Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers

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Hi Bold Bakers!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THISRECIPE: My sublime Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers are the ideal dessert for anything from fall dinner parties to a homey snack with tea! Delightfully flaky pastry holds warm, spiced, tender apple, and the sugar topping gives caramel apple vibes.

• Ready in under an hour! Pop them in the oven before dinner, and enjoy warm turnovers for dessert.
• Perfectly seasonal: Nothing says autumn like apples and cinnamon.
• Make-ahead ease: If you like, you can prepare and refrigerate the apple cinnamon turnovers the day before serving. Double the batch if you’re making them for a party!
• Store-bought convenience: Use prepared puff pastry, and making these bakery-level treats is a breeze!
• Turnover charm: Everyone will be thrilled to get their own mini apple pie! It’s an elegant twist on a nostalgic classic.

Turnovers are a classic bakery dessert in Ireland, and as a professional pastry chef, I urge you to use the best quality puff pastry you can find—that’s what makes these shine. And don’t forget the cream! Splash out on really good whipped cream to serve alongside. Truthfully, the best part of an apple turnover is that luscious cream paired with the crisp pastry and juicy apples.

These Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers have all the juicy fruit goodness and wonderful crustiness of a pie, but if you’re looking for a full-size pie, I have you covered! Be sure to try my Traditional Apple Pie, Delectable Caramel Apple Pie, Authentic Irish Amber Apple Pie, Apple Cheddar Pie, and Classic Irish Apple Tart Recipe.

Table of Contents

• What are Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers
• Tools You Need
• Key Ingredients and Substitutes
• How to Make Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers
• Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
• Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
• FAQs
• More Apple Recipes

What are Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers?

• Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers are baked, flaky individual pastries with spiced, sweetened apple filling.
  • Flavor: Fruity, warmly spiced, and buttery.
  • Texture: Airy, flaky pastry encloses tender, syrupy apples. The sugar glaze topping caramelizes beautifully, like the top of creme brûlée.
  • Main ingredients: Granny Smith apples, dark brown sugar, corn starch, puff pastry
  • Great for: Snacks, dessert, fall celebrations, parties, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, brunch, breakfast
• Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers are a blend of rustic pastry and elegant technique. Sweet and savory turnovers and hand pies became popular among workers all over the world in medieval times, because they are so portable. Laminated dough, such as puff pastry, was perfected in the 1600s in France by chefs who worked for royal kitchens.

Tools You Need

• Mixing bowls
• Measuring spoons
• Measuring cups
• Glass measuring jug
• Kitchen scale (optional)
• Medium saucepan
• Wooden spoon
• 2 baking sheets
• Parchment paper
• Knife
• Pastry brush

Key Ingredients and Substitutes

Apple Filling

• Granny Smith apples

  • Granny Smith apples have the perfect texture for the filling—these firm apples won’t become mushy when baked, but are still soft to the bite.
  • With their tart, bright flavor, Granny Smith apples are an excellent balance to the sweet brown sugar and buttery pastry.
  • Substitutes: Braeburn, Pink Lady, or Braeburn are all firm apples that will work well here. Avoid using soft apple varieties like McIntosh.

• Dark brown sugar

  • Brown sugar mixes with the apple juices and bakes into a caramelized, syrupy filling.
  • The molasses in brown sugar gives these turnovers a deliciously complex sweetness.
  • Don’t worry if you’re out of brown sugar—you can make your own with my simple recipe.
  • Substitute: Use an equal amount of light brown sugar.

• Lemon juice

  • Lemon juice contributes brightness and enhances the rich, sweet filling in these puff pastry apple turnovers.
  • You can use fresh or bottled lemon juice.

• Butter

  • Butter adds rich taste to the apple pie filling and enhances the cinnamon and apple flavors.
  • Importantly, butter gives the filling body and a silky mouthfeel.
  • Substitute: You can use coconut oil here, but note that it will change the flavor of the filling.

• Cornstarch

  • Cornstarch thickens the filling perfectly, so it’s not runny, and also not too thick or gummy.
  • Using a thickener in this apple turnover recipe is crucial to ensure the apple filling won’t become runny and make the pastry soggy.
  • Substitute: You can use the same amount of arrowroot powder.

• Cinnamon

  • Cinnamon’s warm spice complements the fruit perfectly and gives a distinctive autumn vibe in this apple turnover recipe.
  • Substitute: Use an equal amount of apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice. For a bolder flavor, try my Mixed Spice Recipe.

Turnover pastry

• Frozen puff pastry dough

  • Puff pastry gives these turnovers their uniquely buttery, light, and flaky texture.
  • Importantly, using prepared puff pastry sheets makes these professionally looking turnovers a snap to bake at home.
  • For the best flavor, use store-bought pastry made with butter.
  • Substitute: If you want to make these completely homemade, try my Easy Puff Pastry Recipe!
    • If you prefer, you can also make these homemade turnovers with pie crust dough.

• Egg wash

  • Egg wash seals the edges together so the filling doesn’t leak out while baking.
  • Additionally, the egg wash makes the edges golden and glossy.

Caramelized Sugar Topping

• Water

  • Water hydrates the top of the turnover dough, allowing the sugar to stick.

• Granulated sugar

  • The granulated sugar dissolves and caramelizes, resulting in a sweet, shiny, crispy-crunchy topping with an irresistibly burnt caramel note.

How to Make Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers

FULL (PRINTABLE) RECIPE BELOW! 

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips

• Apple options: Any firm apple will work well here. If you don’t have Granny Smith, try Jonagold, Braeburn, Pink Lady, or Honeycrisp apples.
• 100% homemade option: You can use homemade Easy Puff Pastry to make these.
• Oven instructions: If you don’t have a convection setting, then preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and bake one pan at a time.
• Berry variations: For a delicious variation, use my Blueberry Topping for Cheesecake in place of the apple filling!
• Fresh spice: Check the expiration date to make sure you’re using fresh cinnamon for the best flavor.

Make Ahead and Storage Instructions

• Make-ahead tip:
  • The apple filling can be made up to three days before assembling the turnovers.
  • The apple turnovers with puff pastry can be assembled and refrigerated the day before you want to bake them.
• How to store leftovers: 
  • These are best served the day they’re made, but leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days.

FAQs

Can I make these cinnamon apple turnovers with homemade puff pastry?

• Yes, you can make these cinnamon apple turnovers with homemade puff pastry.
• If you want to use homemade pastry, I recommend my Easy Puff Pastry Recipe. It’s a genius shortcut recipe that doesn’t require folding to get those delectable layers.

Is it possible to make these turnovers gluten-free?

• Yes, it is possible to make these turnovers gluten-free. Use a gluten free store-bought pastry, such as Dufour Gluten-Free All-Butter Dough.
• Additionally, ensure that all of the other ingredients are certified gluten-free.

Is it possible to make this dessert with another filling?

• Yes, you can make this dessert with another filling.
• You can replace the apples with pears (use a firmer variety like Bosc or Anjou) or use my Blueberry Topping for Cheesecake (and you can replace the blueberries in this recipe with blackberries or strawberries).

How can I serve these Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers?

• I think these Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers are perfect with freshly whipped cream.
• You can also use Stabilized Whipped Cream or Creme Fraiche Whipped Cream
• A scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream, Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream, Butter Pecan Ice Cream, or Cinnamon Roll Ice Cream would be lovely with these puff pastry turnovers.
• Serve my Salted Caramel Sauce, Irish Whiskey Caramel Sauce, Foolproof Creme Anglaise (Classic Vanilla Custard Sauce), or Apple Cider Caramel Sauce along with the turnovers, or drizzle on top.

More Apple Recipes

• Caramel Apple Tarte Tatin
• Apple Cobbler with Cake Mix
• Apple Cake with Honey Caramel Sauce
• Apple Honey Cobbler
• Caramel Apple Crisp with Cinnamon Ice Cream

Try These Recipes!

Apple Cobbler With Cake Mix

Lemon Blueberry Pie

Blueberry Pie Cookies

Blueberry Cobbler With Cake Mix (3 Ingredients)