Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner....yikes!...so I'm sorta kinda thinking about what to make. Of course, I'm thinking about the desserts first! lol
Apple pie is an American classic, not just Southern, and a family favorite. My sister-in-law back in Arkansas is known for her double-crust apple pie at (almost) every holiday. hint hint Kelley if you are reading this, I'm putting in my request, now for Christmas!
I prefer a homemade pie crust to a store-bought crust, hands down. I am not a pie crust snob-hmmmm... well, maybe just a little... but I am not above using the rolled-up refrigerated pie crust when I'm looking for a shortcut to the dessert table. I do, however, refuse to buy frozen, already shaped-in-the-foil-pan crusts. Sorry, but those are like cardboard frisbees.
The ingredients needed for an apple galette are few as you can see. Pillsbury makes a refrigerate dough but so does Walmart and Aldi. While you peel the apples let the pie crust stand 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature according to the package directions. This is especially important if you were making the traditional apple pie in a pie plate. It tends to "shrink" if you start with it straight from the fridge.
The number of apples isn't as important as the number of cups of apple slices. I like to buy the bags of smaller apples because they are less expensive and we always have a bag of apples in the fridge to snack on-year round. I used 5 little Granny Smith apples but I've seen some so large that 3 would be more than enough to get 3 cups of slices.
Be sure to combine the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together first. This distributes the cinnamon evenly and prevents it from clumping onto the apple slices.
Gently toss the sugar mixture with the apple slices so you don't break the slices. Set this aside while you roll out the pie crust.
The refrigerated pie crust starts out about 11inches. With a rolling pin, roll it out to a 12-inch circle. Tip: roll the edges just a little thinner than the rest to give it more of a homemade look. Otherwise, the edges tend to have a blunt, thick look that I think is a dead giveaway that it is a refrigerated store bought crust.
You don't have to use a round pizza pan. After folding the edges in, the finished circle is about 8 inches and can easily fit on a rectangle baking sheet. Pile the coated apple slices up in the middle of the pie. Just arrange enough on the top in a concentric circle. Don't worry about the bottoms ones.
Pull about 3 inches of pie crust at a time toward the center, overlapping as you go around.
Whisk together egg and milk and brush lightly over the pie crust. This not only helps the turbinado sugar (My kids used to call this the "crunchy sugar") stick to the crust, it helps the crust bake with a nice golden brown color.
Unless you pile too many apple slices into this little package, you shouldn't have any spillage or leaks. you can always start with a piece of parchment paper under the crust before adding the apples if you want to ensure less clean up. You can tell that my pan is well-loved and used.
Now, see that delicate edge on the right? That's from rolling it out a little thinner on the edges. This galette is as yummy as it is easy.
If you want to "gild the lily", add a few scoops of ice cream and drizzle with caramel topping.
Warm apple pie and cold ice cream mingling with cascading caramel. I may or may not have eaten this whole piece after photographing it. lol
If you make this recipe, leave a comment and let me know how you like it. Be sure to follow me on social media and sign up on my email list so you never miss a post!
If you like apples, try my Fried Apple Rings.
Shortcut Caramel Apple Pie (Galette)
Ingredients
- 1 refrigerated, rolled-up pie crust 1/2 of a 15-oz pkg
- 3 large or 5 small Granny Smith apples
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons salted butter melted
- 1 medium or large egg lightly beaten with a fork
- 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar sugar in the raw
- 1/4 cup caramel dip or ice cream topping I prefer Marzetti dip or Smuckers Salted Caramel topping
- Vanilla ice cream optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Remove rolled pie crust from the box and place it on the counter for 15 to 20 minutes. The box directions say to do this but many overlook it-like I did for many years!
- Meanwhile, peel and slice apples into 1/8-inch thick slices. Toss the apple slices in lemon juice in a large bowl to prevent browning.
- Combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle it over the apples, tossing gently to coat the apples.
- Unroll the pie crust and gently roll out into a 12-inch circle with a rolling pin. Tip: Roll the edges slightly thinner for a delicate edge. It will make it look homemade. (It starts out as an 11-inch circle. Fold the crust in half and gently move over a large baking pan or pizza pan. (You can line this with foil or parchment, if you like.)
- Pile the apples up in the middle leaving about a 2 to 2 1/2 inch border on the pie crust. These will cook down considerably. You can arrange the apples in a concentric circle or leave them alone. I arrange the ones on the very top that will show and leave the ones underneath alone.
- Drizzle the butter over the apples.
- For the rustic folded edge, pull about a 2 inch section of the edge toward the middle and lay it down about 3 inches from the middle, take the next 2 to 3 inch section of edge and repeat, overlapping each section until all edges are folded in.
- Brush the pie crust edges with the beaten egg and sprinkle the pie crust and apples with turbinado sugar. Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes or until the crust is nicely browned and apples are bubbly.
- Place caramel dip in a small bowl and microwave it 20 seconds or until thin enough to drizzle. Ice cream topping will drizzle without heating. Drizzle it over the crust and apples and top with vanilla ice cream, if you like.
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