I love pie. Buttery crust filled with sweet fruit, custards, nuts, toasted meringue, are all delicious. The only downside? The amount of time it takes to make one. Yes, I could always buy a pie but like almost all food products, homemade is so much better. So when I'm having those pie cravings, I turn to galettes. Galettes are the rustic version of pies that are just as delicious and easier to make. Need to make a sweet potato pie for Thanksgiving? Make this maple sweet potato galette instead. Filled with a sweet cream cheese filling and drizzled with vanilla maple syrup, this galette needs to make an appearance on your dinner table.

Recipe

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Maple Sweet Potato Galette

Total Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pie

Servings: 12

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Pie dough

• 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour (185 grams)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup cold butter, cut into small pieces (113 grams)
• 2-3 tablespoon ice water

Vanilla maple syrup

• ¼ cup maple syrup (50 ml)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Sweet potato galette

• 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large sweet potato, sliced into ⅛ inch thick slices (about 350 grams)
• ⅓ cup butter, melted (70 grams)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 large egg yolk, beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Make the pie dough. Combine 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour with ¼ teaspoon salt and ½ cup cold butter. Use a pastry cutter to incorporate the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add 2-3 tablespoon ice water just until the dough comes together. Shape the dough into a disc and wrap it in plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge until ready to use.
• Combine ¼ cup maple syrup with vanilla bean paste in a small saucepot. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes and remove from heat. Set aside.
• Cream together 6 ounces softened cream cheese with ½ cup sugar, 1 egg yolk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth.
• Peel and slice the sweet potato into ⅛ inch thick slices. Toss the sweet potato with ⅓ cup melted butter, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 2 tablespoon brown sugar.
• Dust a clean work counter with flour and roll out the pie dough into a rough circle until it's about ¼ inch thick. Transfer the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread the cream cheese filling in the center, leaving a 1-inch border. Arrange the sweet potato on top of the cream cheese filling, slightly overlapping the slices. Drizzle 2 tablespoon of the vanilla maple syrup over the filling. Fold over the edges slightly over the filling.
• Whisk together 1 egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water. Brush the edges of the crust with the egg wash. Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from heat and drizzle extra vanilla maple syrup on top. Serve while warm.

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

The first step to making this maple sweet potato galette is to make the pie dough. This is the same pie dough I use for all my pies, a basic combination of flour, butter, water, and a pinch of salt. Mix together all of the ingredients, using cold butter and just a little bit of water to bring the dough together. The dough may seem a little dry but just wrap it in plastic wrap and chill the dough. The sealed-in moisture will help it come together once you are ready to roll it out.

While the pie dough is chilling, make the vanilla maple syrup. This maple syrup uses vanilla bean paste for the intense vanilla flavor but you can also use vanilla extract. Just substitute 1 teaspoon vanilla extract for the vanilla bean paste. Simmer the syrup for 5 minutes and let it cool.

Next, prepare the cream cheese filling and sweet potatoes. Beat together the softened cream cheese with sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla until smooth.

Thinly slice the sweet potato about ⅛ inches thick. I like to use a mandoline to get consistent sizes. If some of your potatoes are thicker than others, they won't cook evenly.

Toss the sweet potatoes with melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon to give the potatoes a bit of sweetness.

Now it's time to make the sweet potato galette. Roll out the dough until it's about ¼ inch thick. Don't worry if the shape isn't perfect, that's the whole appeal! Spread the prepared cream cheese filling in an even layer, making sure to keep a 1-inch border.

Then, lay the sweet potatoes on top, slightly overlapping them. You may not need to use all of the sweet potatoes. If you have any extra, bake them on the side for a delicious snack.

Drizzle the vanilla maple syrup on top and fold over the edges of the dough over the filling. Brush the edges with egg wash and bake the sweet potato galette until golden brown.

Let the galette cool slightly and serve warm with extra vanilla maple syrup. If you want to go the extra step, have it with a side of vanilla ice cream.

Who needs sweet potato pie when there's a sweet potato galette! This galette is certainly different than a pie but it is delicious in every way. From the cream cheese layer to the buttered sweet potato to the vanilla maple syrup, it's just darn good. Don't mind me as I help myself to a second serving.

For more galette inspiration check out this pear and prosciutto galette!