They'll think you bought these delicious Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers at the bakery, but you made them at home, and it was quick and easy! TA-DA!!
Bakery-style apple pie turnovers are flakey and flavorful thanks to the convenience of store-bought puff pastry sheets and a delicious no-cook homemade apple filling.
Jump to:
- 🎞️My YouTube video for this recipe:
- 🛒The ingredient list:
- ⭐Ingredient savvy:
- 🔪How to peel and dice apples for turnovers:
- 📷How to make apple turnovers using puff pastry:
- 🎯Pro tips and tricks for success:
- ❓FAQ's
- 🔔How to make homemade puff pastry:
- 🍏Best apples for baking:
- 💡How to thaw and roll puff pastry:
- 🍎Keep the apple theme going
- Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers
🎞️My YouTube video for this recipe:
🛒The ingredient list:
⭐Ingredient savvy:
Apples - I like to use Pink Lady apples for this recipe because I enjoy their sweetness and firm texture. I also like that they don't get mushy during baking and that they're good apples to have on hand for eating.
Ready Made Puff Pastry - I used two boxes (2 sheets of pastry dough per box) of Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheets for this recipe, but feel free to use your favorite brand of puff pastry. Thaw the pastry dough in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours before using. Once thawed, you'll need to gently unfold the dough and use a rolling pin to press the seams from the folds.
All-Purpose Flour - Very little flour is required for this recipe. Two tablespoons go into the apple pie filling as a thickening agent for the juices, and a light dusting of flour is used to roll out the pastry dough resulting in less sticking and easier handling.
Milk - The milk is used only for the confectioner's sugar drizzle. I used 2% milk when developing this recipe but feel free to use whole fat milk, 1%, or even half and half or heavy cream if you like. The thicker and richer the milk used, the richer the icing flavor.
Lemon Juice - Is used to prevent the oxidation of the apples and keep them from browning, but the acid also helps to balance out the flavors, so the turnovers aren't overly sweet. Another acidic ingredient, such as lime juice or white vinegar, may also be used if needed.
Ground Cinnamon - I used it in the filling and the icing. If you're a cinnamon lover (like me), then you'll appreciate the little extra touch of flavor it lends to the confectioner's sugar drizzle at the end. It's all about the simple details that can easily elevate your dessert to something truly extraordinary!
Grated Nutmeg - This is an ingredient I strongly urge you to use in these turnovers. Ground or grated nutmeg adds spicy, earthy, nutty notes that pair wonderfully well with the warmth of ground cinnamon.
🔪How to peel and dice apples for turnovers:
📷How to make apple turnovers using puff pastry:
Peel and dice the apples into ¼" pieces. (see video above for technique).
Place the apples in a bowl and add sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and flour.
Stir well to combine.
Roll out the thawed puff pastry sheets into an approximate 12" x 12" square.
Use a pizza wheel or paring knife to divide the rolled dough into four equal squares.
In a small bowl whisk one egg and one tablespoon of water to make an egg wash.
Brush all four edges of each 6" square with the egg wash.
Place approximately 1½ tablespoons of the apple filling on one corner of the prepared puff pastry.
Gently fold the empty side of the pastry over the apple filling (forming a triangle) and press with fingers to adhere the edges together.
Use the tines of a fork to press and seal the edges well. *Note - dipping the fork tines into flour will help the fork from sticking to the pastry.
Use a paring knife to cut a steam hole into the top of each turnover.
Use the remaining egg wash to brush over the top of each unbaked pastry. Bake the turnovers in a 400 degree oven for 30-35 minutes.
While the turnovers are baking, make the glaze by whisking together confectioners sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon.
When the turnovers are completely baked and cooled, pipe or drizzle the glaze on top and you're ready to serve.
🎯Pro tips and tricks for success:
As tempting as it is to want to overfill the turnovers with the delicious apple filling, please restrain yourself from doing so.
You only need roughly 1½ - 2 tablespoons of filling per turnover.
Overfilling the puff pastry turnovers can result in the inability to fold and secure the turnovers before baking, with them possibly bursting open in the oven during baking.
Make sure to dice the apples into ¼" cubes (see video above for the visual instructions) for easier filling of the pastry and proper cooking.
Apples that are diced too large will not cook thoroughly in the oven and will still be hard and crunchy.
Make sure to poke a steam hole into the tops of the turnover dough before baking to prevent sogginess, and also to prevent the turnovers from bursting in the oven.
For that lovely golden brown color make sure to brush the dough with egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water) before baking.
❓FAQ's
It is a dough that's rolled and folded, and folded and rolled many, many times with either shortening or butter, resulting in layers upon layers of light, crispy, and flaky dough when baked.
Find them in the freezer case with other frozen dessert items like pie crust and whipped topping.
Any type of apple that doesn't turn to mush when baked or cooked. My favorites are Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Braeburn, and Jonagold.
You bet. My only suggestion would be to use it sparingly as almond extract is quite strong in flavor so a little goes a long way.
Yes! Wrap them will in plastic wrap or package them securely in an airtight freezer container and they can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Yes. When I made these, I baked them on one day and served them on the next. Cover and store the prepared and baked apple turnovers in a single layer in the refrigerator for up to three days. Allow the turnovers to come to room temperature before serving, or warm them ever so slightly in a very low (200-degree oven) for 3-5 minutes.
Yes, but you may need to do them in batches depending on how many you're making and how big your air fryer is. I suggest air frying them at a temperature of 375-degrees (watching them closely) for approximately 15-17 minutes.
Although it doesn't have to be exactly precise, I rolled the prepared puff pastry dough into an approximate 12" x 12" square. When cut, this will make four 6" x 6" individual squares per sheet of puff pastry.
Sure. The recipe can easily be divided in half if needed. Since the recipe itself calls for 3 apples, I'd suggest using two apples as opposed to one. It's better to have too much filling leftover instead of not enough.
Sure thing. You are only limited by your imagination. Have fun with playing with the puff pastry sheets, and I'll bet you will come up with some delicious combinations of both sweet and savory ingredients!
Six months is what the manufacturer recommends. Any unused puff pastry sheets should be wrapped well in aluminum foil and returned to the freezer.
🔔How to make homemade puff pastry:
I've made homemade puff pastry only one or two times in my life. It's a relatively long process that shouldn't be rushed, but it is rewarding. My Blueberry Cheese Danish is one such recipe where I made homemade puff pastry.
Another homemade puff pastry recipe I feel is one of the best is from An Italian in My Kitchen. I urge you to check it out and give it a try sometime when you're looking to take your baking skills to another level!
🍏Best apples for baking:
Bon Appetit has a wonderful article about the best apples for baking and how to choose them based on taste.
💡How to thaw and roll puff pastry:
🍎Keep the apple theme going
This comforting and quick Apple Corn Chowder will make an amazing first course to today's apple turnovers. My homemade corn chowder will be on the table in less than 30 minutes and will please the entire family.
⭐If you've made this recipe, or are excited to make this recipe, I'd appreciate it if you'd take a moment to leave it a star rating on the recipe card, along with a comment if you're so inclined. Thank you. 🙂
Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers
Equipment
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 2 boxes (2 sheets per box) puff pastry sheets thawed according to package directions
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
For the filling:
- 3 large pink lady apples, peeled and diced into ¼" cubes (approximately 3½ cups) or other firm, crisp apple
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
For the confectioners sugar glaze:
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk plus additional for your desired consistency
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit
To make the filling:
- Peel, core, and dice the apples into ¼" pieces. Place them in a large bowl and add the lemon juice, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, salt, all-purpose flour, nutmeg, and ground cinnamon. Stir well to combine. Set aside.
To prepare the puff pastry sheets:
- Working with one pastry sheet at a time (2 per box), unfold the thawed puff pastry sheets. Use a small amount of all-purpose flour and a rolling pin to gently press and roll each dough sheet into an approximate 12" x 12" square.
- Use a pizza wheel or paring knife to cut each rolled pastry sheet into four even squares that are approximately 6" x 6". Note - using 2 boxes will give you 18 each, 6"x6" squares.
- Make the egg wash by beating together the egg and 1 tablespoon of water.
- Brush a line of egg wash onto all four sides of the 6" squares. Add approximately 1½ tablespoons of the apple filling to one corner of each puff pastry squares, making sure to keep it from touching the egg wash line (if possible).
- Fold the empty side of the dough over the filling and gently press the egg wash edges together to adhere. Use the tines of a fork to press and secure the puff pastry dough edges before baking.
- Place the unbaked turnover triangles onto parchment-lined baking sheets and use a paring knife to cut a steam hole into the center of each turnover. Brush the remaining egg wash gently onto the top of each unbaked turnover.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 30-32 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through the baking process.Remove the baked turnovers to a cooling rack to cool completely before icing.
To make the icing:
- Combine the icing ingredients in a medium-size bowl and whisk until the ingredients come together into a thick glaze. Note - Additional milk added in very small increments (1 teaspoon) can be used to thin the icing, if needed.
- Spoon the icing into a large piping bag or large zip top bag and snip off one of the bottom corners for piping.
- Drizzle the icing over the cooled turnovers and you're ready to serve at room temperature, or refrigerate until ready to serve. *Note - These taste best if allowed to come to room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Thank you so much for visiting me today in my Kudos Kitchen. I hope you found something you'll love and that you'll come back and visit me often. There is always room for you around my table!
Should you have any questions or comments regarding anything you've seen here on my blog, please don't hesitate to reach out to me. It is always my distinct pleasure to respond to you just as soon as I possibly can.
Dana says
These are such a perfect, easy treat! With the temps getting cooler lately, I've been craving fall flavors and these hit the spot.
Renée says
Thank you, Dana! Me too. Enjoy!!
Renee
Brandy says
Not only were these easy to make but also super tasty. A great fall treat to enjoy over and over again!
Renée says
I couldn't agree more. Thanks, Brandy!
Renee