Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers
My favorite thing about fall is the apples. Apple cider, apple orchards, and of course all the apple desserts and pastries. There's just something about having a fruit that's in season that makes it all the more better. These easy puff pastry apple turnovers truly live up to their name. I use frozen puff pastry which you can find at any local grocery store or supermarket in the freezer aisle. It works just as well as if you made it yourself. I also use homemade apple pie filling because we already took a shortcut with the pastry and it's so easy to make. You can find the recipe for my filling here. I just cut the apples into a smaller dice, but other than that the recipe remains the same. These are insanely delicious and delicate when warm and fresh. You have to try this incredibly easy recipe yourself.
INGREDIENTS FOR EASY APPLE TURNOVERS:
- One roll from one package of frozen puff pastry
- Apples - I used a mix of Granny Smith and Gala, but you can use any good baking apples
- Cinnamon & Nutmeg - standard apple pie spices that add warmth
- Granulated Sugar - adds sweetness
- Salt - brings out the rest of the flavors
- Unsalted Butter - you can also use salted butter and leave the salt out
- Apple Cider - reinforces the apple flavor
- Cornstarch - helps thicken the apple mixture
- Lemon Juice/Zest - pairs well with apple flavor
- Vanilla Extract - adds sweetness
- Cream Cheese - for our glaze
- Powdered Sugar - thickens and adds sweetness to the cream cheese glaze
- Milk or Heavy Cream - thins down the glaze
HOW TO MAKE MY EASY APPLE TURNOVERS:
- Make the apple filling ahead and allow it to cool at room temperature for 15 minutes and then in the fridge for at least one hour. It shouldn't be warm when using it. Make sure when you chop the apples for the recipe, use good baking apples and chop them into a smaller dice.
- Use frozen puff pastry dough that has been thawed in the fridge overnight.
- Preheat your oven to 425°F and prep your baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper and greasing it lightly with cooking spray.
- Make an egg wash by combining one egg and heavy cream, milk, or water. Mix until combined. Use a pizza cutter to cut the edges off the large puff pastry by about ¼" to ½". Then cut the puff pastry into large squares by cutting in half vertically and horizontally and then cutting vertically into even squares. Brush the eggwash onto the sides of the squares.
- Place one tablespoon of prepared and cooled apple mixture into the top section of the square. Gently lift up the lower right corner of the square and meet it with the top left corner of the square so it forms a triangle shape. You can adjust the filling and move it down a bit into the pocket formed if needed so it doesn't squeeze out. Gently press down all the way around and seal the edges by using a fork to crimp the edges.
- Brush the outside of the pastries with more egg wash. Use a pairing knife or a sharp small knife to cut one small slit down the middle of the top of the pastry. This will allow the filling not to leak out much.
- Bake on the pregreased baking sheet at 425°F for 10 minutes, then turn down the heat and continue baking for 10 minutes at 375°F until they're golden and puffed up. Remove the pan from the oven once baked and let them cool on the pan for a couple of minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool.
- Meanwhile, make the cream cheese icing drizzle by combining the cream cheese and powdered sugar and mix until combined. Thin down with vanilla extract and heavy cream, milk, or water. Continue adding in the thinning liquid until it's a smooth drizzle consistency and it ribbons down off your fork. Use a pastry bag, zip lock bag, or a spoon to drizzle the icing onto the warm turnovers while they're on the cooling rack. Let the glaze set up for a few minutes then serve the turnovers warm. They are best served warm! You can also use salted caramel as a drizzle option.
More Great Fall Recipes:
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Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers
Ingredients
Egg Wash
- 1 whole egg beaten
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream you can also use milk or water
Apple Filling:
- 2 lbs apples small dice granny smith, gala, fuji are all good options
- 1 ¼ oz unsalted butter room temp
- 6.5 oz granulated sugar
- 0.6 oz salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 medium lemon juice and zest
- 2 oz apple cider
- ½ oz cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Puff Pastry:
- 1 package frozen puff pastry thawed in fridge overnight
Cream Cheese Icing:
- 4 oz or half package Philadelphia Cream Cheese softened to room temperture
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- ⅛ cup or enough until icing is thinned down to drizzle consistency heavy cream you can also use milk or water
Instructions
Apple Filling:
- Wash, peel, and slice the apples around the core until you get three or four large apple pieces from each apple. Cut the large apple pieces into ½" slices. Dice those slices into small-sized pieces.
- Place the diced apples, salt, lemon juice/zest, granulated sugar, and butter in a saucepan over medium to medium-high heat. Stir and cook for a few minutes.
- Stir in the cinnamon and nutmeg. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and apple cider. Pour this slurry mixture in with the apple mixture. Stir this mixture and cook for another 10 minutes or until al dente. The apples should be cooked fully but they'll still have a little bit of a bite to them.
- Once the apples reach that stage and the sauce is thicker, take the pot off the heat and add in the vanilla extract. Stir until combined. Pour the apple filling into a shallow dish, "goo" included.
- Allow the mixture to cool at room temperature for 15 minutes. Cover in plastic wrap and allow it to cool in the fridge for at least one hour or until no longer warm.
Puff Pastry:
- Use frozen puff pastry dough that has been thawed in the fridge overnight.
- Preheat your oven to 425°F and prep your baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper and greasing it lightly with cooking spray.
Assembly & Baking:
- Make an egg wash by combining one egg and heavy cream, milk, or water. Mix until combined. Use a pizza cutter to cut the edges off the large puff pastry by about ¼" to ½". Then cut the puff pastry into large squares by cutting in half vertically and horizontally and then cutting vertically into even squares. Brush the eggwash onto the sides of the squares.
- Place one tablespoon of prepared and cooled apple mixture into the top section of the square. Gently lift up the lower right corner of the square and meet it with the top left corner of the square so it forms a triangle shape. You can adjust the filling and move it down a bit into the pocket formed if needed so it doesn't squeeze out. Gently press down all the way around and seal the edges by using a fork to crimp the edges.
- Brush the outside of the pastries with more egg wash. Use a pairing knife or a sharp small knife to cut one small slit down the middle of the top of the pastry. This will allow the filling not to leak out much.
- Bake on the pregreased baking sheet at 425°F for 10 minutes, then turn down the heat and continue baking for 10 minutes at 375°F until they're golden and puffed up. Remove the pan from the oven once baked and let them cool on the pan for a couple of minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool.
Cream Cheese Icing:
- Meanwhile, make the cream cheese icing drizzle by combining the cream cheese and powdered sugar and mix until combined.
- Thin down with vanilla extract and heavy cream, milk, or water. Continue adding in the thinning liquid until it's a smooth drizzle consistency and it ribbons down off your fork.
- Use a pastry bag, zip lock bag, or a spoon to drizzle the icing onto the warm turnovers while they're on the cooling rack. Let the glaze set up for a few minutes then serve the turnovers warm. Make sure the turnovers are not too warm or the cream cheese icing will melt. These turnovers are best served fresh and warm!
Notes
- these turnovers taste best when they're fresh and warm.
- store in a storage container covered and rewarm in an oven or air fryer.
- you can also use my salted caramel as a topping.
- let the apple filling cool before using it in your turnovers.
- the filling recipe makes more than you need, but just store leftovers as a snack or to use in another recipe. You can also just use more than one roll of puff pastry and make more turnovers until the filling is gone.
- you can discard the edge scraps or bake them separately.
