This apple brie phyllo galette is a true hybrid: it’s rustic yet elegant, both sweet and savory, and equally welcome as an appetizer or a refined, cheese-course-style dessert. Enjoy layers of flaky, buttery-crisp phyllo, melty brie, and sweet apples, all topped off with the flavors of fresh thyme, sea salt, and honey.
This is an apple brie phyllo galette with a crispy crust, fresh thyme, sweet honey, and flaky sea salt. It has the works, but everything ties together perfectly and it’s very simple to put together. Serve it as an elegant starter or linger over it after dinner while everything’s still warm and golden from the oven!
Between testing, photographing, and shooting the video, we made this galette at least 8 or 9 times. And every single time, we couldn’t stop eating it. (And we were not mad about it!!)
Why You’ll Love It
- Ultra-flaky, crispy layers of buttery phyllo
- Creamy brie + tender apples
- Perfect blend of savory + sweet
- Golden edges that shatter when you cut in (aka the best sound in the world)
If you love brie, try my cranberry brie puffy pastry tarts next!
Grab These 8 Ingredients
- Salted Butter: You can use unsalted instead; just add a dash of salt when melting it.
- Fresh Thyme: Dried works too, but fresh is best in this recipe. Strip the leaves off and discard the stems.
- Phyllo Dough: Packages vary in size, but you need 8 ounces (227g) of phyllo. If your phyllo sheets are small, you may need to lay 2 side by side. It comes frozen, so thaw it completely first.
- Brie: Choose a creamy brie because it’s easier to spread.
- Apples: You need 4 small apples. We love a crisp, sweet variety (such as Honeycrisp) for this galette. No need to peel them!
- Brown Sugar: Just a touch of sweetness to toss the apple slices in.
- Flaky Sea Salt + Honey: A flavorful finish for topping after baking.
In Photos: How to Make Apple Brie Phyllo Galette
First, melt butter with fresh thyme. You’ll stack thin layers of phyllo dough, brushing each one with the melted butter + thyme mixture so the layers stick. (And so every bite is infused with flavor!)
Get your baking pan ready. Use a baking sheet, and line it with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Brush lightly with a bit of the melted thyme butter. You’ll need a pastry brush for this.
Unroll the phyllo dough sheets on a flat, dry surface. Lay a sheet of thawed phyllo on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the top of the phyllo lightly with the melted thyme butter.
Lay another sheet of phyllo on top, at a slight (10-degree) angle, then brush again. Repeat with more layers of phyllo and butter until you have 10 layers.
When you remove the first sheet of phyllo from the unrolled stack, immediately cover the remaining unused sheets with a damp kitchen towel (or damp paper towels) to prevent the remaining sheets from drying out.
Tips for Working With Phyllo Dough
If youโve ever made baklava, spanakopita, or used phyllo in another recipe, you know it’s tissue-thin and delicate and can dry out quickly, causing it to tear easily. A tear here or there is no big deal in this rustic galette, but I have a few tips to help keep the process of working with phyllo frustration-free:
- My #1 Tip: While you work with one sheet of phyllo at a time, cover the remaining phyllo sheets with damp paper or kitchen towels to prevent them from drying out.
- Moisten several paper towels and lay them around the edges of the galette as you’re layering the phyllo, cheese, and apples, so the edges don’t dry out before you’re ready to fold them in.
- If your phyllo sheets are small, you may need to lay 2 side by side (slightly overlapping) for each layer.
- Follow your package instructions for thawing the phyllo dough; you can either thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for a few hours. Either way, keep it sealed in its plastic wrapping until the moment you’re ready to use it.
- Line your baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or brown parchment paper; when you use white parchment paper, it can be hard to see what is parchment and what is phyllo! (Something we learned the hard way!)
Now Let’s Add the Brie Cheese & Apples
Choose a wedge of brie that’s creamy (so it spreads nicely) and weighs about 8โ12 ounces, give or take. Cut off and discard the rind. Spread the brie over the stacked phyllo, leaving about a 4-inch border all the way around.
Thinly slice the apples. Toss the apple slices with a couple Tablespoons of brown sugar. Arrange the apple slices, overlapping slightly, on top of the brie. You can arrange them in concentric circles, or in rows… however you like!
Remove the damp towels and fold the phyllo edges in, over and around the apples/brie to make a crust. Brush the edges with any remaining butter + thyme. Don’t worry if the dough is shattering already:
Bake until golden brown and crisp, usually about 40โ45 minutes.
When it’s done, drizzle with honey, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt and fresh thyme leaves. Buttery, crisp, melty, and just the right mix of savory and sweet, this apple brie phyllo galette is one of those recipes you’ll want to make just one more time… again and again!
This recipe is part of Sally’s Pie Week, an annual tradition where I share a handful of new recipes that fit into the pie/crisp/tart category. Join the community below!
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Apple Brie Phyllo Galette with Honey & Thyme
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Yield: serves 8
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This apple brie phyllo galette is a true hybrid: it’s rustic yet elegant, both sweet and savory, and equally welcome as a pre-dinner appetizer or a refined, cheese-course-style dessert. If this is your first time working with phyllo dough, see Tips for Working With Phyllo Dough above.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) salted butter*
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 8 ounces (227g) phyllo dough, thawed (about 10 14×18-inch sheets)
- 8โ12 ounces (227โ340g) brie cheese*
- 4 small apples (I use Honeycrisp)
- 2 Tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
- honey, for garnish
- flaky sea salt, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC). Line a large baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and set aside.
- In a small skillet or saucepan, melt the butter with the thyme. Pour into a heatproof bowl.
- Lightly brush the silicone baking mat or parchment paper with a bit of the melted thyme butter. Unroll the phyllo dough sheets on a flat, dry surface. Remove the first sheet, then immediately cover the remaining phyllo sheets with a damp towel (or damp paper towels) to prevent them from drying out.
- Lay a sheet of phyllo dough on the prepared baking sheet, and lightly brush it with melted thyme butter. Lay a second sheet of phyllo on top, rotated at about a 10-degree angle to the first one. Lightly brush it with the melted thyme butter, then repeat the layering of phyllo and brushing with butter, each time rotating the phyllo slightly until you’ve used all 10 sheets of phyllo dough. Cover the edges of the phyllo with damp paper towels as you work, to prevent the edges from drying out.
- Spread the brie on top of the layered phyllo, leaving about a 4-inch border around the edges. If your brie isn’t spreadable, you can dot the phyllo with small pieces or slices of the brie instead.
- Core and cut the apples into thin, even slices. In a medium bowl, toss the apple slices with the brown sugar until coated. Arrange the apples, overlapping slightly, on top of the brie.
- Remove the damp towels and fold the edges of the phyllo over to make a crust edge around the apples, overlapping as needed. Brush the edges with remaining melted thyme butter.
- Bake for 40โ45 minutes, until the phyllo is golden brown and crisp.
- Drizzle honey over the baked galette, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt and more fresh thyme, if desired. Slice and serve warm.
- Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days. Leftovers can be reheated in a 325ยฐF (163ยฐC) oven for around 10 minutes.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can assemble the galette up to 1 day in advance. Follow the recipe through step 7, but donโt bake it yet. Cover the unbaked galette tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake. Before baking, brush the edges lightly with more melted butter if they look dry. I do not recommend freezing the unbaked galette.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Small Saucepan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Pastry Brush | Flaky Sea Salt
- Salted Butter: If all you have is unsalted, add a sprinkle of salt to the melted butter and thyme.
- Phyllo: Thaw according to package directions. If your phyllo sheets are large (14×18 inches), use just 1 sheet per layer. If your phyllo sheets are small (9×14 inches), lay 2 sheets side by side, slightly overlapping, for each layer.ย
- Brie: Choose a wedge of creamy brie that’s about 8โ12 ounces (227โ340g) in weightโdoesn’t have to be exact. Cut off and discard the rind. If your brie isn’t spreadable, you can dot the phyllo with small pieces or slices of the brie instead.
- Can I Use A Different Cheese? Yes! Some of our favorites for this particular recipe are goat cheese, sharp cheddar, fontina, and havarti. Use the same amount for a 1:1 substitution. Crumble/slice and arrange just like the brie.
- Apples: You can use any apple variety, but here are my favorites for this recipe: Honeycrisp, SugarBee, Pink Lady, Fuji, SweeTango, or Jazz. For a detailed list of my favorite apple varieties and when to use each, you can visit my post on The Best Apples for Baking.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Used puff pastry instead of phyllo dough…it was excellent and so much easier. I sprinkled the fresh thyme leaves on the bottom of the phyllo and the out the Brie slices then apple on top of that. Folded in the puff pastry and sealed with 1 egg plus 1 T water. So much easier!
This was soooo good. Loved it! The layers got so flaky and crispy and the brie with the honey… oof. Planning to make again next week!
I didn’t see the notes about cutting the rind off and ended up leaving the rind on the bottom and sides of the wheel (just cut the top off and pressed it down into the phyllo). Still worked great.
Hi Sally! Was so excited to see this as part of Pie Week (thank you for that by the way). Made it tonight, and I’m guessing I did something wrong because the phyllo dough did not lay down well, and the finished product was pretty dry. I used even more butter than you listed. It might be because I’m getting phyllo dough in europe and they do something different? (this brand is turkish). I did use the damp paper towels to protect it. Any ideas? Should I have kept up with the butter and used even more if it was still stiff/dry? Thanks! (The flavor was AMAZING!)
Hi Brie, I’m so sorry to hear that! We haven’t tested this recipe in Europe, so are unsure whether there’s a big difference in the phyllo dough, but that would surprise me if there was. It sounds like you did everything right, so we aren’t sure what to recommend here! Did you lay damp towels around the edges of the galette as you were working on layering them with the butter? Glad to hear the flavor was still great!
thanks Beth! I did some googling, and I’m not 100% sure, but there does seem to be some different kinds of filo/phyllo type dough here (there are a lot of Turkish people in my area). I’ll try another brand next time and see if it’s thinner…Thanks for responding!!
Would marscapone work?
Hi Sally! How many cups would four small apples come to?
Hi Lynn, about 4-5 cups. You don’t have to be super exact in this case; just use how many apple slices fit nicely!
Could you possibly use another fruit ? There allergies to cranberries and apples in my fam, can you imagine? Especially at this time of year!
Hi Marianne! Absolutely. Some fruits that come to mind first are blackberries, fresh figs, pears, and apricots!
I love your replies. I learn so much about different pairings of fruits, cheeses and nuts including both sweet and savory. Thank you! ๐
Hi Sally!
Does the crust need to be cut off the Brie? Or use all of the Brie. Thanks!
Hi Lisa, I like to slice off the rind, yes.
This looks AMAZING and will definitely have a place at our Thanksgiving table! I’m a big fan of traditional crust though. Do you think a more traditional crust, such as the one in your apple galette, would be a reasonable substitution here?
Absolutely! Use the same as my apple galette.
Canโt wait to try the cranberry Brie combo!
I haven’t made this recipe yet but it sounds wonderful. I have a 13oz brie – please tell me how much to increase the ingredients so I can use the brie that I have.
Thank you,
l
Hi Mary Jane! You can you use all of that brie. I’ve used up to 12 ounces and 1 more ounce won’t really make a difference. Go ahead and use it all.