Mini Apple Galettes Recipe
This easy apple galette delivers all the flavor of a classic apple pie without any of the fuss. Flaky golden pastry, juicy apples, and warm cinnamon baked together into the most delicious free-form tart-simple, rustic, (think- doesn’t have to be perfect), and absolutely irresistible.
Why I love these galettes
Taste I mean, they’re basically small apple pies. What’s not to love?
Smell How can you not love the smell of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and all the delicious spices? Better than any candle!
Ease of making You’re basically rolling out dough and filling it with the filling. The filling is simple to make. And if you make the dough a day before, this recipe gets even easier!
Would I make these again? I would and have. They’re so cute and rustic and the perfect individual size.
These mini apple galettes start with a flaky, buttery pastry that bakes up golden and crisp. The filling is a simple apple compote, lightly spiced and gently cooked down until tender so every bite is soft and flavorful. I added crushed pecans to the apple mixture, but you can leave them out if you don’t like them.
Because they’re small, these galettes are perfect for a quick dessert or a simple brunch treat. No pie plate or complicated steps are needed- just assemble, bake, and enjoy. The golden edges and soft, spiced apple centers make each bite delicious, whether served warm from the oven or at room temperature.
Make it brunch
For a simple brunch, you could pair these mini galettes with my Cuban Black Beans and Rice (Congri) and my Arugula Salad with Feta and Lemon Vinaigrette. If you really want to get creative, you could also add some Tostones (Fried Plantains) on the side. No one can resist those fried golden coins of perfection!
What goes in these galettes?
Best apples for baking
Choose apples that are firm, slightly tart, and hold their shape when cooked. A few reliable options include:
- Granny Smith – Tart, crisp, and very sturdy. Always a safe choice for baking.
- Pink Lady – Sweet with a touch of tang and a firm texture that doesn’t turn mushy.
- Northern Spy – Sweet-tart and exceptionally crisp; often found at orchards rather than grocery stores.
- EverCrisp – A Honeycrisp–Fuji hybrid with great crunch and balanced sweetness.
My favorite baking apple!
If you can get your hands on some Northern Spy apples, do yourself a favor and get some! They are my favorite baking apples! I love their perfect tart/sweet flavor and firm flesh.
Ingredients
- Pie crust Try my homemade pie crust, or you can use or store bought
- Apples My favorites are Pink Lady and Northern Spy, but any firm, tart/sweet apple will work.
- Spices A blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom give these galettes great flavor.
How to make apple galettes
I love making galettes-they’re perfect for so many occasions when you want the flavor of a pie but don’t want to work as hard to get it. Just a few simple steps and you’re on your way to a satisfying treat.
Special Note: I recommend making the filling ahead of time so it’s cooled down enough when you add it to the dough circles. If not, it could melt the butter, resulting in not very flaky galettes.
Filling
Chop the apples very finely (a few pulses in the food processor works well). Reserve some of the apple to thinly slice to top the filling. Add the apples, water, and sugar to a small pot over medium heat. Stir and cook until the liquid just begins to bubble.
Make a slurry by mixing the cornstarch with an equal amount of water (2 Tbsp cornstarch + 2 Tbsp water). Pour the slurry into the bubbling apple mixture while stirring. Continue stirring until the compote thickens, then remove from heat and transfer to a container to cool completely.
Dough + Assembly
Let the pie-crust dough sit out for about 30 minutes before rolling. You should have two discs if using my pie-crust recipe; work with one at a time. Cut each disc into four pieces. Shape each piece into a ball, then flatten it into a small disc.
Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. Roll each disc into a rough circle—no need for perfection. Place the rolled dough in the fridge while you repeat with the remaining dough.
Once all the dough circles are rolled out and chilled, spoon 2–3 tablespoons of apple compote into the center of each one. Fold the edges up and around the filling, leaving the center exposed.
Brush the edges with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar. If you want a brown-sugar topping, mix brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, cloves, and melted butter, then sprinkle a little over each galette.
Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes.
More recipes
- Maple Pecan Scones
- Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Chip Scones
- Maple Pecan French Macarons
- Perfect Homemade Apple Pie
- Homemade Apple Crisp
FAQs
In French cuisine, the word ‘gale’, meaning ‘flat cake’- is used to describe flat, round, or freeform crusty cakes. What we know as a galette is actually a ‘fruit galette’, though the fillings we use are not just fruit. The galette we know is essentially a free-form pie. You roll out the dough, pile the filling in the center, then fold the edges up while leaving the middle exposed. The filling can be anything—sweet or savory, fruit, cheese, or even meat. They’re incredibly versatile, and their rustic simplicity is part of what makes them so beautiful.
There are three main types of galettes: galette bretonne, galette des rois, and fruit galettes.
A galette bretonne is a thin buckwheat crêpe from Brittany, usually filled with savory ingredients.
A galette des rois is a French King Cake traditionally eaten on Epiphany.
And the fruit galette is the rustic, free-form tart most people think of today—typically filled with fruit but also adaptable to savory fillings like cheese or meat.
Store baked galettes in the refrigerator for up to a week. If you’d like to prep ahead, you can make the dough a few days in advance and the filling 1–2 days ahead. The dough also freezes well—store it in a freezer-safe container for up to three months.
You can freeze assembled, unbaked galettes too. Place them in a freezer-safe container for up to three months and bake straight from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the bake time.
Let me know if you make this recipe, and consider leaving me a review and star rating. I’d love to hear how it turned out for you.
Mini Apple Galettes
Ingredients
- 2 pie crusts
- 2 1/2 cups chopped apple
- 1 small apple, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
- Special Note: I recommend making the filling ahead of time so it's cooled down enough when you add it to the dough circles. If not, it could melt the butter, resulting in not very flaky galettes.Also, if you make homemade pie crust, it will need to be in the fridge for two hours before you use it.
- If you've made your own dough using my recipe, you'll want to take it out of the fridge 20-30 minutes before you roll it out. Just take out one of the discs, then once you're ready to roll the first one out, take out the second one. *If you use store-bought, they're already rolled out into large circles. You'll still want to divide them each into 4 pieces and roll them out as best you can.
- Cut the disc of dough into 4 equal pieces and form each into a mini disc. On a floured surface with a floured rolling pin, roll each of these discs out into a circular shape, roughly 4-5 inches. They will get a bit warm as you go along, so pop them in the fridge to cool out a bit. Repeat the process with the other disc of dough. You will have eight rolled-out pieces of dough when you are done. The key is to keep the dough cold. When all the dough is rolled out, pop it in the fridge for about 10 minutes before adding the filling.
- Reserve one small apple for the topping, then peel and core the apples. Add them to a food processor (minus the reserved one) to get them chopped into tiny pieces. Add the 2 1/2 cups of apples, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup pecans, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon into a medium saucepan over medium heat and stir everything together.
- Let the apples simmer, stirring intermittently so they do not stick to the bottom of the pan or burn. Once you see the liquid bubbling slightly, add the 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water to a glass measuring cup and stir to form a slurry. Pour the slurry into the apple mixture while stirring the apple mixture to distribute evenly. You'll see it start to thicken up. Continue stirring until it has thickened up, then remove from heat and transfer to a glass container to cool down.
- With the reserved apple, slice each piece into thin, even slices (around ⅛ inch). The thinner the slices, the prettier your galettes will look and the quicker they’ll bake.
- Once the filling has cooled down, it can be added to the dough circles. I like to make them right on the pans I will be baking them on. Line two baking sheets with either parchment paper or silicone baking sheets. Lay four dough circles on the sheets. Spoon 2-3 ounces of apple mixture on each one. Fold the sides up around the mixture, leaving the middle open. We don't want to cover the mixture all the way, just the sides.
- Beat an egg and brush it all over the galettes to help get that beautiful golden sheen. If desired, sprinkle coarse sugar over them.
- Set the trays of galettes in the fridge while you preheat the oven to 350°F. Once preheated, bake the trays for 25 minutes. If you can't fit them on one rack in your oven, you can either bake each tray separately or swap the trays about halfway through the baking time. You're looking for the crust to be a nice, golden brown when fully baked.
- Remove from oven once finished, and let cool for 10 minutes before enjoying with a scoop of ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce.
Notes
- Be sure to make the apple filling ahead of time so it has enough time to cool down before you make the galettes.
- Store the baked galettes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- You can use either homemade or store-bought pie dough.
Nutrition
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