With a buttery, flaky crust and spiced sweet apple filling, these homemade apple turnovers are hands down one of the best ways to enjoy this seasonal fruit. By using store-bought puff pastry dough, you can skip a few steps to hurry these easy apple turnovers along so you can enjoy them right away. It'll be true love at first bite, we promise.
Now that it's Apple season, this is the perfect time to enjoy the comforting flavors of sweet apples cooked with butter, brown sugar, and warm spices. This homemade apple pie filling is the perfect match for flaky puff pastry. You'll crunch through the buttery puff pastry, which will shatter and flake as you bite into the warm, gooey apple filling. Top it off with a simple sweet glaze, and you'll never want to bother with storebought turnovers again.
Why You'll Love These Apple Turnovers
- Surprisingly simple. Thanks to frozen puff pastry sheets, these quick apple turnovers are much faster to make than you'd think. No hours of rolling and folding required!
- Perfect fall flavors. The warm spices, sugar, and tart apples cook down and gel together into the most delicious spiced apple filling. Pair a puff pastry apple turnover with a cup of hot coffee or Chai Tea Latte for a cozy fall moment.
- Extremely popular. Your family or guests will come out of the woodwork to snag one of these apple turnovers. Make a big batch because they go quickly!
Ingredient Notes
To make this delicious Apple Turnover recipe, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):
- butter - this will add a delicious buttery flavor to the sweet filling.
- Honeycrisp apples - these apples are tart and sweet with a firm texture, making them ideal for baked apple desserts. Tart Granny Smith apples are another great alternative to use here.
- brown sugar - this will lend a caramel-like flavor to the apples, ensuring they're sweet enough to satisfy any sweet tooth.
- lemon juice - a pop of lemon brightens up the sweet flavors in these apple pie turnovers for a perfect balance of flavor.
- spices - the apple filling is seasoned with classic fall spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. We use a little salt too.
- cornstarch - this is a key ingredient to thicken the apple filling to the perfect consistency so it won't flood out of the puff pastry in the oven.
- egg wash - whisk together egg with water for an egg wash to make these apple turnovers shine.
- frozen puff pastry - use thawed puff pastry from the store to keep this easy apple turnover recipe really simple. You can also use homemade puff pastry or homemade puff pastry pie dough which will give more of a pie crust texture.
- coarse sugar - sprinkle over the assembled turnovers before baking for a little crunch and sparkle.
- confectioners' sugar and water - whisk these together for a simple glaze to drizzle over the top of each turnover to bring all the flavors together.
You will also need large skillet, medium bowl, 2 baking sheets, parchment paper, small mixing bowl, whisk, rolling pin, a fork, and a pastry brush.
How to Make the Best Apple Turnovers
First cook the apple turnovers.
- Combine ingredients. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the diced apples and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until slightly softened. Add in the brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Stir to combine, then bring to a simmer.
- Cook. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, until apples are softened and juices have reduced quite a bit, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Thicken. Sprinkle on the cornstarch and stir and cook until thickened, about 1 to 2 more minutes.
- Chill. Remove the apples from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Cover the bowl and place into the fridge to fully cool.
Next, make the apple turnovers.
- Roll and cut dough. On a floured work surface, roll out 1 sheet of puff pastry into a 12x12-inch square. Cut it into 4 equal squares.
- Add filling. Visually divide each square in half diagonally and add ⅛th of the cooled apple filling into one half of each puff pastry square (into a triangular shape), leaving about a ½-inch border on the edges. Brush the perimeter of each square with egg wash.
- Fold the turnovers. Fold the pastry square in half diagonally, over the filling, making a triangle. Use a fork to press the edges together, making a seal. Repeat with the other sheet of puff pastry and remaining filling.
- Add egg wash. Transfer the turnovers to 2 large baking sheets lined with parchment paper. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the egg and water to create an egg wash. Brush each with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake. Place into a 400°F preheated oven to bake for 20-22 minutes, or until golden. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before glazing.
Finally, top with glaze.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and water until smooth. Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze over the turnovers.
Recipe Variations
- Adjust the spices. Instead of cinnamon and nutmeg, feel free to use apple pie spice. You can also add some ground ginger for a little heat.
- Add dried fruit. Apple can pair well so so many other flavors. Try adding 2 tablespoons of raisins or dried cranberries to the apple mixture for another layer of flavor.
- Add nuts. You can also add in some chopped nuts to your apple filling for nutty flavor and pleasant crunch. Try pecans, walnuts, or almonds.
- Make them mini. Since these delicious puff pastry apple turnovers tend to fly off the plate, you might want to try making them half the size or doubling the recipe!
- Top with maple glaze. We glazed these puff pastry apple turnovers with a simple glaze. Stir in some maple syrup for different flavor with a maple glaze instead.
How to Serve
These Apple Turnovers are delicious served on their own, or paired with some of my favorite desserts or toppings, including:
- No Churn Vanilla Ice Cream
- Salted Caramel Sauce
- Pumpkin Mousse
- French Macarons with Vanilla Buttercream Filling
- Whipped Shortbread Cookies
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Thaw the pastry. If your sheets of puff pastry aren't completely softened, they'll crack and break when you try to make this apple turnovers recipe. This will allow your filling to escape and become a mess.
- Let the filling cook all the way. If you don't let your apple filling cook down, it will be too loose. You'll have difficulty shaping your turnovers, and it will ooze out in the oven.
- Chill the apple mixture. Puff pastry must be very cold before baking or the butter will seep out, leaving you with a dry, flaky mess. If the apple filling is warm at all, you won't get the flaky layers you're craving.
- Add small slits. It's optional, but if you have issues with your pastry breaking open while baking, you may want to add small slits to vent the steam.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
How to Store
Store your leftover apple turnovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerate for 4-5 days.
How to Reheat
Warm turnovers are infinitely better than cold ones. Either microwave your hand pie for 30 seconds or pop it in your oven or air fryer at 350 for 3-5 minutes to warm it up.
How to Freeze
Gently place your turnovers in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw them in the fridge and reheat following the steps above.
FAQ
The best apple turnovers are made from puff pastry, not pie crust. You want several layers of buttery, flaky pastry to bite through before you reach the filling inside, and this is only achievable with true puff pastry. To speed up the process, use storebought puff pastry and allow it to soften in the fridge before shaping your turnovers.
Yes, and you absolutely should! Apple turnovers taste even better warm, which softens the pastry and brings out the cinnamon apple flavors. The easiest method is to microwave your pastry briefly, which can soften the pastry from the moisture. To make your turnover taste fresh from the oven, we recommend baking or air frying them at 350 degrees F for approximately 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
One of the best things about puff pastry is that it can store really well in the freezer. You can actually make these apple turnovers without the egg wash, then freeze them on a lined baking sheet. Store the unbaked turnovers in a freezer bag, then thaw them in the fridge before baking like normal. You can also freeze baked turnovers by allowing them to chill to room temperature and then storing them in a freezer-safe container.
More Apple Dessert Recipes
- 20 Best Apple Desserts
- Apple Hand Pies
- Baked Apples
- Braided Lattice Apple Pie
- Caramel Apples
- Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Muffins
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