Homemade apple turnovers are super easy to make, and taste so much better than store bought. Try this apple turnover recipe 2 different ways - sugared or glazed!
Now that we’re surrounded by apple orchards, apple picking is always on the table. The fact that we can get mutsu apple here (seriously, I’m addicted)?
We go through a lot of apples.
Today’s post is the end result of another spate of my “Let’s just buy a whole bucket of them...”nonsense: Delicious apple turnovers!
As a kid, I loved those easy apple turnovers that came out of a tube.
I get the same type of those traditional flaky pastries, just better - with my own apple filling and glaze.
The hand pie pastry crust? Flaky puff pastry! Super easy.
Cooked apples and flaky dough that you basically only have to thaw... “from scratch” taste doesn’t get much easier than this apple turnovers recipe.
You can even make the filling ahead of time, and keep it in the fridge til you’re ready to make the turnovers.
A few minutes later, they’re in the oven... and you’re just minutes away from deliciousness!
Ingredients
This is another super easy recipe. The simple apple filling is the bulk of the work and ingredients, and there’s really not much to it.
I do have a few notes on some of the ingredients, though:
Fresh Apples
Generally speaking, I like to use tart or sweet-tart apples for this. In the off season, I’ll default to Granny Smith apples.
When it’s apple season here locally, I’m ALL about the Mutsus.
That said, you can really use whatever kind of apples you like. We’ve made this with Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, etc - those all work fine.
Frozen Puff Pastry
This recipe needs puff pastry dough, which you can find in the freezer section of the grocery store.
Pepperidge Farm brand was what I tended to use when we were still in the US, now I tend to use President’s Choice brand, here in Canada.
You’ll use 1 package of pastry dough - which is generally about 1 lb of it, or 2 sheets of puff pastry.
You can use homemade puff pastry if you have a good recipe for it - personally, I can’t be arsed to make the stuff!
Pearl Sugar
Pearl Sugar - a coarse sugar - is optional, but nice to have.
Pearl sugar is the chunky, large crystal sugar that you see as a sugar crust on turnovers, some pies, and even some muffins.
It’s pretty, AND it makes for a nice, sweet crunchy finish to whatever you use it on.
When I’m making turnovers, I usually do half the batch with pearl sugar, and the other half drizzled with the glaze - something for everyone!
Note: If you like the idea of pearl sugar but want to be ~extra~ about things, try using Maple Sugar Flakes or Maple Sugar Pebbles in place of pearl sugar!
Everything Else
Rounding out this recipe, you’ll need:
Powdered sugar / icing sugar / confectioner’s sugar
Dark brown sugar (can use light brown sugar)
Corn starch
Milk
Lemon juice
Unsalted butter
1 Large egg
Pure vanilla extract (Try my Homemade Vanilla Extract recipe
Ground Cinnamon
Ground Nutmeg
Salt
... nothing really to say on any of these ingredients, though!
How to Make Homemade Apple Turnovers
The full recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post, this is a pictorial walk through.
Apple Pie Filling
Peel and dice apples - you want about 2 cups of chopped apples. I like small pieces, about ¼" cubes (roughly).
In a medium pot, melt the butter over medium heat.
Add the chopped apples and lemon juice to the pot, cook until they start releasing the juice, about 4-5 minutes.
As the apples are cooking, combine brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a small bowl.
Simmer for a 5-10 more minutes, until the juice cooks off and starts to form a thick glaze.
Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until you’re ready to use it.
You want the sauce to cook down.
Assembly
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Unfold one of your puff pastry sheets onto a dry, clean work surface (I like to use a silicone mat).
Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to crop the sheet of puff pastry into a proper square, then cut it into 4 equal squares.
Note: If it’s “close enough” to square, I’ll just cut it into 4ths and adjust a little as I fold.
Divide your apple mixture out between the squares.
Carefully fold dough over the filling, gently pulling one corner of a pastry over to the opposite side for form a triangle. Repeat with remaining pastries.
Use a fork to seal around the edges of each pastry.
Transfer pastries a lined baking sheet.
If doing a coarse sugar crust, sprinkle pastries generously with the pearl sugar.
Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until golden brown and puffy.
Glaze
Mix together powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and salt into a thick frosting.
Warm it in the microwave for a few seconds if it gets too firm, stir well.
You can leave it in a measuring cup and drizzle from that, or transfer to a pastry bag.
Drizzle icing over the pastries, then allow the glaze to set up (usually 30 minutes to an hour, depending on how thick you made it) before serving.
Leftovers
These apple turnovers are best when served within a few hours of baking them. Leftovers can be transferred to an airtight container in the fridge for several days, though.
If you know you’re going to have leftovers, I recommend not drizzling icing on those pastries. Turnovers are best when reheated for a few minutes in a toaster oven.
This “refreshes” the taste and texture, but also melts the icing. The sugar crusted ones reheat better, as a result!
Tips & Varations
You can use 1 teaspoon of apple pie spice in place of the cinnamon and nutmeg, if that’s more convenient for you.
If trimming rectangular pastry into square sheets feels too wasteful, you can use a rolling pin to GENTLY roll dough into more of a square shape.
Doing so can definitely reduce the amount of “puff” to the final pastries though, which is why I prefer to trim them.
If you don’t want to meticulously cut the apples into tiny pieces, you can chop into larger pieces and them blitz a couple times in a food processor.
Just don’t processor them TOO far - you want small bits, not applesauce!
You can use store bought pie dough if you like, but I find it easier to use a homemade pie crust recipe - then you’re not re-rolling 12" rounds into squares.
I recommend using my Great Uncle Tom's Perfect Pie Crust Recipe, as it’s fantastic.
You can make it as-is, or use cold butter in place of the lard, for a homemade butter crust.
Roll to about ⅛" thick, cut 8 squares that are about about 5" x 5", and use ⅛ of the filling on each.
Just keep an eye on the pastries as they’re baking. They’ll usually bake up in the same time as called for here, though.
If you don’t have a pastry bag on hand, you can transfer your glaze to a Ziploc freezer bag, and cut one of the bottom corners off.
Instant piping bag!
More Tasty Apple Recipes
Looking for some more apple desserts (and more!)? I’ve got you covered with even more easy apple recipes!
Apple Cider Cake
Apple Crisp Macchiato
Brandied Apple Upside Down Cake
Candy Apples
Caramel Apple Pancakes
Chicken Burgers with Apple, Basil, & Gouda
Easy Apple and Blackberry Crumble
Easy Apple Blueberry Muffins
Gluten Free Apple Cake
Gluten-Free Apple Crisp
Gluten Free Apple Pie
Gluten-Free Caramel Apple Pancakes
Hard Apple Cider
Healthier Apple Oatmeal Muffins
Maple Caramel Apple Pie
Maple Caramel Apple Recipe
Puff pastry Maple Apple Roses
Spiced Apple Caramel Popcorn
Spiced Apple Cinnamon Rolls
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Apple Turnovers
Equipment
- 2 Baking Sheets
Ingredients
Filling:
- 1 tablespoon Butter
- 3 Large apples
- 2 teaspoon Lemon juice
- ½ cup Dark brown sugar packed
- 1 ½ teaspoon Cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon Cinnamon
- Pinch Nutmeg
- Pinch Salt
Assembly:
- 1 package puff pastry thawed
- 1 egg
- Pearl sugar optional
Glaze:
- 1 ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon Milk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- pinch Salt
Instructions
Filling:
- Peel and dice apples - you want about 2 cups of chopped apples. I like small pieces, about ¼" cubes (roughly).
- In a medium pot, melt the butter over medium heat.
- Add the chopped apples and lemon juice to the pot, cook until they start releasing the juice, about 4-5 minutes.
- As the apples are cooking, combine brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a small bowl.
- Add to apples, toss to coat.
- Simmer for a 5-10 more minutes, until the juice cooks off and starts to form a thick glaze.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool. To room temperature.
Assembly:
- Preheat oven to 400 F, line 1 large or 2 small baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Unfold one of your puff pastry sheets onto a dry, clean work surface (I like to use a silicone mat).
- Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to crop the pastry sheet into a proper square, then cut it into 4 equal squares.
- Note: If it’s “close enough” to square, I’ll just cut it into 4ths and adjust a little as I fold.
- Divide your filling out between the squares.
- Whisk the egg with 2 teaspoon or so of water. Brush around the edges of each square.
- Carefully pull one corner of a pastry over to the other side for form a triangle. Repeat with remaining pastries.
- Use a fork to seal around the edges of each pastry.
- Transfer pastries to prepared baking sheets.
- Brush egg wash over each pastry, then use the tip of a sharp knife to cut 2-3 small slits in the top of each pastry.
- If doing a coarse sugar crust, sprinkle pastries generously with the pearl sugar.
- Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until golden brown and puffy.
- If you’re planning to drizzle them with glaze, allow to cool to room temperature before proceeding.
Glaze:
- Mix together powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and salt into a thick frosting.
- Warm it in the microwave for a few seconds if it gets too firm, then drizzle over cooled turnovers.
Nutrition
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