Description
These classic Apple Turnovers feature a flaky puff pastry filled with a spiced, tender apple filling and a sweet cream cheese glaze. Perfectly baked to golden perfection, they offer a delightful balance of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice with a luscious glaze finish for a sweet breakfast treat or dessert.
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 ½ Tablespoons salted butter
- 4 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 ½ Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon flour (optional, depending on juice)
Pastry & Assembly
- 1 package puff pastry (2 sheets, thawed but kept refrigerated)
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tablespoon water
Glaze
- ½ cup powdered (confectioners’) sugar
- 1 Tablespoon milk (plus more if needed)
- ½ Tablespoon cream cheese at room temperature (optional)
Instructions
- Making the Filling: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then add the diced apples and cook for about three minutes until they start to soften, stirring intermittently.
- Spice and Sweeten: Stir in brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Continue cooking for another three minutes, stirring as needed to blend flavors.
- Add Vanilla and Thicken: Mix in the vanilla extract. If the apples have released a lot of juice, gradually add flour up to 1 tablespoon, stirring and cooking for 30 to 60 seconds to thicken the filling into a syrupy consistency.
- Cool the Filling: Transfer the filling to a clean bowl, allow it to cool for 10 minutes, then chill further in the fridge for 10 minutes. This prevents pastry softening from warm filling.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Sheet: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prepare Pastry Squares: On a lightly floured surface, unroll one puff pastry sheet and cut it into four equal squares. Keep the second sheet refrigerated until ready.
- Make Egg Wash: Beat the egg with one tablespoon of water to create an egg wash.
- Assemble Turnovers: Using a pastry brush, apply the egg wash around the edges of each square, leaving about a ½ inch border. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the cooled apple filling onto half of the square, avoiding the egg-washed edges.
- Seal Turnovers: Fold the dough over to form triangles and press edges gently with fingers, then crimp with a fork to seal.
- Vent and Chill: Cut three small slits on top of each turnover for steam release, then place the turnovers on the baking sheet and chill either for 20 minutes in the freezer or 1 hour in the fridge.
- Brush and Bake: Remove turnovers, brush tops and edges with egg wash, then bake on the middle oven rack for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
- Cool: Transfer the baked turnovers to a cooling rack and let cool for at least 20 minutes.
- Prepare Glaze: Mix powdered sugar, milk, and cream cheese in a small bowl until smooth. Adjust thickness by adding more sugar or milk as needed.
- Glaze Turnovers: Drizzle glaze over cooled turnovers using a spoon or a piping bag made from a ziploc bag with a snipped corner for precision.
Notes
- Ensure the apple filling is fully cooled before assembling to prevent the puff pastry from becoming soggy.
- The flour in the filling is optional and only needed if the apples release excess juice to thicken the filling.
- You can substitute Granny Smith apples with other firm, tart apples for a different flavor profile.
- The cream cheese in the glaze is optional but adds a nice tang and creaminess to the icing.
- If you freeze the filled turnovers, increase baking time slightly to ensure they cook through.
- Be careful not to overfill the pastry to avoid leaks during baking.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
