Flaky Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers

I am a big fan of anything apple in the Fall months, and while I love something elaborate like my Apple Morning Buns and Apple Pull-Apart Bread, a flaky apple turnover might be number one on my list of favorites.

This recipe does involve a few steps, but it comes together easily. The turnovers can also be assembled ahead of time and frozen for up to two weeks, which comes in handy for crisp Autumn Sunday mornings.

Storebought vs. Homemade Puff Pastry:

I prefer to use my homemade Rough Puff Pastry for these turnovers; the dough is rich and flaky, and I always have some ready to go in my freezer. However, you can make these with store-bought puff pastry and they will still turn out well. If you are going to use store-bought puff pastry, use a brand that uses butter instead of oil if possible.

The Apple Turnover Filling

The filling here is based it on the Apple Flip recipe from my cookbook, 100 Morning Treats. I spend a few minutes cooking the apples until they are just tender, creating a quick “pie filling” which insures that the turnovers will have perfectly cooked apples in their centers.

I like to use Gala apples; I find them to be not too sweet, and they hold their shape well during baking; they are also available at most grocery stores. I like to use them in my Double Apple Scones, too. However, you can try your favorite baking apple here as well.

More Puff Pastry Recipes:

• Raspberry Puff Pastry Tart
• Puff Pastry Turnovers With Jam & Cream Cheese Filling
• Puff Pastry Tarts with Twangy Blueberry Sauce

Flaky Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers

Servings: 8 turnovers

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

These flaky, rich apple turnovers are a delicious fall treat! The homemade apple filling is flavorful and ensures the turnovers will have perfectly cooked apples in their centers.

Sarah Kieffer

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Ingredients

Apple Filling

• 1/3 cup [80 g] apple cider
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoon corn starch
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• Pinch salt
• 1 1/2 cups [220 g] Gala apples, peeled, cored, and chopped into bite-sized pieces

Assembly

• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• One pound puff pastry, store-bought or homemade, see notes
• Water, for brushing
• Granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Instructions

For the filling

• Place the butter in a large saucepan and heat over medium heat until melted. Add the granulated sugar, apple cider, cornstarch, lemon juice, cinnamon, and salt and heat until the sugar has dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the apples and cook until the apples are soft but still hold their shape, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, transfer the mixture to a bowl, and let the mixture cool to room temperature.

To Assemble

• Line a sheet with parchment paper.
• Generously flour your work surface. Roll one piece of the pastry dough into a 10 in [12 cm] square. Cut into four 5 in [12 cm] squares. Repeat with the second piece of dough, for a total of eight squares. Place a scant two tablespoons of the cooled apple filling on each square. Brush the edges of each square lightly with water, fold the dough to make a triangle, and crimp the edges with a fork to seal.
• Transfer the triangles to the prepared sheet pan and place in the freezer while the oven preheats.
• Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 400F [200C].
• Brush the tops of the hand pies lightly with water and and generously sprinkle with granulated sugar. Slide another sheet pan underneath so the pans are double stacked (this helps keep the bottoms from overbrowning). Bake the turnovers until golden brown, rotating the pan halfway through baking, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and use a spatula to transfer the pies to a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm.

Notes

Notes:

*In the directions, I’m assuming you are using store-bought, which usually comes in two 1/2 pound pieces. If you are using my homemade Rough puff pastry, you will need to cut your puff pastry in half. The homemade version makes a slightly more than 1 pound, but I follow the directions the same and they bake up beautifully. 

*I find less is more in the turnover filling – shoving too much filling into them can cause a lot of leakage during baking, and I love the flaky crust as much as the center. You are welcome to add a little more filling, but be warned that it can cause them to overflow. 

*To freeze the turnovers: Shape the turnovers as directed, then line the on a baking sheet and freeze until firm, about 1 hour. Transfer the turnovers to a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze up to two weeks. When ready to bake, bake as directed, adding a few minutes to the bake time.