
What I like about galettes is that they’re so much easier to make than pies or tarts, with all the flavour of both. Particularly during the colder months, not much beats warm masala chai spiced apples tucked into a crispy buckwheat crust contrasted with a scoop or two of chilled vanilla coconut ice cream. This rustic apple galette can help keep you warm and energized throughout the cooler seasons, whether it’s for breakfast or afternoon snack.
This isn’t just any old apple galette, though. Packed to the brim with highly medicinal local wild chaga mushroom, wild foraged pine pollen, 100% grass fed organic local butter from Emerald Grasslands, nourishing chai spices, and a pasture raised local egg, this recipe excites me because of all of the epic, deeply medicinal ingredients I can add to it and customize every time, all in a rustic, cozy parcel.

Ingredients you’ll need for this masala chai spiced apple galette
- Buckwheat flour – is completely gluten free as a plant cousin of rhubarb, and works just as well as a conventional flour that’s typically monocropped, sprayed with pesticides, and fortified with synthetic ‘vitamins’, aka toxic iron filings creating unbound iron in the bloodstream. No, thanks: I’ll stick with my buckwheat dough. If you want to use an entirely almond flour crust, go ahead, but just know that I haven’t had much luck with it, as the dough tends to fall apart for me.
- Almond meal ideally from activated almonds, soaked with a pinch of salt for 24-48 hours, then peeled, dehydrated and blended.
- Local pasture raised egg – try to source the highest quality possible, with deep orange yolks from chickens raised under the sun on pasture.
- Local maple syrup – My tastebuds have evolved to the point where even 1 tablespoon is almost too much sweetness for me, but you can use as much of it as you like. Try 1/3 cup if you prefer, or completely omit it. Raw, local honey is also a delicious natural sweetener that won’t spike your blood sugar, but I prefer not to heat it up as Ayurvedic wisdom suggests, and would rather use it in smoothies or in raw snacks.
- Local apples – try using a medium to large sized apple, two smaller ones will also suffice.
- Grass fed butter – One of the healthiest fats on earth. Not all dairy is created equally, and everyone responds differently. Most cows in the dairy industry are fed herbicide doused GMO crops/inflammatory grains, and so milk typically contains the highest levels of pesticides which are concentrated most heavily in the milk fat. Whatever the animal consumes will make its way into the milk. Organic dairy on the other hand actually decreases herbicide exposure, especially if the animals are grass fed, influencing the lipid profile of the dairy products. I source mine from Emerald Grasslands, certified organic and 100% grass fed. If you’ve been paying any attention to #ButterGate and the insidious way that most of the Canadian dairy industry creates their products, you’ll know what I mean when I advise you to ensure the butter is created with love, and without any rancid industrial, refined, bleached, deodorized, monocropped, pesticide soaked palm oil additives, and check to see if your butter softens at room temperature. If it softens, your butter is 100% butter. The right kind of butter has many health benefits including teeth remineralization, brain support, cancer prevention, and an optimal source of vitamins A, D, E, and K2. I’ve found that properly sourced dairy foods from farmers I trust does not create the problems that conventional dairy does for me (acne, stomach aches, inflammation, and mucus). I actually believe that dairy wouldn’t be as much of a widespread dietary intolerance if more people were aware of proper, ethical practices – organic, grass or hay fed, non-GMO, from ethically pasture raised animals under the sun, and 100% raw or properly fermented with enzymes and live biotics to support digestion, gut, and planetary health. Mongolian dairy/life practices are a great example for colder climates.
- Wild pine pollen – a natural anabolic and traditional tonic herb that supports testosterone production and hormone balance, suitable for most any gender, especially with all of the endocrine disruptors in the environment, air, waters, and soil. With a subtly sweet, amazing flavour, it makes a versatile supplement in any kind of meal, though it’s hard for me to call it a supplement as it’s truly a food. It’s an unparalleled, nutrient dense superfood used for millennia in traditional Chinese medicine. It contains a combination of micro-nutrients and androgenic properties that boost energy and libido, supporting metabolic activity and hormonal balance. Best part: it can easily be foraged in the spring at no cost.
- Ceylon cinnamon – superior to the common cassia cinnamon for its blood sugar regulating properties, with more health benefits.
- Masala chai spices – for digestive support and a burst of flavour, including fennel that supports unbound iron chelation
- Vanilla bean
- Wild chaga – king of the medicinal mushrooms and tonic herb ‘supplement’ used for thousands of years in traditional medicine. Most bioavailable in dual extracted or spagyric tincture form, wildcrafted. Immunity boosting powerhouse packed with beta-glucans, adaptogenic betulinic acid, high levels of antioxidants, and skin-protecting melanin. Other benefits include: pain relief, cancer treatment, removes some parasites, anti-viral, detoxifying to the blood and liver, balances blood sugar, protects the heart and intestines, heals bronchitis, improves circulation, balances cholesterol, and chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and EMF protection.

Ingredients you’ll need for the vanilla coconut ice cream:
- Brazil nuts – activated by soaking in filtered water with a pinch of sea salt for at least 6 hours – a great source of selenium and zinc
- Styrian pumpkin seeds – activated and blended, they’ll give the ice cream a green tint. Great source of zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, and essential fatty acids. Supports the bladder, kidneys, and prostate.
- Coconut milk – homemade or in a BPA-free can, about 400 mL
- Cacao butter – 100% cacao butter is full of healthy fats, antioxidants, and supports brain health.
- Maple syrup – naturally sweetened, as always.
- Vanilla bean
- Arrowroot powder – low glycemic, enhances digestion, boosts metabolism, boosts oral, skin and hair health (you can also use equally medicinal slippery elm powder as it gives the ice cream a similar glutinous texture. Slippery elm soothes indigestion, heals the skin, eliminates infections, reduces blood pressure, improves circulation and eye health, detoxifies the body, prevents ulcers, and helps oral and respiratory health.)
- Lemon juice
- Sea salt
- Filtered or spring water

Tips for making this masala chai spiced apple galette
- Don’t overstuff the apple galette – it may be tempting to add in all of the apples you have, but trust me – try to keep the apples on one layer. If overstuffed, the filling may ooze out or the crust may rip and not bake properly when the galette is baking. When arranging your apples, try to keep them within 1 or 2 inches from the outer edge of the crust before folding it in. You can even mark where the edge of the apple area should be with a pie plate by gently pressing the pie plate into the dough to create the imprint.
- Use cold butter for the crust, as this will help optimize the texture. I like to gently melt it in a saucepan on the stovetop, then cool to room temperature before adding it to the dough. Refrigerate the dough for 20-30 minutes and use filtered ice water to get the best texture for an amaaazingly buttery crust.
- Brush a thin layer of the chai spices on the surface of the crust before placing your apples down, and brushing the apples with the remainder of it. This will help evenly distribute the delicious spices.
- The adaptogens (chaga, pine pollen) aren’t totally essential for this recipe, but will add an even greater nutritional kick. I encourage you to actively interchange any tonic herbs, supplements, adaptogens and nootropics that work for your current needs, if you feel like it.
- Use fresh, local, organic apples for the apple galette – Not all apples are created equally. Cooking varieties such as Granny Smith can prevent excess sogginess in the crust, but you could really use any apple you like. Aim for organic, avoid GMO ‘Arctic apples’, and avoid commercially pre-sliced apples.

Masala Chai Spiced Apple Galette with a Buckwheat Almond Crust and Vanilla Coconut Ice Cream
Ingredients
Vanilla coconut ice cream
- 1 cup raw organic Brazil nuts, soaked 6-24 hours, or overnight
- 1/2 cup activated organic Styrian pumpkin seeds, soaked with the Brazil nuts
- 400 mL organic coconut milk non-BPA can
- 1 oz (28 g) organic cacao butter, chopped
- 1/2 cup organic maple syrup
- 1 tbsp organic vanilla bean
- 1 tsp organic arrowroot OR slippery elm OR psyllium husk powder
- 1 tsp freshly squeezed organic lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup filtered or spring water
Buckwheat almond crust
- 3 tbsp filtered or spring ice water
- 1 cup organic buckwheat flour
- 3 tbsp organic almond flour
- 1 scoop organic grass fed collagen (optional)
- 1 tsp fine grain sea salt
- 1 pasture raised egg yolk
- 1 tbsp organic maple syrup
- 1/4 cup unsalted grass fed butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- pasture raised egg white, for brushing the top, mixed with 1 tbsp filtered water
Masala chai spiced apple filling
- 1 tbsp organic maple syrup
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed organic lemon juice
- 2 tbsp unsalted grass fed butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 1 tsp organic vanilla
- 1 tsp organic Ceylon cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp organic nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp organic allspice
- 1/4 tsp organic ginger fresh or ground
- 1/4 tsp organic fennel
- 1/4 tsp organic cardamom
- 1/8 tsp organic ground clove
- 1 full dropper of wildcrafted chaga spagyric tincture (optional)
- 1 tsp wild foraged pine pollen (optional)
- 1-2 finely sliced local organic apples
Instructions
For the ice cream
- Line a loaf pan or other freezer safe container with unbleached, biodegradable parchment paper, then set aside. Drain the Brazil nuts and pumpkin seeds. Place them into a blender or food processor along with the coconut milk. Blend to reduce into a smooth, thick cream, stopping to scrape down the sides if needed. This can take a few minutes.
- Pour the nut and coconut cream mixture into a medium saucepan. Add the chopped cacao butter and maple syrup. Heat the saucepan over medium-low heat, and whisk the mixture until the cacao butter has melted.
- Remove the saucepan from heat. Whisk in the vanilla, arrowroot, lemon juice, sea salt and water to fully combine. Pour the mixture into the lined loaf pan. Slide the loaf pan into the freezer, and freeze until solidified, about 6 hours. Allow to soften at room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving.
For the galette
- Place the water into a small dish and place it in the freezer to make the ice water, about 15-20 minutes – it should be cold but not completely frozen solid. Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients for the dough: buckwheat flour, almond flour, collagen, and sea salt. Whisk to combine.
- When the ice water is ready, make a small well in the center of the flour mixture, and add in the wet ingredients: egg yolk, ice water, maple syrup, and grass fed butter. Set the egg white aside in a small dish. Gently stir the mixture with a spatula, then lovingly knead it with your hands to combine. Roll the dough into a ball. Place the dough in a bowl in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes, or up to 2 days.
- Once the dough is chilling, create the filling. Slice your apples thinly by cutting them in half and removing the core, and set aside. Heat a small saucepan over medium-low, and add in the maple syrup, lemon juice, grass fed butter, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, fennel, cardamom, ground cloves, and chaga. Stir to combine until the mixture is warm and the butter melts.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, and remove the dough from the refrigerator. Sprinkle the baking sheet or other work surface with some buckwheat flour. With a rolling pin or your hands, roll or press your dough out to an approximately 12-inch circle. Optional: place an 8-9 inch cake pan in the center of the dough and press down slightly to create an indentation, this will guide you on where to place the apples.
- With a spoon or silicone brush, spread a small portion of the spiced filling onto the entire surface of the dough. Place the apples in the center of the dough however you like. I like to keep my sliced apples in clumps, then press on them to fan them out. I typically arrange most of the clumps around the tart, then use the remaining clumps to fill in any gaps.
- Spread the remaining filling on top of the apples. Optional: place extra pats of grass fed butter on top of the apples to melt as the galette bakes. Lift the edges of the dough over the apples, folding every 3-4 inches as you go around.
- Brush the egg white around the crust. Slide the baking sheet into the oven, and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the apples are soft and the crust is a dark, golden brown. Serve with the ice cream.
Notes
- You can swap the vanilla coconut ice cream for some classic homemade grass fed, ethically raised dairy ice cream, if you’d like. In a freezer-proof container, mix to combine 4 pasture raised egg yolks, 2 cups raw grass fed milk, 2 cups raw grass fed cream, 5 tbsp raw local honey, and a pinch of sea salt. Freeze until solid, then scoop out onto the galette.
- For the ice cream, substitute the Brazil nuts and pumpkin seeds with any nuts/seeds you prefer. The Styrian pumpkin seeds give it a nice green tint and nutrient dense goodness.
- Feel free to completely omit the ice cream if you prefer. The galette is perfectly fine on its own!
- If the ice water gets too solid from freezing, simply melt it with your hands and knead it into the dough.
- The more imperfect the crust looks, the nicer and more rustic it’ll be. No need to fuss!
- You can use virgin cold pressed coconut oil instead of grass fed butter, if you’d like.