Baked Apple Turnovers with Puff Pastry

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A faster way to eat pie is to make turnovers instead! This Apple Turnovers recipe uses one sheet of puff pastry (homemade or store-bought are both fine), apples, brown sugar, and spices to make 4 hand-held desserts.

Triangle apple turnovers made with puff pastry and drizzled with caramel.

Now that you are armed with a 15-minute puff pastry recipe, you are considered dangerous.

You are capable of whipping up an apple turnover recipe, flaky ham and cheese appetizers, and French pastries at any time of day. Please, use this information carefully and to your advantage during the whole holiday season.

Apple turnover cut in half to show apple filling inside.

What is an Apple Turnover?

An apple turnover is similar to apple pie in that it contains diced apples cooked in a sweet spice mixture until soft, and encapsulated in dough. But, a turnover uses flaky puff pastry dough, while pie uses a more sturdy pie crust. Turnovers are meant to be easier to make than pie–just pile the cooked fruit in one corner, ‘turn over’ the dough on top of it, and bake! They’re my favorite fall hand-held dessert, and much easier to eat and serve than pie!

Apple Turnovers Recipe Tips

If you’re still afraid of dough, this is the one dough you shouldn’t fear! It only requires 3 ingredients plus a little rolling, and you’re done 15 minutes later.

The best 15 minutes you’ll spend this morning is making this dough. I can barely even talk about the flaky layers. Oh, the flaky layers. And the buttery, spicy apple scent while it bakes is exactly what your house needs right now.

I tweaked the apple filling recipe from my apple-stuffed baked apples and use it in these turnovers. It did not disappoint. In fact, these turnovers were the highlight of my morning all week.

So, let’s review. Make this easy dough: recipe here. However, you can also use one sheet of store-bought puff pastry instead of making the dough from scratch!

Golden brown apple turnovers on white plate with caramel cup in background.

Apple Turnovers Ingredients

Bowls on counter with egg yolk, roll of dough, chopped fruit, and brown sugar.

Puff Pastry. You need one pre-made frozen sheet of puff pastry from the freezer section of your grocery store. Let it thaw on the counter until pliable and easy to roll out. Alternatively, you can use my recipe for homemade puff pastry that takes just 15 minutes to make.
Apples. Three small apples to equal about 2 cups of diced apples. Each pie uses 1/2 cup of apples. I like to bake with Honeycrisp, Gala, or even Granny Smith apples.
Cinnamon. One teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
Lemon Juice. One tablespoon of lemon juice brings the flavors of apple and cinnamon together so well.
Brown Sugar. We’re sweetening the apple pie filling with 1/4 cup of brown sugar. It can be either light or dark brown sugar, whatever you have.
Butter. To sauté the apples before baking, we’ll use one tablespoon of butter.
Egg Yolk. To make these apple turnovers golden brown, brush with a beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with sugar before baking.

How to make Apple Turnovers with Puff Pastry

I love that this apple turnover recipe makes just 4 turnovers. They freeze very well, both pre-bake and post-bake, so you can always keep them on hand. I love using them as a fun breakfast treat on the weekends.

Saute pan with diced fruit, brown sugar, cinnamon and butter in it.

Two triangles and two squares of fruit on pastry.

First, preheat the oven to 400-degrees Fahrenheit, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Peel, core, and dice the apples. Add the apples, cinnamon, lemon juice, sugar, butter and salt to a skillet, and cook over medium heat until the apples soften and caramelize, about 7 minutes. Stir frequently, remove from heat and let cool.

Meanwhile, roll out the dough on the counter into a 12-inch square. Divide the apple mixture into 4 piles in the corners of the dough, but leave about ¾” of border. Cut the dough into four equal squares. Fold the edges of the dough over each of the apple piles. You will have 4 triangular pies.

Four yellow triangles of pastry on a baking sheet.

Four triangle apple turnovers on a baking sheet.

Crimp the edges closed with your fingers, and then seal with a fork. Carefully move the pies to the baking sheet. Brush each pie generously with the beaten egg yolk. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if using.

Bake the pies for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and puffy. Serve immediately.

Tips for a flawless apple turnover recipe:

Puff pastry is superior to pie dough when making turnovers, in my not-so-humble opinion.
Dice the apple small, but not too finely. See the photo above for reference.
A beaten egg yolk brushed on top will help make these apple turnovers look like they’re from a bakery. Coarse sugar on top is pretty, too!

How to Store Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers

This dessert will keep at room temperature in an air-tight container for up to 1 day after baking. Beyond that, I don’t recommend storing in the fridge because the pastry will become soggy and wet.

Baked Apple Turnovers FAQ

Can you freeze Apple Turnovers before baking?

You can freeze these before baking in a freezer storage bag. No need to defrost before baking. Bake from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to ensure they’re golden brown.

How do I keep my apple turnovers from leaking?

This particular recipe for apple turnover doesn’t leak much at all because the apples are cooked in a skillet before being tucked in the pastry dough. When filling the pastry, don’t add too much of the apple cooking liquid. Use your fingers to pinch the dough closed tightly, and then reinforce it by crimping with a fork before baking. Also, pay extra attention to the edges when brushing on the egg yolk, because it will help seal it closed.

How do I keep my turnovers from getting soggy?

Because we’re cooking the apples before tucking them into the pastry, these apple turnovers are light and flaky with crisp bottoms–never soggy. Cooking the apples separately removes some of the moisture from the apples, which prevents a soggy crust!

Do you have to thaw puff pastry before baking?

Yes, it must be pliable enough to roll without cracking. If it’s cracking, let it rest at room temperature a few more minutes.

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Yield: 4

Baked Apple Turnover Dessert

Flaky puff pastry turnovers in less than an hour!

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed
2 cups diced apples (from about 3 small apples)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
pinch of salt
1 large egg yolk, beaten
coarse sugar for sprinkling (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400-degrees F, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
First, peel and core the apples and dice them. You should have 2 cups of diced apples. A little less is fine.
Add the apples, cinnamon, lemon juice, sugar, butter and salt to a sautÃ© pan, and cook over medium heat until the apples soften and caramelize, about 7 minutes. Stir frequently.
Remove the apples from the heat and let cool.
Meanwhile, roll out the dough into a 12-inch square. Use flour as you go to prevent sticking.
Divide the apple mixture into 4 piles in the corners of the dough, but leave about 3/4" of border. Cut the dough into four equal squares. Fold the edges of the dough over each of the apple piles. You will have 4 triangular pies.
Crimp the edges closed with your fingers and the tines of a fork.
Carefully move the pies to the baking sheet.
Brush each pie generously with the beaten egg yolk. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if using.
Bake the pies for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and puffy. Serve immediately.

Notes

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 177Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 100mgSodium: 76mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 2gSugar: 18gProtein: 3g