Indulge in the delicious flavors of this cherry almond galette for two, showcasing plump fresh cherries, velvety almond cream, and a delightfully flaky all-butter 6-inch pie crust. This delectable summer dessert is ideal for your backyard BBQ, picnic, or any festive summer celebration!
Small Batch Cherry Almond Galette
I originally published this recipe back in 2019, and it continues to be a blog recipe favorite. This cherry almond galette isn’t your typical cherry pie. In fact, I think it may be better. Of course I’m biased because I love galettes. Case in point – my caramel corn apple galette and cranberry pear gluten free galette.
- The galette is essentially a rustic pie – which means preparing the galette is EASY! No need to worry about intricate pie edges or fancy pie tops.
- The cherry filling is kept in its natural form – meaning we don’t drown the cherries in a sugary syrup.
Now, don’t get me wrong – if you put a slice of homemade cherry pie in front of me, I will eat it! Afterall, I love any cherry dessert!
All The Reasons To Love This Cherry Galette
- Fresh cherries are front and center
- Velvety almond cream to hold the cherries
- An incredibly flaky all-butter pie crust
- So easy to make
- Almond + cherry = delicious!
- Small batch serving to have all for yourself!
Everything You Need To Make The Mini cherry Galette
Ingredients
- Fresh cherries – You can use frozen cherries. However, I love to use fresh fruit especially when it is in season. My mini cherry coffee cake, cherry cornflake scones, and cherry gluten free blondies all use fresh cherries as well!
- Lemon juice – We use a little lemon juice to brighten the cherries.
- All-purpose flour – As a thickener in the cherries and for the pie dough. Or make the cherry galette gluten free and use my gluten free flaky pie dough.
- Sugar – Granulated sugar or even organic cane sugar work. In the cherry filling and in the pie dough.
- Unsalted Butter – Very cold butter is the key to make the pie dough extra flaky.
- Water – Ice water to be exact. We don’t want to melt the cold butter!
- Vinegar – Apple cider vinegar or white vinegar work. This helps tenderize the dough.
- Heavy cream – For the almond cream filling. You can swap in coconut cream.
- Cornstarch – This will help thicken the cream. Tapioca flour will also work.
- Almond extract – A must to get the delicious almond flavor into the cream.
- Egg – We use the egg to brush on the dough before baking – this will give it a shiny exterior.
- Sliced almonds – Optional to garnish.
- Turbinado sugar – Also optional to garnish – but I do like to sprinkle a little over the pie dough before baking to give the crust a sweet crunch!
Baking Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Baking sheet with parchment paper
- Cherry pitter – A highly recommended tool for this recipe. The cherry pitter will make pitting the cherries so easy!
Should You Pre-Cook The Cherries Before Baking The Galette
It depends if you like chunks of cherry, or saucy cherries. For this recipe, I personally prefer the larger soft cherry chunks. And, the cherries will break down and get soft and jammy when the galette is baked.
Now, if you want a more saucy cherry filling, check out my cherry cheesecake parfait recipe and follow the instructions for the cherry compote. Make this as the filling, then bake the cherry galette. The cherry compote will give you a saucy base with delicious chunks of cherry.
Tips For Success
- Use fresh cherries – For a couple of reasons: fresh is always best when in season, and fresh cherries will retain more texture when baked.
- Make the cream ahead of time – Or even the night before. It is nice to have the cream thick, but also one less step the day you are baking!
- You can also make the pie dough ahead of time – As the dough chills, it hydrates and develops flavor. I typically make all my pie dough the day before.
- The butter in the pie dough must be cold – Cold butter releases steam when baked resulting in a buttery flaky pie crust. To ensure the butter stays cold when you are working with it, I recommend a quick freeze before using.
- The water also must be cold – For the simple reason we don’t want to melt the cold butter!
- Don’t stress perfection – The galette is a rustic pie. Don’t fret about jagged edges when you roll out the dough, or it not being the perfect circle. There is something tasty about the organic shape of the cherry galette!
- Sprinkle the dough with coarse sugar before you bake – This will give the edge the tastiest sweet crunch!
FAQ’S
I have not tested it, but you should be able to easily double the recipe.
You sure can! For summer – blackberries, peaches, or strawberries would be delicious. In winter – apple, pears, cranberries, and plums are tasty.
I recommend it. The dough gets handled a bit while preparing, so we want to make sure it stays cold.
It is not, but it is so delicious. It gives the galette different textures and layers of flavor.
The dough should be scrappy, not perfectly smooth. To achieve this, you may need to use more or less water depending on the weather and humidity – which play a role when making dough!
The galette will be fine covered at room temperature for up to 8 hours. Beyond that, I recommend refrigerating because of the cream.
My preferred method is about 7 to 10 minutes in a warm (350F degree) oven.
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Cherry Almond Galette For Two
Ingredients
Almond Cream
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Pie Crust
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 2 to 4 tablespoons ice water
- 1/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (or white distilled vinegar)
- 1 large egg, beaten (for brushing crust)
- turbinado sugar (optional; for topping crust)
- sliced almonds (optional; for topping crust + garnish)
Cherry Filling
- 8 ounces (1 cup) fresh cherries, pitted and halved (or half whole and half halved)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
Instructions
Almond Cream
- In a small saucepan set over medium heat, add the cream, sugar and cornstarch. Whisk thoroughly until the cornstarch is incorporated and dissolved.3/4 cup heavy cream, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons corn starch
- Cook the cream until it thickens and bubbles slightly – about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the almond extract and butter. Stir until the butter has melted.1/2 teaspoon almond extract, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Transfer the cream to a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap with the plastic set directly on top of the cream. This keeps a skin from forming. Set aside to cool until ready to use.
- The cream can also be made ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to use.
Pie Crust
- Note -The butter needs to be cold. Before you begin making the dough, cut the butter into cubes, and place in the freezer for about 10 to 15 minutes ahead of time.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter cubes to the flour and press the butter cubes into small flat, flaky discs (about the size of a nickel) – making sure they are all coated with flour.1 cup all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- Fill a small liquid measuring cup with ice water – as long as you have at least 1/2 cup of water. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the vinegar and 2 tablespoons of ice water to the well. Using a fork or spatula, stir the flour around the water, and continue to add water 1 tablespoon at a time until you start to get larger clumps of dough. To check if you have added enough water, grab some of the dough in your hand and squeeze it. If it sticks together without crumbling apart, you have added enough water. If it still crumbles apart, add another tablespoon of water, and check again. Note – The dough is supposed to be rough and not overly moist. Adding too much water will likely result in a tough dough. So will overmixing the dough. Work the dough gently when mixing in the water.2 to 4 tablespoons ice water, 1/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- Note – Weather and humidity can impact how much water is needed to bring the dough together. You may find that you need more water than the recipe states.
- Pour the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and form into a ball, then flatten into a small disc. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Cherry Filling
- In a small bowl, mix the prepared cherries, lemon juice, sugar and flour until the cherries are covered. Set aside.8 ounces (1 cup) fresh cherries, pitted and halved, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- Baking the Galette – Preheat the oven to 375F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
- Remove the cooled dough from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature for at least 15 minutes. Lightly flour your work surface. Roll the dough into a rough 8-inch circle. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet.
- Top the dough with almond cream – leaving about a 2-inch border of dough. Next, pile the prepared cherries on top of the almond cream.
- Fold up the edges of the dough around the cherries. The cherries will not be fully covered by dough – which is what we want.
- Brush the edges of the dough with the beaten egg, then sprinkle with the coarse sugar and the slivered almonds, if using.1 large egg, beaten, turbinado sugar, sliced almonds
- Bake the galette for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the crust is a golden brown. Let cool before serving. Top with more slivered almonds and a dusting of powdered sugar and enjoy!
RECIPE NOTES
- Serving Size – This recipe is intended to be a small batch. However, you can double the recipe to make a larger galette.
- Gluten Free Version – You can use my gluten free pie dough to make the galette gluten free!
- Freezing The Dough – You can freeze the pie dough for up to 3 months. Cover in plastic wrap, then slip into a ziploc bag. Thaw in the refrigerator.
- Freezing A Raw Galette – I don’t recommend freezing a raw, prepared galette. The cherries will release too much liquid when thawed and the crust will not bake flaky.
- Storing Leftovers – The galette can be stored covered at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours. Beyond that, I recommend refrigerating.
- Freezing Leftovers – You can wrap leftovers in plastic wrap and slip into a ziploc bag to freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator. I recommend re-heating in the oven to get the crust flaky and the cherries to warm.
about the author ...
I'm Erin and I'm all about desserts - and a little bit of butter!
I've tested, written, and photographed hundreds of recipes on my website. Here you'll find the tastiest small batch gluten free and traditional desserts - all homemade, all simple, and all for you!
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
This looks so good! What a great treat to make for friends in the summer!
This looks to be very close to my Grandmother’s recipe which of was lost when we lost the best pie maker in our family…I have frozen sour cherries and would appreciate any ideas you.might have ie. should I thaw them or use frozen…In any case Thank you for posting a memory so dear to this 80 year old grandma…
Hi Joanne – I recommend thawing and draining the cherries. Then follow the instructions for the filling. I hope you enjoy the galette – such a sweet memory and I hope it comes close to your Grandmother’s!
Looks yummy!
Delicious! I used Trader Joe’s pie crust and saved some time. I think the 8 inch pie crust size is too much. Next time I make it I will use. 9-10 round. It was a lot a filling in such a small crust size.
Thank you Marylou – I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! I’ll have to try the Trader Joe’s pie crust – I bet it’s delicious.