Loaded with fall flavors, this apple galette with hazelnut crust is way easier to make than an apple pie, yet equally delicious. You won’t resist the subtle nutty bite of the crust. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the ultimate indulgence!
We call them galette, crostata or rustic tart, but to me they’re all the same: a delicious homemade tart prepared with the bare minimum equipment. If you’ve never felt confident to make an apple pie from scratch or never attempted to make a pie crust before, try your hands on fruit galettes. I promise you can’t go wrong with them, they’re so easy to assemble!
So after my 106,465,863 galette recipe (yes I’m obsessed with them!), here I am again with a new version to open the fall season that is right around the corner. This apple tart features some delicious apples glazed with maple syrup, atop a simple homemade hazelnut crust. The result is both rustic and elegant, simple and delicious.
Main ingredients of the recipe:
- Hazelnut flour (also called hazelnut meal). You need it both for the crust and the filling, and it will bring some rustic, nutty flavors to the galette, making it unique in terms of flavors. If you don’t find any ready-to-use hazelnut flour, you can grind whole hazelnuts in a food processor until it resembles to a fine, sandy texture.
- Apples. Of course, they’re the star of the show here! Granny Smith, Jonnagold and Honeycrisp are considered good for baking, but really any kind of apples would do. Just know your personal preference when you eat an apple, and follow your instinct.
- Maple syrup. This natural sweetener brings some subtle caramel notes to the apples and adds some crunchiness to the crust. If you don’t have maple syrup, you can use honey, agave syrup or sugar (brown sugar for deeper flavors).
Apple galette with hazelnut crust: a few simple steps
- Start with making the hazelnut crust. Don’t be fooled by the “hazelnut” part, this pie crust is actually super simple to make. Believe me, I’ve been using it for years (in particular in this pear and chestnut tart, but not only) with always the same success. Simply mix all the ingredients together and add the water little by little, adjusting the quantity as needed, until you get a smooth dough.
- Mandatory step: chill the dough in the refrigerator for about 1 hour, then roll it out into a large disk.
- Spread the filling (hazelnut meal + maple syrup + yolk) in the center of the dough, leaving a large border all around.
- Add the sliced apples on top, displaying them the way you like them. There is no right or wrong, again, it’s a fruit galette recipe so it’s very forgiving, and the more rustic the better.
- Now fold the edges of the dough over the fruits, making them overlapping as needed. Brush with yolk, then clean your pastry brush and use it again to brush with maple syrup the apples and then the edges (read note below the recipe). And voilà!
Can I use a different crust for this apple galette?
The answer is yes, absolutely! If you don’t have hazelnuts at hands or don’t feel like a nutty texture for your fruit galette, simply follow a different crust recipe. My favorite crusts for a galette recipe include this simple flaky butter crust, the buttermilk crust, and this whole wheat crust. Once you’ve made any of the crusts above, simply follow step 2 and beyond. Easy peasy!
Other possible variations around the recipe
Now that you master this apple galette recipe, just get creative around it, using different fruits, and replacing other ingredients to your liking. You can for instance:
- Replace apples with pears.
- Or just do half apples – half pears.
- Replace the hazelnut filling with an almond filling. Simply replace hazelnut flour with hazelnut meal (in the filling, not the crust).
- Use sugar instead of maple syrup if easier!
Best way to serve this apple galette
This may sound like a little detail but if you really want the maximum of flavors, I recommend to serve this apple galette lukewarm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top or some a dollop of crème fraîche.
For the apple lovers…
- Classic Apple Tarte Tatin
- Vegan Sugar-Free Apple Tart
- Best Apple Crisp
- Healthy Whole Wheat Apple Bread
- Classic Apple Pie
More seasonal rustic tarts:
- Pear and Chocolate Ricotta Galette
- Rustic Fall Harvest Galette
- Thyme Butternut Squash Galette with Parmesan Crust
Apple Galette with Hazelnut Crust
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Chilling time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Cakes and pies
Loaded with fall flavors, this apple galette with hazelnut crust is way easier to make than an apple pie, yet equally delicious. You won’t resist the subtle nutty bite of the crust.
Ingredients
For the hazelnut crust:
- ¾ cup (90g) hazelnut flour*
- 1 ⅓ (160g) cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (65g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ cup (120g) butter, softened at room temperature and diced
- 2 to 3 Tablespoons water
For the filling + brushing:
- 4–6 medium apples, cored and sliced (peeled if you want)
- 2 yolks, divided
- 3 Tablespoons almond or hazelnut flour
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
For the crust:
- In a large bowl, mix together hazelnut flour, all-purpose flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt. Add the softened butter, diced, and mix well until crumbly. Add a little bit of water, just enough to help the dough shape into a firm ball. Wrap the dough in a plastic film, flatten a little with your hand to get a thick disk, and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Place the dough onto a large sheet of parchment paper and roll it out into a 11-inch (28 cm) disk, rotating regularly to ensure the pastry does not shrink in an uneven fashion**.
For the filling:
- Mix together 3 Tablespoons hazelnut flour, 1 yolk and 1 Tablespoon of maple syrup. Spread it in the center of the dough, leaving a large border all around.
- Display the apple slices on top the way you like, and carefully fold the edges of the dough over the fruits, overlapping the dough as necessary. Press gently to seal the edges.
- Brush the crust with the remaining yolk. Clean the pastry brush under running water, then brush the apples with some maple syrup. You can then use the leftover maple syrup to brush the crust too.***
- Bake for about 30 minutes or until the crust is golden and the apples cooked through. Enjoy lukewarm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Notes
* For homemade hazelnut flour: place ⅔ cup (about 90g) whole hazelnuts in a food processor and pulse until you get a fine sandy texture. You should get about ¾ cup (60g) hazelnut flour. If needed, pulse more hazelnuts to match the ¾ cup (60g) reference.
** Troubleshooting. If the dough is too warm after you rolled it out, place it with the parchment paper underneath in the freezer for about 5 minutes. Then, you should be able to fold the edge without any tearing.
*** Always start with brushing the apples with maple syrup, and then you can brush the crust edge with it. Don’t do the other way around or you will add some yolk to the apples, which you do not want.
Did you make this recipe?
Lastly, if you make this Apple Galette with Hazelnut Crust, be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Thank you and enjoy!
