Cherry Turnovers are an easy puff pastry you can make at home with the perfect balance of filling and flaky crust. So easy the kids can help!
The only thing that could make fruit filled Pastry Recipes better is to take them on the go! Check out my Berry Turnovers and Apple Turnovers for some more tasty portable options!
Sabrina’s Cherry Turnovers Recipe
Pies are one of those desserts that I love to make but, to be honest, they can be a bit of work. Plus they don’t always travel well. Who among us hasn’t taken a slice of pie for later, only to discover our filling oozing everywhere? These Cherry Turnovers are the answer to the pie dilemmas you’ve been searching for! They are a cherry pie that you can pop into lunchboxes or send home as leftovers after a party without worry. They are so easy, you can let your little kitchen helpers do most of the work.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry , thawed
- 2 cups cherries , pitted
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Glaze
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/4 cup coarse sanding sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Combine the cherries and sugar in a saucepan and mash slightly, then stir in cornstarch.
- Cook the cherries over medium heat for 2 minutes or until thickened.
- Remove the cherries from the heat and stir in the cinnamon.
- Roll out the pastry dough and cut into 8 even squares.
- Evenly distribute the cherry 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.
- 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 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.
Nutrition
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Sabrina’s Tips
A hack for getting evenly cut pastry dough is to use a pizza cutter and straight edge, like a ruler. Pick up a plastic ruler that you can keep in your cooking drawer. You want it to be plastic so that you are able to clean it efficiently. Using this method will allow you to cut perfect pastry squares in one smooth motion.
Table of contents
About this Recipe
These little golden brown pastries make after-school (and after homework) snacks, especially if you make miniature versions. Just enough sweet treat to make a good reward for a job well done, without completely ruining dinner. Cherry pies are a classic favorite, served in diners across the country. This handheld version can be found in bakeries, coffee shops, or even fast food places. I don’t recommend the drive-thru ones for a lot of reasons, but number one is they can’t compare to this yummy homemade version.
What is a Turnover?
Turnovers are simple pastries consisting of a filled dough that is folded over and crimped at the edges. The filling can be sweet or savory. Most cultures and cuisines have their own version. Here are few that you may recognize, even if you didn’t know they were turnovers:
- United Kingdom: In the UK, a traditional Pasty is likely to be filled with savory versus sweet ingredients.
- Latin America: Empanadas are a staple in most Latin American countries and also the Philippines.
- Italy: Italians have many versions of turnovers including Calzone and Panzerotti (a smaller calzone).
- Central Europe: Strudel originates in Austria but it is quite popular in other countries like Germany and the Czech Republic.
Serving Ideas
Just like the popular diner cherry dessert, you can serve your Cherry Turnovers warm with some Vanilla Ice Cream and a cup of coffee. They are also good room temperature or chilled… actually they are delicious anyway you want to enjoy them! While I made these turnovers with cherry filling, use your favorite pie filling or any of my other variations that we have below to make them how you like! Get inspired by checking out my other Pie Recipes.
How to Store
- Serve: Your turnovers will be good at room temperature for up to 3 days in a sealed container, as long as you don’t add dairy variations.
- Store: Keep you cherry turnovers fresh longer by storing in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
- Freeze: You can freeze this cherry dessert for up 3 months. Chill completely before freezing and thaw overnight to serve.
Variations
- Pie Filling: Use pre-made pie filling in a quick pinch. Just remember to check the ingredients to keep it with less ingredients and more natural goodness.
- Cream Cheese: Add a little dollop of softened cream cheese to each turnover before you add the cherry filling for a creamy, delicious flavor combination.
- Toppings: We used a simple coarse sugar for our turnovers but you can use a drizzle of a brown sugar glaze, top with slivered almonds before baking, or dust with powdered sugar.
- Chocolate: One of my favorite flavor combinations is chocolate and cherry. Top your turnovers with a Chocolate Ganache or mix in chocolate pieces with your filling (or both).
- Fruit: Use your favorite fruit filling like blueberry, peach, apple, or strawberry instead of cherries for this turnover recipe. You can also use a blend of mixed berries and fruits.
- Puff Pastry: Instead of using frozen puff pastry, you can make pie crust from scratch. In a large bowl, combine 2 2/3 cup flour and 1 teaspoon salt; cut in ¾ cup shortening until crumbly. Gradually add 6 tablespoons cold water, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate for 30 minutes. Divide into 8 portions and roll into squares.
Related Recipes
More Fun Fruity Pastry Recipes
Photos used in previous posts:
Made these with pie filling. Cut pastry into eight squares after rolling. Not sure I was supposed to do that?? Anyway filled and fork crimped after doing edges with the egg/water mixture. Refrigerated about 15 minutes before painting tops and sprinkling with course sugar. These were really good. Thank You!
Glad you enjoyed the Turnovers Teresa and thank you for the five star review.
You outdid yourself. Most recipes online don’t turn out. This was great! I made it using raspberries & blackberries. Thanks?
sounds amazing!
What size is your pastry, I can’t get 3 tablespoons of the filling in mine it oozes out and I can’t crimp the edges because of it. I used a whole sheet of pettridge farm for mine and cut four squares
My puff pastry sheet was 16×12. Feel free to adjust the filling amount if you feel like it’s too much for your pastry.
Thank you for this simple recipe Sabrina, it turned out really well!
Thanks for coming back to let me know, Jenny. I appreciate the 5 star rating.
Totally beats the store bought variety! Next time I’ll try adding a bit of cream cheese, that sounds tasty!
It’s hard to go back to store bought after one bite of these. Totally agree!
we love making turnovers with puff pastry! The cherry flavor sounds so good!
It’s a classic!
These are the perfect little treat! They are very easy & taste great! Love cherry flavor. These would be great for Valentine’s!
Oh, for sure. Thanks for the 5 stars.