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Caramel pecan apple puff pastry galette made with fresh cinnamon apples, brown sugar caramel, pecans and flaky golden pastry.

Caramel Pecan Apple Puff Pastry Galette

This caramel pecan apple puff pastry galette is filled with fresh apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and crunchy pecans, all wrapped in flaky, golden puff pastry. The apples are cooked first so the natural juices reduce and form a thick brown sugar caramel sauce instead of making the galette watery. The puff pastry is simply folded by hand around the apple filling, giving it an easy rustic look without needing a pie plate.
I like a combination of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples for this recipe. Granny Smith apples stay firm and add a little tartness, while Honeycrisp apples bring sweetness and plenty of fresh apple flavour. Finished with a light dusting of icing sugar, this easy apple puff pastry dessert is especially good served warm with vanilla ice cream.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Cooling Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Dessert, Fall Dessert, Holiday Dessert
Cuisine American, North American
Servings 6 servings
Calories 439 kcal

Equipment

  • Large skillet
  • Wooden spoon or silicone spatula
  • Small mixing bowl
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Apple peeler
  • Sharp knife
  • Cutting board
  • Rolling Pin
  • Large baking sheet
  • Parchment paper
  • Pastry brush
  • Cooling rack

Ingredients
  

Caramel Pecan Apple Filling

  • 2 Granny Smith apples peeled, cored and sliced about ¼-inch thick
  • 2 Honeycrisp apples peeled, cored and sliced about ¼-inch thick
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • ½ cup brown sugar packed
  • 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp lemon juice fresh
  • 1½ tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp cold water
  • ½ cup pecans chopped

Puff Pastry

  • 1 puff pastry I used frozen sheets and thawed them but made sure they were still cold
  • 1 egg large
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 1 tbsp coarse sugar optional

For Serving

  • Icing sugar for dusting
  • Vanilla ice cream optional

Instructions
 

Prepare the Fresh Apples

  • Peel and core the Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples, then cut them into slices about ¼-inch thick.
  • Keeping the apple slices fairly even helps them cook at the same rate while still leaving some nice pieces of apple in the finished galette.

Cook the Cinnamon Brown Sugar Apples

  • Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
  • Add the sliced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Gently stir until the apples are coated.
  • Cook for about 7–9 minutes, stirring occasionally. The apples will release some juice at first. Keep cooking until they have softened slightly and some of that moisture has evaporated.
  • You don't want completely soft apples here. They will continue cooking inside the puff pastry.
  • Stir in the vanilla extract and lemon juice.

Thicken the Caramel Apple Filling

  • In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and cold water until completely smooth.
  • Pour the cornstarch mixture into the apples and gently stir.
  • Continue cooking for 1–2 minutes, until the brown sugar sauce becomes thick, glossy and caramel-like and clings to the apple slices.
  • There should not be a pool of thin liquid in the bottom of the skillet. When you pull a spoon through the mixture, the caramel should slowly come back together rather than immediately running across the pan.
  • Stir in the chopped pecans.
  • Remove from the heat and let the caramel pecan apple filling cool completely or for at least 20 minutes.
  • This step matters. Putting hot or watery apple filling onto puff pastry can make the bottom soft and soggy.

Prepare the Puff Pastry

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
  • Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Place the thawed puff pastry sheet onto the parchment. Gently roll it out just enough to smooth the folds and enlarge it slightly.
  • Don't roll the pastry too thin. Keeping some thickness helps create the flaky, puffed edges that make this apple puff pastry galette so good.

Add the Caramel Apple Pecan Filling

  • Spoon the cooled apple filling into the centre of the puff pastry, leaving about a 2-inch border around the outside.
  • Spread the apples fairly evenly while keeping the thick cinnamon brown sugar caramel sauce and pecans with the fruit.
  • Avoid adding any excess thin liquid that may remain in the pan.

Hand Fold the Puff Pastry

  • Fold the outer edges of the puff pastry up and slightly over the apples.
  • Work your way around the galette, gently overlapping and pleating the pastry by hand.
  • Don't worry about making every fold identical. The rustic hand-folded pastry is part of the look of an easy homemade apple galette.
  • Leave plenty of the caramel apple filling exposed in the centre.

Brush With Egg Wash

  • Whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon water.
  • Brush the exposed puff pastry with the egg wash.
  • If you want a slightly sweeter, crisp finish, sprinkle the pastry with a little coarse sugar.

Bake the Apple Puff Pastry Galette

  • Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until the puff pastry is deeply golden brown, crisp and visibly puffed around the edges.
  • The caramel pecan apple filling should be bubbling gently and look thick and glossy rather than watery.
  • If the pastry is browning too quickly near the end, loosely cover the darker areas with foil.

Cool Before Serving

  • Let the galette cool on the baking sheet for about 15–20 minutes.
  • This gives the brown sugar caramel filling time to set around the apples and is one of the best ways to keep the filling thick when you cut into it.

Dust With Icing Sugar

  • Just before serving, lightly dust the entire caramel pecan apple puff pastry galette with icing sugar.
  • Serve warm on its own or add a scoop of vanilla ice cream while the galette is still slightly warm.
    • For the best caramel pecan apple puff pastry galette, make sure the brown sugar cinnamon apple filling is thick and fully cooled before adding it to the puff pastry. This helps prevent a soggy bottom and keeps the caramel sauce rich, glossy and clinging to the fresh apples.

Notes

  • Use Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples for the best balance of tart and sweet in this caramel pecan apple puff pastry galette.
  • Cook the fresh apples before assembling the galette so the filling becomes thick and caramel-like instead of watery.
  • Let the brown sugar cinnamon apple filling cool before adding it to the puff pastry. Warm filling can soften the pastry and make the bottom less crisp.
  • Keep the puff pastry cold while you work with it. Chilled pastry gives you better lift and flakier layers in the oven.
  • Don’t roll the puff pastry too thin. You want enough thickness for a crisp, golden edge around the apple galette.
  • Chop the pecans fairly coarsely so you still get a little crunch in every bite.
  • The caramel sauce should cling to the apples before the filling comes off the stove. If it still looks loose, cook it for another minute or two.
  • Leave about a 2-inch border around the filling so the puff pastry can be folded up easily by hand.
  • Let the baked caramel apple galette rest for 15–20 minutes before slicing. The filling thickens as it cools.
  • Dust with icing sugar just before serving so it stays visible and doesn’t melt into the warm pastry.
  • Serve warm with vanilla ice cream for an easy fall apple dessert or holiday dessert that feels a little more special.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 439kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 5gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 245mgPotassium: 164mgFiber: 3gSugar: 25gVitamin A: 196IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 39mgIron: 2mg
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