Name: Rustic Cranberry Apple Galette
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6-8 pieces
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: ½ cup heavy whipping cream; 1 tablespoon honey; ½ cup apple cider; 2 Pink Lady or Braeburn apples, thinly sliced; 2 teaspoons butter; 1 teaspoon McCormick® Cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon McCormick® Ginger; 1/8 teaspoon McCormick® Nutmeg; 1/8 teaspoon McCormick® Cloves; 1/3 cup brown sugar; 1/3 cup fresh cranberries (frozen work well too); ¼ batch Pie Dough

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This post has been sponsored by McCormick. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This Rustic Cranberry and Apple Galette recipe is perfect for pie lovers who hate making pie. Seasoned with fall McCormick® spices and dotted with fresh cranberries, this apple galette is sure to hit your sweet spot.

overhead shot of rustic cranberry apple galette on parchment paper with fresh cranberries and metal pie server

There was a time a few years back when I just couldn’t get my tried-and-true pie crust recipe to work for me. I made it repeatedly, with the same results, and eventually threw it against my wall with tears streaming down my face. My husband had to forcibly remove me from my cramped kitchen so I could get some deep breaths in

I finally figured out what my problem was, but this struggle made me appreciate galettes more. This rustic cranberry and apple galette has been a dream of mine for a while. Thankfully, all the ingredients to make this galette—including spices from McCormick®—can be found at Albertsons.

overhead shot of cranberry apple galette on parchment paper with apple slices and fresh cranberries

I love how easy it is to find these spices at Albertsons (in the baking aisle, next to the flour) and that everyone there is willing to help you if you get lost!

What Is an Apple Galette

A galette is a French cake. I always thought it was a lazy man’s pie, but it’s a cake. It can be savory or sweet and filled with lots of delicious fillings, like jams and nuts.

I have seen galettes made using both puff pastry and pie dough. I like using pie dough because I feel like it has a chance to stay closer to a pie than when it’s made with puff pastry.

overhead shot of rustic cranberry apple galette with mobile Albertsons app

Being that it’s fall and close to Thanksgiving, I thought that the combo of cranberry and apple in this rustic galette would be too good to pass up!

What is the Difference Between Crostata and Galette

Basically, the region that this is made in. Crostata comes from Italy and can be either a free-form tart or be baked in a pie pan. It can also be filled with a sweet or savory filling.

A galette is a French free-form dish with a flaky crust and is filled with either a savory or sweet filling.

overhead shot of rustic cranberry apple galette with plates and apples on background

How to Make Cranberry Apple Galette From Scratch

This recipe could not be any simpler to throw together. Here are some basic ingredients that you’ll need:

Apples
Fresh Cranberries
Pie Dough (this is my tried-and-true recipe)

overhead shot of ingredients used to make cranberry apple galetter

However, this sweet apple filling needs a bit of pizzazz in order to fully encapsulate the flavors of fall.

I turned to fall spices to really channel the taste and feel that I wanted this galette to have. Spices like:

McCormick spices used in cranberry apple galette

All of these spices have a hint of earthy, sweet, and spice to them that make them perfect for fall and holiday recipes.

It’s important to know where you are getting your spices from. With McCormick®, I know that I’m getting pure spice and nothing with fillers. They’re also non-GMO, which is a huge plus in my cooking.

Making Apple Galette Filling

This galette filling is very similar to my apple pie filling. Since galettes are free-form, there are no pans to help give this recipe stability, so I didn’t want to overcrowd my dough with too many apples. I opted for just shy of a pound of apples, thinly sliced, and some cranberries of course.

Like I mentioned in my apple pie filling post, you can’t just use any ol’ apple and call it good. While Granny Smiths are great for making an apple pie filling because there’s so much sugar, this apple galette recipe doesn’t call for much sugar—so I chose to go with a sweeter but still sturdy apple.

I rave and rave about Pink Lady apples; they’re sweet and tart but sturdy enough to still hold their shape while cooking. Braeburn apples are another fantastic option if you like those as well.

process of making cranberry apple filling for galette

I also switched out white sugar for some brown sugar because brown sugar has a much more robust flavor which helps compliment all of the spices going on in this recipe.

Adding the cranberries at the end of cooking allows for them to release some of their juices, turning the apple galette a gorgeous plum color.

Don’t rinse that pan yet! Hold on to the juices and leftover sugar for late

Assembling the Apple Galette

Since this galette is free-form, you don’t have to worry about transferring the pie dough to a dish. I found that just rolling out the pie dough between two pieces of parchment paper was a perfect, and rustic, way to build and bake the galette.

process of rolling out pie dough for galette

I struggled to know how I was going to bake this galette in my oven since previous attempts were made on sheet pans and I didn’t care for the texture of the crust.

Then I remembered that I had a pizza stone and a pizza peel to help me with that. Both come in super handy but aren’t necessary to make a delicious galette.

When the pie dough has been rolled out, I trim up some of the edges that got too carried away and make the circle a bit more uniform.

Using a spoon, I slightly strain the apple filling from the juices and pile it in the middle of the pie dough. Once all of the filling is there, then I spread it around a bit to even out the layer. Then, the crust can be folded up!

It’s super simple to do, and there is no right way to do it. This is how I do it, and it works for me.

gif of how to fold galette crust before baking

Before baking, I give the crust a little brush of melted butter and sprinkle with some of my brown sugar and McCormick spice mix to add more flavor. Then, into the oven it goes!

shot of prepared cranberry galette being sprinkled with sugar and spices

How Long to Bake Rustic Apple Galette

The key to making a delicious cranberry and apple galette is making sure that the crust is fully cooked. I like to bake my galette for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees, helping me get that beautiful golden-brown color and making sure that the galette is fully cooked!

Spiced Apple Cider Glaze

I hope that you held onto your pan that you cooked the apples and cranberries in.

One of the tricky things with galettes is that they can be drier than pies. When I eat an apple pie, it’s full of a delicious apple and spice sauce which helps with the buttery crust.

My solution to this was to make a spiced apple cider glaze using the “leftover” drippings from the pan I used to cook my filling in.

Deglazing the pan with some apple cider picks up all of the delicious flavors that will perfectly complement the cranberry apple galette.

hand grabbing a piece of rustic cranberry apple galette with pie server

I let my sauce cook for about 25 minutes over medium-high heat so that it reduces down to a syrup consistency, perfect for drizzling over the galette.

Whipped Honey Cream

I am all for eating pie with ice cream; this recipe is especially delicious. However, I feel like galettes are a bit more delicate and need something equally as delicate.

A generous helping of whipped cream, sweetened with honey, is perfect for enjoying the galette with a refreshing taste!

How to Store Apple Galette

Once the galette is baked and you have had your fair share, you can simply store the galette in the fridge in an airtight container or you can freeze for up to 3 months in your freezer. I would reheat it in the oven just to keep the crust from losing its texture.

rustic cranberry apple galette on parchment paper surrounded by McCormick spice containers

I hope that you have enjoyed this recipe and that it makes an appearance on your Thanksgiving table! Tell me all about your experience down below, along with a rating!

Happy eating.

For more awesome apple recipes, check out these posts:

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