These flaky puff pastry apple turnovers are made with store bought puff pastry and filled with a homemade apple cinnamon filling, and drizzled with sweet icing. These turnovers are so delicious and make for an simple, easy breakfast or dessert.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- This recipe uses store bought puff pastry. Homemade puff pastry can be time consuming and tedious, and store-bought is just as crisp, buttery and flaky, but without the fuss.
- The apple cinnamon filling is filled with toasty brown butter, caramel-ly brown sugar and warm fall spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
- Vanilla icing drizzle adds an additional layer of sweetness to the unsweetened puff pastry.
- Step by step photo instructions for perfect turnovers every time.
Recipe Ingredients
Puff pastry - Pepperidge Farm is my go-to frozen store bought brand.
Apples - I used a mixture of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples.
Unsalted butter - browned, to give the apple filling a toasty flavor
Light brown sugar
Granulated sugar
Fine sea salt
Lemon juice - to keep the apples from browning, adds a bit of brightness
Cornstarch - thickens the apple filling
Vanilla extract
Egg - for brushing the tops of the turnovers before baking and helps pastry turn golden brown
Powdered sugar
Heavy cream - or milk, for the icing
Recipe Instructions
- Toss the peeled, diced apples with lemon juice.
- Cook the butter in a large skillet until golden brown. Add the apples, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- Cook the apple filling until the apples have softened, and the liquid has thickened. The apples should still keep their shape. Stir in the vanilla.
- Cool the apple filling for 15 minutes at room temperature. Refrigerate for an additional 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll the puff pastry sheets to 12x12" square.
- Cut the pastries into 4 equal squares. You should have 8 total.
- Place a few tablespoons of the cooled apple filling over half of each square (in a corner) leaving a ½" border
- Whisk together the egg and water. Using a pastry brush, brush the edges of each pastry with the egg mixture.
- Fold the pastry in half, corner to corner, pressing gently. Place onto the prepared baking sheets.
- Use a fork to crimp and seal the edges.
- Brush the tops of the turnovers with egg wash and sprinkle with raw or turbinado sugar.
- Bake the turnovers for 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Cool before icing.
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, cream and vanilla.
- Drizzle the icing over the turnovers.
Baking Tips
- Keep the puff pastry as cold as possible at all times. This ensures that the turnovers will be puffed up and flaky. Pastry that is too warm could cause the butter to melt out of the pastry while baking.
- Use tender, but firm apples, such as Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Braeburns and Jonagold. I like using Granny Smith and Honeycrisp. Granny Smiths are tart, tender and hold their shape while baking while Honeycrisp are sweeter, and more mild in flavor. Softer apples can become mushy during cooking.
- If the icing is too thick, add a tiny splash of cream. If the icing is too thin, add a tablespoon or two of powdered sugar.
Storage and Freezing
Puff pastry apple turnovers are best eaten the day they're baked. Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up two days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Note that they will get noticeably softer after the first day.
To freeze the unbaked turnovers, after assembling, arrange them in a single layer on a sheet pan and freeze. Once frozen, place them in an airtight container and freeze for up to a month. I like to use zip top bags to store them in the freezer. When ready to bake, brush with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar and bake frozen as per the recipe card instructions. They may need 5 or so extra minutes longer to bake.
FAQS
The apple filling can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the fridge.
Absolutely. Use your favorite pie dough in place of the puff pastry. My All Butter Pie Crust is a perfect pie dough for this recipe.
Defrost the in refrigerator for at least 3 hours. You can also defrost the pastry at room temperature for an hour.
I prefer to defrost puff pastry overnight in the fridge along with the cooked apple filling. That way I can get up in the morning, quickly assemble the turnovers and bake them for breakfast.
You can swap out the apples for pears, peaches, nectarines or apricots.
Did you make this recipe? Share it with us! Tag @littlevintagebaking on Instagram and leave a star rating below if you LOVED this recipe. For more baking and decorating ideas follow me on Pinterest.
More Apple Recipes To Try
Recipe
Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers
Equipment
Ingredients
Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 2 cups apples, peeled and diced (about 4 medium apples)
- 1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon water
- 1 tablespoon raw or turbinado sugar
Icing
- ¾ cups confectioners sugar
- 1 - 2 tablespoons heavy cream, or milk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir the lemon juice into the diced apples.2 cups apples, peeled and diced (about 4 medium apples), 1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice
- In a large skillet, over medium heat, cook the butter until golden brown. Add the apples, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cloves and stir to combine.2 tablespoons unsalted butter, ½ cup light brown sugar, packed, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, ¾ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt, ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- Cook the apple mixture until the apples have softened and tender and the liquid has thickened.
- Stir in the vanilla. Cool the apple filling for 15 minutes at room temperature. Refrigerate for an additional 30-45 minutes until cold.1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- When the apples have chilled, preheat the oven to 400F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Working with one pastry sheet at a time, roll out the cold, thawed puff pastry sheets out on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch square. Cut each sheet into 4 equal squares. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry to make 8 squares total.2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
- Divide the chilled apple filling among the pastry squares (a few tablespoons each), concentrating the apple filling to one corner and leaving a ½" border around the perimeter of the pastry.
- Whisk together the egg with the water.1 large egg, 1 teaspoon water
- Using a pastry brush, light brush the edges of the pastry with egg wash.
- Fold one point of the puff pastry over the apple filling to the opposite point, creating a triangle. Crimp and seal the turnovers by pressing the tines of a fork along the two straight sides.
- Brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle with raw or turbinado sugar.1 tablespoon raw or turbinado sugar
- Bake the turnovers to golden brown, about 18-20 minutes. Cool completely.
- While the turnovers cool, whisk together the confectioners sugar, cream and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Drizzle icing over cooled turnovers and serve.¾ cups confectioners sugar, 1 - 2 tablespoons heavy cream, or milk, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
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