Puff Pastry Caramel Apple Galette

The foundation of this Apple Galette is a flaky, buttery puff pastry crust that is simply delectable. The sliced apples themselves sit in a sweet ground almond mixture. They are coated with an amaretto sauce and are baked to a perfect tenderness.  The Fall flavors of cinnamon, amaretto, and caramel highlight this gorgeous display of deliciousness. Top it with scoops of vanilla bean ice cream and drizzle with salted caramel sauce for an over-the-top dessert to exhibit on your holiday table.

What I love about this Puff Pastry Caramel Apple Galette

The puff pastry gives the crust a flaky, buttery texture and is the perfect start. What could be easier than opening the package, and spending a small amount of time rolling out the crust? I promise you are gonna love how light and airy this crust is.

The mixture of flavors gives depth and dimension. How could you ever go wrong with the combination of these ingredients: a sweet almond mixture that lines the bottom of the crust, the sour granny smith apples, the amaretto sauce that is drizzled on top AND the caramel sauce the brings it all together.

The rustic presentation this apple galette brings to your table is absolutely gorgeous. The apples stand upright in a circular formation and once baked this dessert exits the oven with a beautiful golden hue that shimmers and shines. You’ll definitely get the applauds you deserve.

Step by Step Instructions on how to make this Galette

The recipe itself takes a little bit of time but if you follow these step by step instructions, you will realize it’s pretty easy after all. It looks difficult at first but once you work through the process with patience, you will become a pro at making a galette.  And the possibilities are endless anything from savory to sweet.

Step #1 – The Crust, The Foundation of it all

I’m sorry, but I’m not a fan of making pie crust. I do it but it’s really “not my jam.” (Sorry for the food pun.) That’s why I am crazy about this crust. So simple and easy.

Tips for the Puff Pastry:

• The best way to unthaw the pastry is to remove it from the freezer and let it sit in your refrigerator overnight.
• If you’re pressed for time, you can take it directly from the freezer and let it thaw sitting on the countertop but not for more than 40 minutes. Don’t leave the pastry sheets at room temperature for too long.
• Puff Pastry works best at a cold to cool temperature otherwise it can lose its texture and become difficult to work with.
• For this particular recipe, you will need both sheets from the package. While you’re rolling out one sheet, place the second folded sheet on a plate, cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge until ready to use.
• Lightly flour your surface and lay one sheet down and sprinkle more flour on the top of the dough. Using a long rolling pin, roll each sheet to 15×15 inches. These dimensions fit perfectly in the 10-inch cast-iron skillet I used.
• Once rolled out, start from the corner of the sheet, begin rolling the dough onto your rolling pin and unroll it onto your pan. (See photo above.) Do the same thing with the second sheet but positioning the corners to lay separate from the first sheet.
• Gently press the sheets into the bottom and up the sides of a greased pan.
• Refrigerate until you are ready to fill the crust.

Step #2 – The Filling

This sweet almond layer is to die for! It adds wonderful texture and flavor to the rest of the dish. And the bonus – it’s so easy to whip together. You just throw almonds, sugar, and salt into a food processor. Give it a good amount of pulsating action until the almonds are finely chopped.

The “pulse” button on your food processor helps control the speed at which you chopped the nuts, otherwise, you will ultimately have almond butter. Which is not what we’re going for here. Pulsating also helps to keep the nuts moving around the processor so they don’t clump together at the bottom.

Continue making the almond filling by adding a couple of tablespoons of butter and three eggs. The eggs give it density and a fuller consistency. This way, the filling, once it’s baked, isn’t runny and won’t try to escape when you cut into the galette. Continue pulsating until everything is combined.

Look at this heavenly layer right here! Wow!! And let me tell, it’s as rich and divine as it appears in the photo above. Using a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula, spread the almond filling on top of the puff pastry. This is where slices of sour green apples find their home.

Step #3 – Picking the Apples

Choose Granny Smith apples because they hold their shape well when they are baked. They soften beautifully but are nice and firm as well. A mushy pie is definitely not the outcome we are wanting.

And Granny Smith apples are somewhat sour, they add a tartness that complements the sweetness found in the almond filling and the amaretto sauce.

Don’t skimp on the apples. I bought 10 medium-sized apples and I actually could’ve used a few more. So my suggestion is to grab about 10 large apples or 12-14 medium apples.

Step #4 – Prepping the Apples to Slice

In prepping for the apples, cut the apples from the stem down through the center.  Then peel and core. Just so you are prepared, this is the step that takes the longest of any. It seems a little monotonous while you are working through the process. An apple corer would come in extremely handy at this stage. Which, btw, I just added it to my “amazon” list.

Step #5 – Slicing the Apples

If you have a mandoline, this is the best and easiest way to slice the apples. But it is also a little more dangerous if you’re not careful. Those blades are razor-sharp and can be quite risky. If you don’t have a mandoline, no worries, a sharp knife and a steady hand will work as well.

There are six-blade settings on my mandoline. I played around with a couple of potatoes trying to get the thickness that I felt would work best for this recipe and decided that the setting between 1/8 and 3/16 was the “mark” for me. You can figure out the same with a knife. You don’t want the slices too thin because you lose texture that way. But you don’t want them too thick or it takes forever for the apples to get tender in the oven.

Please, whatever you do, for your utmost safety, use the handguard. Your fingers will thank you for it. I was stupid one time and sliced a little portion of my forefinger off. I will never do that again.

Place the cut side of the apple down toward the blade, grab a hold of it with the prongs of the handguard and begin slicing. Use the juice from a lemon to coat the apples after you slice them. This will prevent them from turning brown on you.

Step #6 – Form a Circular pattern around the pan

This is where the artistry comes while making this masterpiece. Stack the apples upright beginning around the outer edge and working your way into the center forming a circular pattern over the almond filling. Some of the apple slices split and broke when using the mandoline because of the cored area. But I didn’t let them go to waste. I used those broken slices to fill in the gaps after I had formed the circles.

Fold the edges of the puff pastry in a decorative style around the apples to give a rustic look.

Step #7 – Amaretto Sauce

To top everything off, I made a thick syrupy sauce of amaretto, butter, dark brown sugar, and cinnamon. Let me tell you, I was tempted to drink this glorious concoction all by itself but bridled my passion.

Amaretto is an Italian Liqueur and has a sweet but somewhat bitter taste. It’s actually made from the almond pits which is why it pairs so beautifully with the almond filling. It adds a touch of flavor but is not overbearing to the tastebuds.

In a small pan, add the amaretto and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Turn the heat to a low boil and cook until the amaretto is reduced to about three tablespoons of a syrupy thickness. It took between 13-14 minutes for mine to accomplish this. You will want to watch it through the cooking process and stir frequently.

Once it reaches that “3 tablespoons” point, immediately add the butter and stir. Remove the pan from the heat and add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and cornstarch. Whisk this mixture until the sugar is dissolved. The consistency should thick but pourable. If it is too thick, add extra amaretto and stir. Set aside and let it cool just slightly.

While the amaretto sauce is still warm, drizzle it over the apples and sprinkle on some slivered almonds. The final step before this gem of a dessert goes in the oven, is to brush on an egg wash (one beaten egg with one tablespoon of water) to the puff pastry. This gives a beautiful sheen and golden color to the crust when it comes out of the oven.

Step #8 – Baking the Puff Pastry Apple Galette

It takes a good amount of time of baking at 350°F to get these apple slices tender, approximately 75-80 minutes (in my oven anyway). If the crust begins to brown too much or too quickly, take pieces of foil and fold them around the crust to slow the browning process down.

Oh! My! Goodness! You won’t believe how AMAZING this turned out. The layers of texture, the sweetness of the almond filling, the tender baked sour apples, a touch of amaretto syrup,  an added crunch of slivered almonds, and of course, a drizzle of caramel sauce, all of this authenticates a dish that is beyond scrumpdillyicious!! Don’t forget the scoops of vanilla bean ice cream. Can you believe – all of that in one marvelous dessert? You’ve just gotta try it yourself. And please, if you do, leave me a comment below. I would love to hear from you.

If you love this Fall dessert for your Thanksgiving and/or Christmas menu, you will definitely want to check out some other holiday recipes.

Salted Caramel Pumpkin Cake Roll

Salted Caramel Layered Pumpkin Cake

Gingerbread Layered Cake

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

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