Trips to the bakery won’t make your entire house smell like a cinnamon apple fairy tale. My homemade apple turnovers will. They’re flaky and sweet with just the right amount of tangy, spiced apple goodness. Plus, I’m basically cheating by making this homemade dessert in just 40 minutes from start to finish. Let me show you how.
It doesn’t need to be a special occasion for me to make spiced apple turnovers at home. The gooey sweet and tart apple filling wrapped in a flaky, airy and buttery pastry is worth the minimal time it takes. And, fair warning, since they’re not too dense, they’re easy to eat. Actually, the smell of cinnamon and apples usually lingers in the air longer than the turnovers themselves.
Here’s why I use puff pastry for apple turnovers. Puff pastry is perfectly buttery, flaky and no-fail. As long as the apple filling is on-point, people take a bite and assume I made the pastry from scratch. Since I do make the cinnamon apple filling, I have no qualms about taking full credit. And it works with all fillings. I use puff pastry for my Japanese curry puffs and my cheesy spinach pinwheels. In short, it’s basically a pre-made gift to bakers (and non-bakers like me).
Table of Contents
Ingredients
Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this page for the full recipe steps and measurements.
- Puff Pastry. I use a ready-to-bake frozen puff pastry like Pepperidge Farm. While I do thaw it prior to using, I prefer to handle it while it’s still fairly cold. Once it warms up to room temperature, it can become a little unweildly.
- Egg. This is for my egg wash. I brush each turnover with a light coating of beaten egg before it goes in the oven. The egg wash helps the turnovers develop a golden brown color on the outside.
- Apples. While any apples will do the job here, I absolutely prefer Honeycrisp. It’s the perfect apple in terms of texture (light and crispy), and flavor (very sweet, juicy and tangy). When I can’t find Honeycrisp, I use Pink Lady apples or Sanfuji apples with similar success.
- Chopped Walnuts. I mix these into the filling – after it has cooled – but before assembling the turnovers. Great for texture.
Apple Turnover Filling
The apples and walnuts, plus 6 ingredients: Butter, Sugar, Honey, Ground Cinnamon, Kosher Salt and Ground Black Pepper.
Why it works. The honey adds a floral sweetness that compliments the sugar without being too sweet. Cinnamon and black pepper deliver a homey, comforting spice that contrasts the richness of the butter – and highlights the tanginess of the apples.
How To Make It
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make the apple mixture. Add the filling ingredients (except the walnuts) to a pot on the stovetop and bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer. Transfer filling to a plate and allow to cool. Then stir in walnuts.
- Assemble the turnovers. Cut both sheets of puff pastry into 4 equal sized squares (8 total). Load each with filling, fold and gently seal.
- Brush on egg wash.
- Bake until each pastry is flaky and golden brown.
Expert Tip
Lightly sprinkle each apple turnover with sugar after applying the egg wash. This does two things. First, as the sugar bakes on top of the turnovers, it caramelizes. This, along with the egg wash, deliver golden brown goodness you can actually see. Second, it contributes to the overall crunchy exterior texture of the finished turnovers.
What I Serve With Apple Turnovers
When I was younger, my mom and I used to go out for Dutch apple pie and tea. These turnovers hit in a similar way. So whether I’m serving these for breakfast or dessert, I’m hardwired to crave a beverage. Here are a few of my favorites.
- Royal Milk Tea ロイヤルミルクティー
- Iced Matcha Latte
- Barley Tea (Mugicha)
- Cinnamon Ginger Tea (Sujeonggwa)
- Taro Milk Tea
Other dessert recipes you’ll love: baked apples with walnuts and cider, olive oil honey and apple cake, sweet and tart strawberry apple compote, Japanese coffee jelly, matcha mochi cookies, castella cake, taiyaki, hotteok, Hawaiian butter mochi
Storage and Reheating
Room Temperature. Once cooled to room temperature, apple turnovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temp (dry, cool and away from any moisture) for up to 2 days.
Refrigerator. Covered for up to 5 days. Again, keep away from moisture.
Reheat. A gentle reheat in the oven (or in a toaster oven) may restore the exterior crispness. Microwaves work, but the pastry will become soggy during reheating.
Frequently Asked Questions
I prefer to lean on the apples for flavor rather than sugar for blind sweetness. I’ve had too many cloyingly sweet apple desserts that didn’t actually taste like apples. I find the natural sweetness of an apple fairly complex. So, what I’m going for here is a balance of natural apple sweetness and tanginess with a little sugar (and honey) for good measure. But YMMV. Feel free to make yours sweeter!
Most definitely! Use what you like – and whatever looks freshest at the grocery store or farmers market. Keep in mind that sour apples like Granny Smith may require a little more sugar in the filling. And something like a Red Delicious might call for a squeeze of lemon juice for a contrasting pucker.
While I love watching Bake Off, I have no delusions of grandeur when it comes to my own baking prowess. I may not be making the dough from scratch but that’s only because a perfectly good alternative to homemade puff pastry already exists in the freezer aisle. Frozen puff pastry is foolproof (and I need that, ha!). Trust me, the soulful, sweet filling places my turnovers in the ‘homemade-comfort-food from the heart’ column.
Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
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Best Apple Turnover Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 pastries 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
My light and and flaky apple turnovers are just the right amount of sweet and tangy. Get these homemade pastries on the table in just in 40 minutes from start to finish.
Ingredients
- 2 sheets ready-to-bake puff pastry, thawed (I use Pepperidge Farm)
- 1 egg, whisked
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped into small bite size bits (preferably Honeycrisp)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (optional)
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 400°F. Cover a cooking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
- Make the apple mixture. In a pot over medium heat, add butter, apples, sugar, honey, cinnamon, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmering boil and cook for 10-12 minutes, until apples are tender but still yielding a little crunch. Turn the heat off and transfer to a plate. Let cool to room temperature. Alternatively, you can put the mixture in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to speed up the cooling process. Once cool, add walnuts to the apple mixture and stir well.
- Assemble apple turnovers. Slice each puff pastry sheet into four even squares. Scoop up a little apple and walnut mixture and drop it in the center of a square. Wet the edges of the puff pastry square with a little water, grab a corner and fold in half (in triangular shape). Gently press with your fingers to seal. Repeat until all the squares have been used and filled with the mixture.
- Apply egg wash. Brush the top of each pastry with egg and sprinkle a little sugar.
- Bake, cool and serve. Bake in the oven (400°F) for about 15 minutes, or until puff pastry is flaky and golden brown. Let cool and serve.
Notes
Storage: Once cooled to room temperature, apple turnovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temp (dry, cool and away from any moisture) for up to 2 days. Or in the refrigerator (covered) for up to 5 days. Reheat gently in a toaster oven.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8 servings
- Calories: 455
- Sugar: 10.6g
- Sodium: 237.7mg
- Fat: 30.8g
- Saturated Fat: 6.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14.6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 40.2g
- Fiber: 2.4g
- Protein: 5.8g
- Cholesterol: 34.7mg
So delicious! Made this since we have so many apples at home and gosh it is amazing! Thank you Caroline for this recipe!!
You’re welcome Annie! We also love these and I made them for my mother who loves apple pies and she loved them too 🙂
Hi Caroline!
My husband is a picky eater but LOVES apple pie. I can’t wait to make these and set them in front of him. I’m about willing to bet he’ll put them in a bowl with some vanilla ice cream…. not that they will need it but you know men!
Wil keep you posted. Thanks for a great idea…..as always! Love the beautiful pics!
Arvey
TheGrandmaConnection.com
Ice cream and apple pie, one of the best dessert combinations ever! 🙂