Apple Turnovers (With Puff Pastry)

Learn how to make homemade Apple Turnovers with puff pastry and apple pie filling to enjoy as a flaky fall treat. Recipe makes 4 apple pie turnovers but can easily be doubled.

Dear Pie Crust,

It took years for me to love you. Your flaky, buttery crust fresh from the oven.

Everybody raves about you no matter the filling – German chocolate pecan pie and pumpkin pie when the leaves are falling.

Hearty stick-to-your-ribs chicken pot pie for two when it’s too cold to venture outside.

Mini Cherry Pies when the sun is shining.

You can be quite finicky when you want to be. Too warm and you won’t roll out into a perfect circle to line my pie plate. Too cold and you simply won’t budge.

Don’t think I have to love you because you are my only option. I have found a new lover – puff pastry.

It knows how to cheer me up when you fail me. That flaky crust. That puffiness. That crunch when you bake it.

I mean, look at these Apple Turnovers with puff pastry. They puff up more than you ever would, pie crust.

Then when you take that first bite, that flaky crunch is met with the sweet taste of homemade apple pie filling.

Oh pie crust, do you realize how much easier it is to work with puff pastry?

When I took it out of the box, it was already a rectangle. Do you know how hard it is to roll you out into a shape with straight edges?

All I had to do was roll it a few inches to make it a 12×12 square then cut into four equal pieces. The perfect size for small batch apple turnovers.

Puff pastry made it so easy to fill and fold into triangles. Do you know how hard it is to fold a deformed square into a triangle?

Don’t worry pie crust – your day will come. Just not today.

Today it’s all about these Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers – perfect for breakfast, brunch, and dessert.

What are apple turnovers?

A turnover is a pastry where you add either a sweet or savory filling to the middle of your dough, fold the dough over to seal it, then baked until golden brown.

The dough used is often pie crust or puff pastry.

Ingredients for Apple Turnovers

To make this apple turnovers recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Puff pastry: Not to be confused with phyllo dough, puff pastry can be found in the frozen section near frozen pie crust. You can also try your hand at making homemade puff pastry from Baking A Moment.
• Apple pie filling: I always opt for homemade filling for apple turnovers, but you can also use canned.
• Egg: Brushing your turnovers with an egg wash before baking helps make them golden brown. It also ensures the cinnamon sugar sticks to the outside.
• Cinnamon sugar: Apple pie always taste better with cinnamon and sugar.
• Vanilla glaze: Trust me – you don’t want to skip out on this touch of sweetness!

Can you substitute other fruit for the apple?

Yes, you can use other fruit for the filling, such as cherry pie filling for cherry turnovers, blueberry pie filling to make blueberry turnovers, or peach pie filling to make peach turnovers.

I even used banana and Nutella once. Spread about 2 tablespoons Nutella in the center, top with a few slices of bananas, and voila!

How To Make Apple Turnovers

To make puff pastry apple turnovers, follow these easy instructions:

1. Roll out your puff pastry on a lightly floured surface into a 12×12 square then cut into 4 equal squares.
2. Brush the edge of one square with some of the egg wash then add 2 tablespoons pie filling to the middle.
3. Take one corner and fold it diagonally to the other corner, forming a triangle. Press the edges together to seal then place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining squares.
4. Cut 3 slits into each turnover to allow steam to escape.
5. Brush with the beaten egg for an egg wash then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
6. Bake at 400F for 18-20 minutes or until puffed and golden brown.

Cool completely before drizzling with glaze.

How To Make Apple Turnover Glaze

Once your apple turnovers with puff pastry are completely cool, it’s time to make your apple turnover glaze.

It’s similar to my Bundt cake glaze but you don’t need the butter.

1. Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. If it’s too thick, add a touch more milk. If it’s too thin, add a little more sugar.
2. Drizzle over your apple pie turnovers then let harden before serving.

How To Store Apple Turnovers

Due to the nature of puff pastry, homemade apple turnovers with puff pastry are best eaten the same day. However, you can store extras in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

How To Freeze Apple Turnovers

Not going to eat all of your apple turnovers at once? Great news – you can freeze them!

There are three ways you can freeze apple turnovers:

1. Assemble your turnovers but before brushing with an egg wash.
2. After fully baking but before adding the glaze.
3. After glazing the turnovers (although the glaze may become a bit sticky after thawing from the excess moisture).

Whichever one you choose, the method is the same. Place your apple turnovers on a tray or plate in a single layer.

Freeze for about 1 hour or until firm. This ensures the turnovers won’t stick to each other.

Transfer to a freezer-safe plastic bag then freeze for up to 2 months.

When ready to serve, thaw your apple turnovers in the fridge overnight.

More Apple Pie Recipes

Want more? Check out these other apple pie recipes:

• Mini Hand Pies
• Mini Apple Pies
• Small Apple Pie
• Apple Pie Bars
• Apple Pie Phyllo Cups
• Slab Apple Pie

Originally published September 27, 2012