Mini Gluten-Free Apple Pear Galettes with Pecan Streusel

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BOB'S RED MILL

It's apple pie gone rogue. Honeycrisp apples hooked up with sweet Bartlett pears in a flaky, crusty, buttery rustic pie shell and then went next level with a generous sprinkling of pecan streusel on top. If you're going to eat dessert, make it worthwhile is my motto.

A galette may sound a little fancy schmancy but it's really as easy as pie. Actually it's easier.

A galette is a freeform pie. Based on its French origins it simply means 'flat cake.' No pie dish. Think pie without borders. No fancy pie edges with a lattice topping all decked out in fall harvest cutout pie shapes.

I imagine a French baker became fed up with making too many fancy pies, said to heck with it, threw some pie filling in the center of some dough, folded the edges around it, baked it, called it a fancy French word, and was enjoying every bite of their galette while their French neighbor was still working on that lattice topping with all the leafy-pumpkin-flower-heart-shaped cutouts.

• Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-To-1 Flour: DO NOT substitute a different all-purpose gluten-free flour blend. This galette recipe was developed using this specific gluten-free flour. No two gluten-free flour blends are the same so if you do go rogue and use something different the odds that your galette dough will turn out as tasty as what I created when testing this recipe are a risky gamble.
• Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Old Fashioned Rolled Oats: Rolled oats provide that clumpy streusel texture that is so hard to resist stealing a bite of. Just ask my 12-year-old.
• Bob's Red Mill Baking Powder: My go-to baking powder. It's aluminum-free and has no bitter aftertaste.
• Apples: My favorite apples for baking are Honeycrisp; they don't turn mushy when cooked. Pink Lady and Granny Smith are also good options.
• Pears: I opt for Bartlett when baking both for their sweet flavor and because they bake well. Bosc or Anjou would work as well. It's best to use pears that aren't quite ripe when baking to avoid mushiness.
• Nuts: I love pecans in a streusel topping but walnuts or even toasted hazelnuts would be just as delish.
• Egg: Acts as a binder in the galette dough, contributes to a flakier crust, and makes the dough pliable so it can easily be rolled out without breaking apart. Also used as a simple egg wash to brown the galette crust.

For a full list of ingredients and quantities see the recipe card at the end of this post.

Step 1: First, the streusel. Six simple ingredients of yumminess (Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour, butter, salt, pecans, oats, and brown sugar) are added to a mixing bowl.

Step 2: Using your fingers, pinch and smoosh the streusel ingredients into little buttery brown sugary crumbles of bliss. If you have kids, they would love to do the smooshing. If you don't have kids, you would love to do the smooshing. Resist the urge to eat the big streusel clumps. Or make extra, so you have enough for your galettes and your gullet.

Step 3: Next, make the galette dough. Add all the dry dough ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisk to combine.

Step 4: Using a cheese grater or food processor with a grater attachment, grate frozen butter and add to the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse, pea-sized crumbs. You could also use a pastry cutter to cut in cold butter.

Step 5: Add a beaten egg to the flour mixture and gently toss with a fork to combine.

Step 6: Add a few tablespoons of ice water to the flour mixture and mix well. If the dough seems dry, add more ice water as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time. 

Step 7: Dust your work surface lightly with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour. Turn out the dough mixture and gently knead until the dough comes together (the dough should not be sticky).

Step 8: Divide the dough into 4 equally sized portions.

Step 9: Roll out each portion of dough into a thin disk approximately 6 inches in diameter. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.

Step 10: As the dough chills, prepare the galette filling. Mix cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and flour in a large bowl. 

Step 11: Add sliced pears and apples to the cinnamon brown sugar mixture and stir to combine.

Step 12: Once the dough discs have chilled, place each disc on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Arrange roughly ⅓ - ½ cup of the apple pear galette filling in the center of each disc, leaving a 1-2 inch border all around.

Step 13: Gently fold and overlap the edges of the dough over the filling. Generously sprinkle the pecan streusel over the exposed apple pear mixture in the center of each galette.

Step 14: Brush the edges of the galette dough with a beaten egg and then place in the oven to bake until the crust and streusel are golden brown and the filling is bubbly, about 35-40 minutes. Allow the galettes to cool slightly. Consider topping your galette with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Then grab a fork and dig in babe.

These mini apple pear galettes exude all the cozy flavors of fall bundled up in a cute, little pie crust package. Warm spices, buttery, flaky crust, sweet apples and pears; it's irresistible.

Wait.... Something's missing.

Did you see what I did there? I thought so. You and I think alike when it comes to pie. Hot outta the oven with a scoop (or two) of ice cream.

Enjoy friends. ♡