My Easy Apple Turnovers are a perfect fall treat with a sweet apple cinnamon filling between flaky layers of store bought puff pastry.
These delicious turnovers have the sweet, warm filling of fresh Apple Pie all wrapped up in a flaky puff pastry. They make a perfect apple treat when you have a couple apples, and are sure to be a new favorite fall Dessert!
Table of contents
Sabrina’s Apple Turnovers Recipe
My easy Apple Pie Turnovers have a delicious simple apple filling made with apple pieces cooked with sugar, water, and warm baking spices. The sweet apple filling is wrapped in sheets of puff pastry from the store to make them even easier. You can have them in the oven in less than 15 minutes for a quick dessert whenever you are craving apple pie!
Unlike an apple pie, you don’t need a lot of apples to make these tasty, warm turnovers. Not only do they come together quickly with just a couple medium apples, but you can also make a big batch of turnovers and freeze them for later. Whether you bake them first or freeze unbaked Apple Turnovers, you just pop them in the oven and in no time you’ll have warm flaky pastries full of delicious apple flavor.
Ingredients
- Puff Pastry: The flaky, buttery layers of the puff pastry shell are a perfect contrast to the soft, sweet apple filling. The convenience of store-bought puff pastry saves time so these turnovers come together super quickly. However, if you are feeling adventurous, there is a recipe for homemade rough puff pastry included below.
- Apples: Just like most other baked apple recipes, you want to use firm tart apples that won’t break down too much and stay flavorful. Varieties like green apples, Honeycrisp, Gala, and Braeburn are all great apples for these turnovers.
- Sugar: The sugar not only adds sweetness, but it helps draw out the natural sugar in the apples. The juice from the tart apples mixes with the sugar. plus cornstarch and water, to make a sweet glaze full of delicious apple flavor.
- Spices: Warm and aromatic spices like cinnamon and nutmeg add a comforting, cozy fall flavor to the sweet apple filling. You can feel free to add other favorite apple pie spices like cardamom, allspice, or ginger.
- Topping: A little egg wash and coarse sanding sugar make a crunchy, crispy sweet topping over the puff pastry plus the egg also helps it turn perfectly golden brown.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Baking Sheet: You want two large baking sheets so the turnovers lay flat without touching. If you don’t have two baking sheets, bake them in batches.
- Sauce Pan: You cook the apple filling on the stove top so you’ll need a medium pan that is big enough to hold the apple pieces and be able to stir them easily.
How to Make
Time needed: 50 minutes.
- Prep Work
Preheat your oven. Grease a large baking sheet with butter or cover with a sheet of parchment.
- Cook the Filling
In a medium pan, stir together the apples, sugar, water, and cornstarch. Cook the mixture until the liquid thickens.
- Spice and Cool
Stir in the spices and transfer the apple mixture into a bowl. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes.
- Fill the Pastry
Unroll the puff pastry sheets flat then cut each sheet into 4 even squares. Add some apple mixture in the center of each square.
- Fold the Turnovers
Fold one corner of the square over the filling to the opposite corner and lightly pinch the sheet edges closed. Place the turnovers on the baking sheet.
- Add the Egg Wash
Whisk the egg yolk with the water and brush the egg wash over each turnover. Sprinkle the sugar over the tops.
- Bake
Bake the turnovers for 25-28 minutes, until the pastry is cooked and golden brown.
Can Apple Turnovers be made ahead?
Yes, Apple Turnovers can absolutely be prepared ahead of time. Follow the recipe until the point of assembling the turnovers. Instead of baking them immediately, freeze the unbaked turnovers on a baking sheet until firm. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe container. When you’re ready to enjoy, simply bake them directly from the freezer, adding a few extra minutes to cooking time.
Nutritional Facts
What to Serve with Apple Turnovers
Toppings: Just like other apple desserts, Apple Turnovers taste even better with some Vanilla Ice Cream and a drizzle of Salted Caramel Sauce.
Drinks: Serve these warm turnovers with a mug of Hot Apple Cider for a cozy dessert on a chilly fall night! Start your day with a sweet turnover and a cup of Cold Brew Coffee.
How to Store
Store: Let your turnovers cool completely before storing in an airtight container so they don’t release moisture. They will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days and in the refrigerator for about a week.
Reheat: To keep the pastry flaky, reheat your Apple Turnovers in the oven or air fryer on low heat (350-375) for a couple of minutes, until they are hot and crispy again.
Freeze: You can freeze Apple Turnovers before baking (see Make Ahead section) or after baking. Cool the baked turnovers then wrap each one individually with plastic wrap and store them in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 2 months. Reheat from frozen in the oven at 350 degrees.
Rough Puff Pastry Recipe
- Ingredients: 2 ½ cups flour, ⅛ teaspoon salt, 2 cups butter (frozen and diced), 1 teaspoon lemon juice, ½ cup water (ice cold)
- Pulse the flour and salt to in a food processor to mix.
- Add in the butter pieces and pulse until it just makes small pea sized chunks and crumbs.
- Begin adding the lemon juice and water through the chute in a very thin stream until the dough just comes together in a ball.
- Pat the dough into a disc and wrap it in plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour, then freeze for 20 minutes.
- Roll the dough out into a large 12×18″ rectangle, then cut into 6 even squares.
Frequent Questions
To keep your turnovers from leaking, make sure you cook the apple filling until the juices have turned into a thick syrup. Also, you want to fully seal the edges, not just fold the dough over the filling. If you have trouble with leaky turnovers, try chilling them before baking (or even freezing them) to help them hold their shape.
Puff pastry may become soggy if there is too much moisture during baking or if it is not fully cooked. To prevent sogginess, don’t overfill the pastry, make sure your oven is at the right temperature, and the pastry bakes until it becomes golden and crisp.
Absolutely, you can make Apple Turnovers in the air fryer! Simply follow the same assembly steps as the traditional recipe, then preheat your fryer to 375 degrees. Once hot, air-fry the turnovers for about 10-12 minutes, turning them halfway through for even cooking.
Turnovers are little pastry pockets, usually triangle shaped, with a sweet or savory filling all wrapped up in a layer of pastry dough. The dough is folded around the filling creating the signature pocket “turnover” shape. The filling is cooked beforehand so that the turnovers only have to be baked long enough to cook the pastry.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 2 sheets puff pastry , thawed
- 2 cups apples , cored and sliced
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Topping:
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/4 cup coarse sanding sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Combine the apples, sugar and water in a saucepan, then stir in the cornstarch.
- Cook the apples over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until thickened.
- Remove the apples from the heat and stir in the cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Remove the apple mixture to a medium bowl, then let it cool for 10 minutes.
- Roll out the pastry dough and cut each sheet into 4 even squares.
- Evenly distribute the apple mixture in the center of each of the 8 pastry squares, then fold one corner of each square of dough over to the opposite corner.
- Place the turnovers on a greased baking sheet.
Topping:
- Beat the egg yolk with water in a small cup.
- Brush onto the top of the puff pastry and sprinkle with coarse sanding sugar.
- Bake for 25-28 minutes or until golden brown.
Nutrition
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Variations
Caramel Apple: Add chopped Soft Caramels or caramel baking chips to the filling before sealing. Serve the Caramel Apple Turnovers with a drizzle of Caramel Sauce, or serve it on the side for dipping.
Cheddar-Apple: Unless you are from the Midwest (or Wisconsin), adding cheese to apple pie might sound crazy but the sweet-savory-salty combo tastes amazing! Add some white cheddar or sharp cheddar cheese to your apple filling to try this well-loved pairing!
Nuts: Give your Apple Turnovers a nutty, fall crunch with pecans, walnuts, or almonds. Toast the chopped nuts until fragrant in a skillet then add to the filling. Finely chop the nuts and sprinkle on the outside with the sugar.
Fruit: You can replace half of the apples with your favorite berries, such as raspberries or blueberries, or just skip the apples all together for a sweet berry filling. You could also use other fruits like peaches, pears, or plums.
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