I am back again with another galette. This time with fall’s unsung hero – pears. This pear almond galette is a fall must-have with juicy tender pears cooked inside flaky puff pastry. Simple, delightful and even better with a drizzle of maple caramel. Just what fall desserts are made of.

Pears are one of my favorite fall fruits. I wish I baked more with them but beyond a poached pear now and then, I forget of how good they are baked. This year, I was determined to throw a few into a pie form. But as usual, the lazy side of me takes over and I result to a galette instead. It has all the flavors of a pie – warm fruit, buttery crust- and not the work. This pear almond galette starts with a puff pastry crust, a pillowy goodness of buttery crust. The pastry crust is filled with a sweet almond frangipane and the spiced pears layered on top of it. It’s all baked to golden perfection!!

It’s simply delicious. It’s going to be my go-to dessert this fall to any gatherings.

This recipe was inspired by the new Simple Bites Kitchen cookbook. If you are not already a fan of Aimee over at Simple Bites, you need to be. She’s one of my favorite blogs and I’ve been reading it for years. Her second cookbook just came out and it’s full of amazing cozy family-friendly recipes.  I adapted her recipe for apple galette with pears. Grab a copy of this must-have book on Amazon.

More Pear Recipes

• Pear and Raspberry Bread
• Pear Apple Cider
• Pear Apple Pie
• Pear Crisp with Oat Crumb Topping
• Baked Pears

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Yield: 1 rectangular galette

Pear Almond Galette

This pear almond galette is a fall-must have with juicy tender pears cooked on top of an almond frangipane inside a flaky puff pastry crust.

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

Toggle ingredient group

• 1 pound puff pastry, thawed overnight in the refrigerator
• ⅓ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ⅔ cup brown sugar, divided
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup almond meal/flour
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4-5 large pears (I used Bosc pears)
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon turbinado or raw cane sugar, for sprinkling
• 2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted, for garnish

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry into a rectangle about 1/8^th inch thick. Transfer the pastry to the prepared sheet and place in freezer.
• In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and a 1/3 cup of the brown sugar. Add in 1 egg and beat until smooth. Finally, add the almond meal and flour and mix until smooth paste forms.
• Peel and core the pears and slice into ¼ inch slices. Toss the pears with the remaining sugar and the nutmeg and cinnamon.
• Remove the pastry from the freezer. Spread the almond frangipane over the puff pastry, leaving at least 2-3-inch border on all sides. Arrange the pear slices over the frangipane, making sure to tuck them in close together.
• Fold the sides over the pears in a freeform manner, pinching the folds together as you go. It doesn’t have to be perfect – that’s the beauty! Brush the pears with the melted butter. Beat the remaining egg and use to brush over the puff pastry. Sprinkle the whole galette with the turbinado sugar.
• Bake galette for 50-55 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the pears are soft to the touch. Let cool slightly before sprinkling with the almonds. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream.

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You guys my apples I picked a few weeks ago are all gone 🙁 OK, maybe it was a month ago so it makes sense, but still it was a LOT of apples. After several apple recipes over the past weeks, this apple tart cleaned the bags. I didn’t even get to make an apple pie yet!! There was a brown sugar apple pie in last month’s bon appetit I’ve been dying to try but never got around to it. Oh well, I’ll just have to buy another 5lbs for that 🙂

Talking about things I’ve been dying to try >> this apple tart with toasted sesame seeds. Last fall, the hubs and I went to Montreal on a weekend trip. It was a great road trip and nice to get away from our little town. Only 4 hours away, we had a great time in this francophone city. Of course, we hit up LOTS of bakeries and one of them we went to had an apple tart with sesame seeds on it. I was immediately intrigued by the flavor combo but was not convinced enough to try it (plus there were way too many pastries to try). So I chucked it to the back of my head to recreate at some point when I get home. A year later, I finally did! And I am so glad I did because apples + toasted sesame seeds is a great flavor profile. The sweet and tart apples combined with crispy toasted sesame seeds is wonderful.

For this tart, I started with a sweet tart dough (adapted from Baking Chez Moi) and made an almond frangipane filling to coat the bottom of the crust (great great idea because oh my…explosion of nutty flavor in it!). I left my apples pretty simple because I didn’t want spices taking over and just topped them with turbinado sugar and butter. The sweet dough, nutty frangipane filling and warm baked apples makes this my new favorite way to have apples. You need to try it folks! Be adventurous and throw some toasted sesame seeds on your next apple tart. (FYI: even my picky father-in-law loved this tart.)

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Yield: 1 9-inch tart

Apple Tart with Toasted Sesame Seeds

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

Sweet tart dough (adapted from baking chez moi)

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• ¼ cup almond meal
• 1 ¼ cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
• ½ cup confectioner sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 9 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
• 1 large egg yolk, whisked

For Frangipane Filling:

Toggle ingredient group

• 1 cup almond flour
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• a pinch of salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon bourbon or rum

For Topping:

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• 7 medium apples, sliced to about ½ inch wedges (I used honeycrisps)
• ¼ cup sugar (granulated or turbinado)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

Lightly grease the bottom of a 9-inch round tart pan with baking spray.

In a food processor, pulse together the almond meal, all-purpose flour, sugar and salt. Add in the half of the butter and pulse for a few second. Add in the rest and pulse until pea-sized. Add in the whisked egg yolk and pulse until the dough starts to form.

Turn out dough onto a clean surface and using your hands, knead together until dough comes together.

Press dough into the bottom and sides of the tart pan. Evenly spread and make sure there are no raised areas. Using a fork, poke the tart all around. Freeze dough for 30 minutes (or chill for at least an hour).

Meanwhile, prepare the filling. In the bowl of a food processor, combine all the filling ingredients and process until a smooth paste forms. Chill until ready to use.

When dough is ready, heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Spread the filling evenly to the bottom of the tart.

Top with apple slices in whatever design you like. I attempted to create a flower look by starting on the outside of the tart and working my way in, working in circles. Sprinkle apples generously with sugar. Dot with butter.

Place tart pan on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, 35- 40 minutes.

Remove tart from oven and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Let cool in pan completely before slicing and serving.

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The post Apple Tart with Toasted Sesame Seeds appeared first on A Classic Twist.

The hubs and I are moving this week from a two-bedroom apartment to a 4-bedroom house. We are going to be living in a house for the first time since we’ve been dating/engaged/married (5 years!!) and it is all kinds of exciting (even though we are renting)!!

The not-so-exciting part is the packing. We’ve outgrown our little two bedroom apartment (and by we I mean all my junk) and our apartment is in chaos right now with boxes everywhere and my kitchen is in disarray. I am insisting the kitchen is the last thing we pack but he was on my tails to get things boxed up this past weekend, especially my gazillion baking pans and cakes stands. I do not mess around with my baking equipment and he knows he can’t touch them without supervision. I promise I will have them packed up by the time the movers arrive on Wednesday (pinkie-swear!).

One of my favorite things about Spring is the switch in baking flavors. All winter long we craved comforting spices like cinnamon but as the season changes, we want fresh, light and citrus-y baked goods. These lemon almond tea cakes are my recent spring baking adventure. They were the last thing I made this weekend and probably the last in this kitchen (sad!). I guess it’s best to go out with a bang as these tea cakes are just amazing!

Fresh lemon zest, flavorful black tea (raspberry and lemon) and nutty almond meal lace these tea cakes and make them ideal for any occasion. Whether it’s breakfast (yes I have cake with my tea in the morning sometimes) or brunch or even as a dessert, these lemon almond tea cakes will be a delight. Moist, nutty, small and incredibly delicious, they are a spring must-have.

Because I was whipping up a small batch (the recipe makes 4-5 mini bundts), I used my 9-speed KitchenAid hand mixer for this recipe. The stand mixer is my go-to for making most things but I love the nifty hand mixer for smaller batches and also for when I don’t feel like washing my mixer bowl (truth be told!).

Lucky for you (and thanks to the good folks over at KitchenAid!), I am giving away one of these KitchenAid hand mixers as well as a set of my favorite baking pans. I seriously do not mess around when it comes to my baking pans and need good quality pans to make sure my cakes come out perfect every time. That’s why I love KitchenAid baking pans as they are reliable and sturdy and use them all the time. You can win a set today too! Use the widget below to enter.

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Yield: 4-5 mini bundts

Lemon Almond Tea Cakes

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Ingredients

Toggle ingredient group

• ½ cup sugar
• zest of one lemon
• 2 black tea bags
• ¾ all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup almond flour/meal
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons canola oil (or melted coconut oil)
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 4 mini bundt pans with baking spray.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the sugar, lemon zest and the contents of the two black tea bags. Process together for 1-2 minutes until fragrant and tea grounds are well processed.
3. In a small bowl, combine the flours and baking powder.
4. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with an electric mixer on medium speed until they are light in color, a full 5 minutes.
5. Still mixing, slowly add in the sugar-tea mixture and mix until combined. Add the oil, buttermilk, vanilla extract, almond extract, and lemon juice.
6. Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix on low speed until well combined.
7. Divide batter evenly into prepared mini bundt pans, filling each ⅔ full.
8. Bake cakes for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely in pan before turning cakes onto a wire rack. Serve with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar or a drizzle of honey.

Making this Recipe?

Share it with us on Instagram using #aclassictwist so we can see what you are baking up in your kitchen!

For more chances to win, head on over to my baking boos Grandbaby Cakes, Hip Foodie Mom and Baking A Moment, who are each giving away a KitchenAid Baking Set!!

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. I love my KitchenAid Stand Mixer and baking equipment very much and wanted to share them with you! The good folks at KitchenAid were kind to sponsor the prizes.

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I love baking (!!) which should come as no surprise to you if you’ve been around here for more than a minute. It is one of my favorite therapeutic activities (along with shopping!) that takes a not-so-great week to a fabulous one. Last week, I had a one of those really not-so-great days due to work stress, life to-dos and well the ever so long list of things to catch up on for this blog. I was feeling overwhelmed with all what I had to do that I just checked out of all these arenas for a day and went into my kitchen to make this chocolate almond torte.

It’s the best feeling to just get in the kitchen and make something for the fun of it. Between birthday requests, family events and blog recipes, I hardly bake for no good reason and always have an idea of what I am baking. The last time I went free style was this coconut lemon layer cake and it felt so good. This time around again, I went free style. I knew I wanted a torte but the last time I made one it was a chocolate truffle torte that was very rich (and delicious) but I didn’t really feel like that kind of decadence with this cake. I wanted something moist, light and nutty which is where the almonds, whipped egg whites and drizzle of chocolate came in.

This chocolate almond torte is simple, insanely moist and with the marble of chocolate on top, you still get some decadence! It’s just a marriage of a few simple good ingredients like Bob’s Red Mill Almond Meal/Flour, whipped egg whites and some good quality chocolate. By now I’m sure you now how much I adore the whole grains and products from Bob’s Red Mill, especially their almond meal that I am never caught without. It’s very easy to use almond flour to add a rich nutty flavor to crusts, macarons and pudding.

Oh this torte! When it came out of the oven, I was pleasantly surprised as to how wonderful it smelled and looked. Accompanied with just a dusting of powdered sugar, I may have devoured 2 or 3 (or 4) slices immediately.  It is best served immediately although stored in an airtight container it is great the next day too. Beyond that I can’t say, as ours didn’t last that long.

Gladly, this baking adventure made the week better and lifted my spirits!!

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Chocolate Almond Torte

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 eggs, separated and at room temperature
• a pinch of salt
• ½ cup granulated sugar, divided
• ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ¾ cup all purpose flour
• ½ cup Bob’s Red Mill almond meal/flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch cake pan with baking spray and line with parchment. Grease the parchment.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites and salt until soft peaks form. Gradually add in ¼ cup of the sugar into the egg whites and beat until stiff shiny peaks form. Set aside

In a large bowl, whip together the egg yolks, remaining sugar and butter. Beat until fluffy. Stir in the flour, almond meal and baking powder.

Using a rubber spatula, fold in half of the egg whites in the batter. Once loosened, add the last half of egg whites and gently fold into batter completely.

Spoon half of the mixture into the prepared pan. Drizzle half of the chocolate on top of the batter and swirl using a toothpick or butter knife. Pour in the rest of the batter on top of the swirled chocolate. Finally top with another drizzle of chocolate. Swirl again.

Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost clean. Let torte cool completely in pan before turning over onto a wire rack. Be sure to flip it right side up again.

Serve immediately with just a dusting of powdered sugar.

Notes

Adapted from this recipe

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Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. All opinions are 100% mine. Thank you for supporting the brands and companies I love and make it possible for me to continue to create quality content for you!

The post Chocolate Almond Torte appeared first on A Classic Twist.

Soooo … we are back on the chocolate bandwagon. I swear I don’t know who I am anymore. I am just drawn to chocolate these days and my vanilla-loving self is in complete dissonance. This chocolate almond souffle was not my fault though. It was the result of an emotional baking experiment after watching the final episodes of Parenthood.

In the second to last episode of the show, Adam, one of the Dads and my favorite character, was teaching a middle school student who was aspiring to be a chef how to make chocolate souffle. Keep in mind that Adam had no clue how to cook but he was excited to learn and teach this student that they can do whatever their little heart desires. It was incredible when their experiment came out splendid, with the perfect cracked puffed up top. Of course, watching this I was in tears (don’t judge, this show just does that to you) and realized I never tried making chocolate souffle, or any souffle for that matter. What was stopping me? Absolutely nothing. So I got off the couch after that episode, grabbed my copy of Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking and made a chocolate souffle. It was 11 pm just for the record.

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These Cookies!! They are the best cookies I’ve made and had in forever. These flourless butter chocolate chip oatmeal cookies just kicked my nutella-stuffed salted chocolate chip cookies out of the running for favorite cookies around the block. Please don’t be fooled by their healthier sound or let’s face it their not so photogenic state. They are the perfect combination of soft and chewy! (Totally just heard Steve Carell in my head … perfect combination of sexy and cute)

OK what makes these cookies so good? I want to say it’s the coconut almond butter I used or the chewy coconut flakes or the melty dark chocolate chips? To honest, I can’t pin point what it is but seriously who cares? Everything makes them very good!!

Let’s talk about this Coconut Almond Butter. It’s seriously addicting. I came across it in the natural foods section at my local grocery store and just had to try it. My smoothies and toasts have never tasted better. If you would like to try it, grab it here.

You can use any almond butter you have to make these (and yes you can use peanut butter too… Mr J insisted I added that last bit. These are bound to be your new favorite cookies. I promise, you will have trouble saying no to the 3rd cookie.

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Yield: 18 cookies

Flourless Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

When you find a cookie that's a keeper, you share it with the world. These flourless almond butter chocolate chip oatmeal cookies are just that. Share it with the world please! 

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 11 minutes

Total Time 26 minutes

Ingredients

• ⅔ cup old-fashioned rolled oats (use a gluten free one to make this recipe GF)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ⅓ cup coconut flakes
• 1 cup almond butter
• ⅔ cup dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ⅔ cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with wax paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and coconut flakes
3. In another medium bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, mix the almond butter and sugar until smooth. Add in the eggs, one at a time, and mix until combined. Beat in the vanilla extract.
4. Reduce speed to low and add in the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined (do not over mix). Using a rubber spatula, fold in the chocolate chips by hand.
5. Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop 2 tablespoon rounds of dough onto the prepared sheets. Bake cookies for 9-11 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

1. Use a gluten free flour to make this recipe gluten free

Making this Recipe?

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 More Cookie Recipes from Around the Web:

Cashew Coconut Dark Chocolate Cookies – Spoonful of Flour

Smoked Sea Salt Chocolate Fudge Caramel Cookies – Keep it Sweet Desserts

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies – Green Healthy Cooking

Caramel Coconut Chocolate Chips Cookies with Sea Salt– Girl Versus Dough

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