Caramel topped Apple Gallette with a Butter Cookie Crust

Yesterday was a very satisfying day. I wasn't idle at all, physically, emotionally or spitirually. At about 10 am I was baking an Apple Gallette with a Butter Cookie crust drizzled with Caramel Sauce. Yes you read that right, I was baking on a Sunday morning. How did I go from reading the Sunday paper to baking you ask? Great question. I knew that I was to attend a pot-luck with some friends I had not seen or spoken to in awhile. I also knew that I had not been to the grocery store and that I didn't want to go to the grocery store so I rummaged through my fridge, my cookbooks and my cabinets to see what I could come up with. Well I finally settled on a recipe for a Blueberry Streusal Gallette. I changed the recipe to include apples (its what I had on hand) and no streusal topping (I didn't have any rolled oats or oatmeal packets). As I started mixing, and sifting and creaming, Alexander (my almost 3 year old) rattled off a barrage of questions: What are you doing? What's that? Why you cutting apples? Can I have an apple? What are you doing? The original plan was to make a quick caramel sauce with the standard sugar, water, and heavy cream but of course I didn't have heavy cream and no, I still was not going to go to the grocery store, so I settled for the jarred caramel ice cream topping we all have in our pantry.








So you start out by making a simple butter cookie recipe (see below for recipe) and refridgerated the dough. ment.



I then cut my 5 apples (that's all I had), put some reconstituted lemon juice on them so they wouldn't turn brown. You know, the handy dandy little lemon juice that comes in the plastic lemon container from your produce section. This is where I debated putting cinnamon and nutmeg on my apples like when you make an apple pie. I decided against it as I didn't want the spices to overpower the caramel sauce since I was kind of going for a caramel apple flavor.


I used half of what I made and froze the other half. After 45 minutes I then retrieved my butter cookie dough, and rolled it out on my new silicone baking mat



I sprikled my apples with 2 TBS. of sugar and placed on the butter cookie crust, folded the sides over but left the middle uncovered. This is a classic step in making a Gallette. (this is according to the recipe I altered as this was the first time I have made one) I threw it in the oven and hoped for the best. NOTE TO SELF: Do not take a shower and ask your oldest to keep an eye on your Gallette. Okay, so when it came out of the oven I was a little disappointed to say the least. the edges were overly browned and how the heck was I going to get this thing onto a serving dish in one piece, the cookie crust was already starting to crack because of its extended oven stay.



Well instead of keeping it in one piece, I pre-cut the dessert in bar-like pieces. I would drizzle with caramel sauce when I got to where I was going. Could I just say, the flavor of the butter cookie, which is one of my favorites, could not have been better. It was flaky, and buttery and for the most part the right consistency. Where the apples and the crust meet was like an apple party in your mouth. Subtle but you still knew it was there. I thought it worked on so many levels and I was proud to say I tried this recipe, and made it my own. Most importantly, my friends said they thought it was great. That's all you need to feel a new recipe has been a success, glowing reviews. That was a fun "Slap The Bull" moment.


Butter Cookies (From Williams-Sonoma Desserts)

3 cups all-pupose flour
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 TBS pure vanilla extract

Sift together the all-purpose and cake flours and salt into a bowl. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on low speed, beat together the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the flour mixture and mix just until a moist dough forms. form the doug into disks and wrap separately in lastic wrap. Chill 1 disk until firm.

Caramel topped Apple Gallete with Butter Cookie Crust (adjusted from Williams-Sonoma Desserts Blueberry Streusel Galette)

Butter Cookie Dough
5 apples
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 TBS granulated sugar

Roll out the dough onto a rimmed baking sheet with either a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Prepare the apples. Slice apples into medium-sized pieces and sprinkle with lemon juice so they won't turn brown. Add 2 TBS granulated sugar to apples. Transfer to your butter cookie crust. Fold crust over apples loosely leaving the center open. Bake for 40 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Let cool on the pan. Cut into bar-like pieces and drizzle with store-bought caramel ice cream topping. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.