This Cranberry Galette Is Way Easier Than Any Holiday Pie You'll Make This Year

Cranberries are no strangers to the holiday table: We enjoy them in cocktails and as sauce or chutney alongside turkey. They’re also the star of many festive desserts, in which they are often combined with sweeter fruits like apples or pears to balance the berry’s assertive sourness. I, however, love the fruit’s distinct pucker, and wanted to give them a chance to shine on their own. The perfect vehicle for this? A simple galette of cranberries tossed with sugar and orange liqueur, all topped off with a cinnamon-scented crumble and baked until the filling is bubbling and thick and the topping is crispy. This galette not only strikes the ideal balance between sweet and sour, but it also offers a delightful contrast of textures: a jammy filling, a crunchy topping, and a shatteringly crisp crust.

Key Techniques for Making a Festive Cranberry Crumble Galette

Toss Your Cranberries With Sugar and Orange Liqueur

I toss the cranberries (fresh or frozen) with sugar to balance their intensely tart flavor, and also add a splash of orange liqueur. Oranges and cranberries are a classic combination for a reason: the zesty, floral notes in oranges help round out the sharpness of cranberries, adding depth, complexity, and a touch of sweetness. An orange liqueur like Cointreau or Grand Marnier is a great way to add citrus flavor—orange juice will work nicely, too, but won’t have the bittersweet nuances of orange liqueur.

Top With a Crumble

To give my galette extra sweetness and crunch, I top the cranberry filling with a simple crumble. Here, brown sugar’s deep molasses notes and the subtle spice of cinnamon pair wonderfully with the tart cranberries and add warmth to offset the sharpness.  Though some crumble recipes call for pulsing the ingredients together in a food processor, there’s no need for that here. You simply have to place the dry ingredients—flour, dark brown and granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt—in a bowl, then use your hands to work the butter into the flour mixture until it’s sandy. 

It’s important not to overwork this mixture, as you want to avoid forming a large cohesive clump of dough—we want a crumble topping, not a baked cookie. But if this does happen, not to worry: Just place the mixture in the refrigerator and chill until firm. Once firm, it can be re-crumbled into smaller pieces.

Assemble the Galette on the Baking Sheet

Once you fill the pastry with the fruit and crumble, it’s difficult to move the galette without it falling apart. So to prevent a pastry disaster, it’s essential to assemble the galette on the baking sheet you plan to bake it on, and be sure to use a rimmed baking sheet in case any juices escape during the bake. Roll the dough out into a 12-inch circle, transfer it to a rimmed baking sheet, then proceed with piling on the cranberries and the crumble filling. For the crispiest crumble, concentrate it in the center of the galette and away from the edges—anything trapped beneath the dough will steam and melt into the fruit below, becoming a soggy mess. Fold the edges of the dough towards the center to contain the filling, and that’s all there is to it.

For Ease and Convenience, Prep It in Parts

A large holiday gathering can make even a simple dessert seem overwhelming. Luckily, all the components of this galette can be prepped ahead of time, making it a breeze to assemble and bake. Make the pie dough whenever it’s most convenient, then store it in the fridge or freezer until it’s time to bake. The same goes for the crumble topping—it freezes well and doesn’t even require defrosting before use. If you really want to get ahead, you can even assemble the entire galette ahead of time, freeze it, and then bake it directly from frozen—just keep in mind it may need an additional five to 10 minutes in the oven to fully cook.

Bake It Properly

Bakers often incorporate a thickener such as flour, cornstarch, or tapioca starch when preparing a fruit filling for pies or galettes, which prevents the filling from becoming soupy and helps it set into a sliceable consistency. This, however, isn’t necessary with cranberries. Cranberries are very high in pectin, a natural thickening agent; it’s what gives canned cranberry sauce its signature sliceable texture. It’s still important, though, that you cook the galette long enough so that the cranberry filling has a chance to bubble all the way through. Pectin only begins to gel around 217ºF (103ºC), and this ensures that the cranberry filling properly thickens.

How to Serve the Galette

Serve this jewel-toned galette with a scoop of ice cream or a drizzle of vanilla sauce, if desired. Whether served as a sole dessert or along with other holiday desserts like pumpkin pie, apple cake, or pecan bars, this gorgeous galette is sure to be a welcome addition to your holiday table. Plus, it makes for great leftovers. Since those cranberries gel up so nicely, the crust stays extra crisp rather than getting soggy over time, meaning you get to keep enjoying this dessert for days to come—so long as your guests don’t devour the whole thing in one sitting.

For the Crumble: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt to combine. Add butter to flour mixture and toss with fingers until butter pieces are thoroughly coated with flour and sugar mixture. Using your fingertips, smash each cube flat and continue pressing and breaking up butter until mixture is sandy and you have pea-size crumbles of dough. (Avoid overworking the mixture as it may get too warm and begin to form large clumps; if this happens, refrigerate mixture until firm, then re-crumble into small pieces.) Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the Filling: In a large bowl, toss cranberries, sugar, orange liqueur or orange juice, and cinnamon to combine. Set aside.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 400ºF (200ºC). Line a 13- by 18-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

To Assemble: Lightly flour a work surface and roll pie dough into a 12-inch round. Transfer dough to lined baking sheet and arrange cranberries in center of dough, leaving about a 2-inch border of dough all around. Scatter crumble evenly over cranberries, leaving the outermost 1-inch of cranberries exposed. (Most of the crumble should be exposed rather than covered with folded dough.) Fold one edge of dough border up and over the filling toward the center. Working around the edge of the galette, repeat, overlapping the dough every 3 inches or so, until the edge is pleated.

Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the dough with cream or milk, then sprinkle sugar evenly over crust. Bake until crust begins to brown, about 15 minutes,  then reduce oven temperature to 350°F (175ºC) and bake until galette is a deep golden brown and filling is thick and bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes more. (If the crumble begins to get too dark before filling is fully cooked, lightly tent the center of the galette with foil or transfer to lower rack of the oven.

Let cool for at least 30 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, if desired.