Apple Crostata
This rustic apple crostata is the dessert we always make room for at Maggiano’s, and now you can make it at home. A flaky, buttery homemade crust folds around warm cinnamon apples, bakes to golden brown in about 30 minutes, and gets topped with melting vanilla ice cream. It’s easier than apple pie, and you don’t even need a pie plate.
The Dessert We Always Make Room For
Every holiday season, our family has a tradition. We go to our favorite Italian restaurant, Maggiano’s. They serve their meals family style, and it’s all so delicious. By the end we are stuffed. There’s no room for dessert.
But then there’s the apple crostata. And there is always room for apple crostata.
Theirs is a buttery, flaky crust wrapped around warm cinnamon apples, with ice cream on top that just melts all over it. I think we’ve ordered it almost every single time we’ve been there. But we had never made it in our own kitchen, so we decided to change that.
I’ll be honest with you. I don’t know if this is exactly their recipe. But it’s awfully close, and it tasted like that holiday dinner to me. Darren reminded me on camera that I love all things apple, and he’s right. This one might be my favorite.
The best part is how forgiving it is. A crostata is meant to look homemade. You don’t have to worry about your edges or making perfect little pinches around a pie plate. You just pile the apples in the middle, fold the crust up around them, and let the oven do the rest.
Apple Crostata
Serves 8. Prep 30 minutes, chill 45 minutes to 1 hour, bake about 30 minutes. You will need a baking sheet and parchment paper.
Ingredients
For the pie crust:
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick (½ cup) salted butter, chilled and cubed
- 3 to 3½ tablespoons ice cold water
For the apple filling:
- 4 small Granny Smith apples (or 2 to 3 large), peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Pinch of salt
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- A little butter for dotting (optional)
For the topping:
- 1 egg, beaten
- Sugar in the raw (turbinado sugar), for sprinkling
- Vanilla ice cream and maple syrup, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Mix the dry ingredients. Measure 1¼ cups of flour using the dip, level, and pour method so you don’t pack in too much. Add 2 teaspoons of sugar and ¼ teaspoon of salt, then run your mixer for a few seconds to combine. That’s a little more sugar than I’d usually put in a pie crust, but it helps the crust turn a beautiful golden brown.
- Cut in the butter. Take one stick of butter straight from the refrigerator. You want it chilled. Slice it in half lengthwise, flip it, run your knife through it the other direction, and then cut across to make small cubes. Add the butter to the flour and mix until it breaks down into pea-sized pieces. A few slightly bigger bits are fine.
- Add the ice water. Pour in 3 tablespoons of ice cold water and mix. Be patient here, because it takes a minute for the dough to come together. If it still looks dry, add the last ½ tablespoon. As soon as the dough collects together, stop your mixer. You don’t want too much liquid, and you don’t want to overmix it.
- Shape and chill. Gather the dough with your hands and press it into a flat disc on a piece of plastic wrap. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Wrap it up and chill it in the fridge for 45 minutes to an hour. Chilling helps the butter bake into a nice, flaky crust.
- Slice the apples. Peel the apples. Cut down both sides next to the core, then cut the remaining sides off. Laying the flat side down keeps the apple steady while you cut nice, thin slices. Thin slices cook quickly and bake perfectly in about 30 minutes.
- Make the filling. Toss the apples with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. It balances the sweetness and keeps the apples from turning brown while you finish the crust. Stir in ½ cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch (it thickens the juices as they cook out), a pinch of salt, ¾ teaspoon of cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg. Set it aside. You’ll see the apples start getting juicy right away.
- Heat the oven and roll out the crust. Preheat your oven to 425°F. Lightly flour a clean, flat surface and your rolling pin. The chilled dough will be a little stiff at first, but it will roll. Roll it out to about the thickness of a regular pie crust. If it starts sticking, just brush a little more flour underneath.
- Transfer to the pan. Carefully move the crust onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Don’t worry if it hangs off the edge. It’ll get folded up in the next step.
- Assemble the crostata. Give the apples one more stir and pile them in the center, leaving a couple of inches of crust all around the edge. Dot with a little butter if you’d like. Fold the crust up over the apples, pleating it as you go around. Make sure the crust is sealed well so the juices stay inside.
- Egg wash and sugar. Beat one egg and brush it over the crust. Sprinkle the edges with sugar in the raw.
- Bake. Bake at 425°F for about 30 minutes. Check it at the 20-minute mark. If the crust is browning too quickly, lay a piece of foil over the middle or loosely cover the whole thing. I covered mine for the last 5 minutes.
- Serve. Slice it up, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and drizzle with a little maple syrup if you like. Both are optional, but they sure are good.
Tips for the Best Apple Crostata
- Keep everything cold. Chilled butter and ice cold water are what make the crust flaky.
- Stop mixing the moment the dough forms. Overmixed dough bakes up tough.
- Slice the apples thin. Thin slices cook through before the crust over-browns.
- Seal the folds. Any gap lets the juices bubble out onto the pan.
- Store-bought crust works in a pinch. But the homemade crust is what really sets this apart. Here’s my homemade pie crust if you want the full tutorial.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between a crostata and a galette?
They’re basically the same dessert: a free-form tart where the crust is folded partly over the filling. Crostata is the Italian name, and galette is the French name.
Is this the actual Maggiano’s apple crostata recipe?
No, this is our homemade version inspired by the one we order at Maggiano’s every holiday season. It’s close, and we think you’ll love it.
What are the best apples for an apple crostata?
Granny Smith apples are a great baking apple because they’re firm with a little tartness. Honeycrisp works too if you want it a bit sweeter. Honestly, I’d use whatever apples I had on hand.
How many apples do I need?
I used four small Granny Smith apples. If yours are large, two or three should be plenty.
Can I use a store-bought pie crust?
Yes. It’ll still be delicious, but I’ll be honest, the homemade crust really makes this dessert.
Can I make the crust without a mixer?
Yes. You can cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter or two forks. Just stop once the butter is pea-sized and the dough holds together.
Why do you put lemon juice and salt on the apples?
The lemon juice balances the sugar and keeps the apples from browning. A pinch of salt might seem odd, but it helps all the flavors come together and cuts the sweetness and tartness.
How do I keep the crust from getting too brown?
Check it at about 20 minutes. If it’s browning fast, cover the exposed apples in the middle with foil, or loosely cover the whole crostata for the rest of the bake.
Why did juice leak out of my crostata?
Usually there’s a gap in the folded crust. Pinch the pleats closed as you fold so the juices stay inside while it bakes.
What should I serve with apple crostata?
Vanilla ice cream is the classic, just like at the restaurant. A drizzle of maple syrup on top is a nice extra touch.
Give This One a Try
If you have apple pie fans in your house, this is a little twist on it, and it’s so easy to put together because you don’t have to worry about how pretty that crust looks. I hope you’ll give it a try. I think your friends and family will love it too.
Looking for more apple desserts? Try our Country Apple Dumplings, Homemade Apple Pie, Apple Crisp, and Fresh Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze.
Thank you so much for joining me at Mary Katherine’s Table. And remember to go out today and find somebody who needs a little bit of kindness and give them some of yours.
Apple Crostata
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick salted butter 1/2 cup, chilled and cubed
- 3 – 3 1/2 tablespoons ice cold water
Apple Filling
- 4 small Granny Smith apples peeled and thinly sliced (or 2 to 3 large)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 pinch salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon butter cut into small pieces, for dotting (optional)
Topping
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar sugar in the raw, for sprinkling
- vanilla ice cream for serving (optional)
- maple syrup for drizzling (optional)
Instructions
Make the Crust
- Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a mixer and run for a few seconds to blend.
- Add the chilled, cubed butter and mix until the butter is broken into pea-sized pieces.
- Add 3 tablespoons of ice water and mix just until the dough collects together. Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon only if needed. Stop mixing as soon as the dough forms.
- Gather the dough into a flat disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Make the Filling
- Peel the apples, cut the sides away from the core, and slice them thin.
- Toss the apples with the lemon juice, then stir in the sugar, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
Assemble and Bake
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Roll the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to about the thickness of a regular pie crust.
- Transfer the crust to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Pile the apples in the center, leaving about 2 inches of crust around the edge. Dot with butter if using. Fold and pleat the crust up over the apples, sealing it well.
- Brush the crust with the beaten egg and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
- Bake about 30 minutes, until golden brown. Check at 20 minutes and cover with foil if the crust is browning too quickly.
- Slice and serve warm with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of maple syrup, if desired.
Video
Notes
- Keep it cold: Chilled butter and ice cold water make the flakiest crust.
- Don’t overmix: Stop the mixer as soon as the dough comes together.
- Slice thin: Thin apple slices cook through in the 30-minute bake time.
- Apple swap: Honeycrisp works in place of Granny Smith for a sweeter filling.
- Seal the pleats: Gaps in the folded crust let the juices bubble out.
- Short on time? A store-bought pie crust works, but homemade really sets this dessert apart.
