixer on low for 30-60 seconds until the butter has started to mix into the dough, but it's still roughly the size of peas.
3. Drizzle 5 tablespoons of ice cold water over the dough and continue mixing until a shaggy dough forms. You want to be able to squeeze the dough in your fist and it stays together.
4. Transfer dough to a sheet of plastic wrap, and wrap it up. Form the dough into a flat disc, and place it in the fridge for at least an hour and up to 24 hours to chill and let the dough hydrate.
5. When ready to bake, roll dough out on a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll dough to a 12 inch circle. Transfer the dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet and follow tart baking instructions.
PRO TIP: Depending on the weather where you are, you may need more water to get the dough to come together. On a dry day, dough is going to be thirstier than a humid day.
Substitutions, Alterations and Additions
- Rather than an egg wash, you could brush the dough with heavy cream.
- I've made galettes with pears, pineapples and strawberries. They're all delicious.
Equipment
These Y Peelers make peeling the apples a breeze.
These are my favorite baking sheets.
For even slices of apple, I use this mandoline. It's also great for onions and potatoes.
FAQ's
When it comes to baking, I almost always use either Granny Smith, Honeycrisp or a combination of the two. You want a firm apple that wont get mushy as it bakes. Apples such as Gala and Golden Delicious are great for eating but not for baking.
Raisins would be delicious added to the filling.
Absolutely! You can let the galette chill in the fridge for up to a day before baking. Just cover it with plastic wrap before storing so that the crust doesn't dry out.
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Super Easy Rustic Apple Tart (Galette) Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced thin
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- sprinkle of nutmeg optional
- 1 Pie Crust Store bought or home made
- t/2 tablespoon flour
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon fig preserves
- 1 tablespoon water
Home Made Pie Crust
- 1 ¼ cup flour
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- pinch of salt
- 7 tablespoon butter cold
- 5-7 tablespoon ice water
Instructions
- Toss the peeled and sliced apples with the brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg if using. Let the apples sit for 10 minutes.
- Roll out the dough out onto a parchment lined baking sheet while the apples sit. Scatter the ½ tablespoon of flour over the center of the crust, leaving an inch or so border around the outside of the crust. Pile the apples over the floured part of the crust
- Fold the edges of the crust up over the fruit, and then place the galette in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.
- Preheat oven to 375 while the dough chills. Once chilled, mix 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water, and brush the egg mixture over the edges of the dough, then sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake for 50 minutes, checking after 30 minutes to make sure the crust isn't burning. If the crust gets too brown, place a piece of foil over the tart for the remainder of the baking time.
- Once baked, remove the tart and let it cool on the baking sheet. While ti cools, mix the fig jam and 1 tablespoon of water and then brush that jam mixture over the apples.
- Slice and serve.
To Make a Home Made Pie Crust
- In the bowl of a stand mixer combine flour, sugar and salt.
- Add the cold butter to the flour mixture and run the mixer on low for 30-60 seconds until the butter has started to mix into the dough, but it's still roughly the size of peas.
- Drizzle 5 tablespoons of ice cold water over the dough and continue mixing until a shaggy dough forms. You want to be able to squeeze the dough in your fist and it stays together.
- Transfer dough to a sheet of plastic wrap, and wrap it up. Form the dough into a flat disc, and place it in the fridge for at least an hour and up to 24 hours to chill and let the dough hydrate.
- When ready to bake, roll dough out on a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll dough to a 12 inch circle. Transfer the dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet and follow tart baking instructions.
It’s so easy...and pretty...and so delicious! I’ve made it several times and it’s been a hit each time; gonna try it with pears.
I'm So glad you liked it! One of my favorites!!
Could I substitute Truvia for the brown sugar? I have a friend who's diabetic so I was just wondering if that would work. Thanks!
Hi Kim! I haven't tested this recipe with anything other than traditional sugar, but I've used Truvia brown sugar in other recipes, and it's always turned out well, so I think it would probably work just fine! If you try it, please let me know how it turns out!