Homemade Apple Turnovers are puff pastry desserts stuffed with a gooey, cinnamony apple filling that tastes like apple pie. The apple turnover looks intricate but takes only a few steps and ingredients to make. Watch the video tutorial and I’ll prove just how easy these are.
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Apple Turnover Recipe
If you’ve been around my blog for a while, you’ll know how much I love apple recipes like Baked Apples and Sharlotka Apple Cake. This apple turnover recipe is another of my favorites since it’s so simple and the filling tastes just like my Apple Pie. This is one of the easiest apple desserts and can even be made ahead and frozen using store-bought puff pastry.
This Apple Turnover doesn’t get any easier, but they are perfect for whenever you want something sweet, but not too much mess since they are single-serve. We usually serve them for dessert, but I’ve also been known to serve apple turnovers with breakfast and also as a snack during the day!
Watch How to Make Apple Turnovers
Homemade apple turnovers are easier than you think. Watch the video and you will be a pro in no time! We always keep a package of frozen puff pastry on hand for when the craving strikes.
What is an Apple Turnover?
Turnovers are made by filling pastry dough (usually puff pastry) with a sweet or savory filling, sealing the edges, and baking. It becomes a portable dessert (like hand pies), or a type of baked sandwich with a savory filling. Biting into an apple-filled pastry on the go is a real treat.
Ingredients for Apple Turnovers
You’ll need apples, butter, eggs, and a few pantry staples for the filling, and then it’s simple to stuff, fold, and bake the desserts since we make these apple turnovers with puff pastry from the grocery store. The pastry itself isn’t sweet, so we drizzle a sweet glaze over the top that makes these bakery-quality apple turnovers irresistibly good.
- Apples – peeled and diced. We use Granny Smith apples for the crisp texture and flavor, but you can use nearly any apple variety. Try mixing and matching, but be sure to adjust the sugar for sweeter apples (Pink Lady or Honeycrisp)
- Filling ingredients – flour (for dusting the prep surface), butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and eggs (and 1 Tbsp of water for eggs wash)
- Puff Pastry – you can find these in the frozen section of the grocery store near the pie crusts. Thaw according to the package directions.
- Glaze ingredients – confectioners (powdered) sugar, heavy whipping cream
How to Make Apple Turnovers
This apple turnover recipe is so simple to make and creates such a fancy take on apple pie. Watch the video tutorial above for the full tutorial and you will be making apple turnovers like a pro in no time!
- Thaw the puff pastry according to the directions on the box. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400˚F.
- Heat the butter and diced apple in a pot until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt, stirring to combine. Remove from heat once thickened, about 3 minutes.
- Roll the puff pastry sheet out to about 11″ with a rolling pin, and cut into 4 squares with a knife or pizza cutter. Then place a spoonful of the apple filling onto one-half of the square, leaving a 1/2″ border.
- Beat the egg and 1 Tbsp of water in a small dish. Brush just enough egg wash over the 1/2″ border to keep the dough sealed. Then fold the dough over the filling to touch the opposite corner to create a triangle and crimp along the edges with a fork to seal.
- Transfer the folded pockets one inch apart onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cut 2 or 3 small slits in the top of the dough for steam to escape. Optionally, you can refrigerate the turnovers now uncovered for 20 minutes to reduce the chance of leaking. When ready to bake, brush the top of the pockets with egg wash and bake at 400°F for 20 minutes.
- Whisk the powdered sugar and cream together, and then when the turnovers are still warm, drizzle glaze over the top.
How to Keep Apple Turnover Filling from Leaking?
No matter how well you crimp the edges, there will always be at least one turnover that leaks juices out of the edge and that is normal. A few things that help reduce leaks:
- Use Egg Wash to help keep the dry pastry together
- Crimp Tightly all along the edge where the two sheets come together
- Refrigerate turnovers for 20 minutes before baking
Can you Freeze Apple Turnovers Before Baking?
After the pies are fully assembled but not baked (before brushing the tops with eggwash), freeze them flat on a lined baking sheet then transfer them to a freezer-safe Ziploc bag. When ready to bake, arrange them frozen on a baking sheet (do not thaw), brush with some egg wash, and bake at 400˚F for 23-25 minutes.
Storing Leftovers
Store each cooled apple turnover on the counter overnight, but then store refrigerated for longer. If you want to freeze the baked pastry, it’s best to do it before adding the icing.
- To Refrigerate: cool and place in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: cool and freeze on a baking sheet. Then transfer to an airtight container.
- To Reheat: thaw in the fridge or on the counter.
Try this simple and delicious recipe for apple turnovers and you’ll be amazed how easily they come together, but how gourmet they look and taste! The flakey puff pastry perfectly compliments the gooey apple pie filling. You’ll be hooked!
What Can You Do with Lots of Apples?
If you have tons of apples in Autumn, try these delicious apple turnovers, and then you can put them to great use by making our easy homemade Applesauce or baking up these memorable apple desserts:
- Sauteed Cinnamon Apples
- Apple Crisp
- Apple Bread
- Dutch Apple Pie
- Caramel Apples
- Apple Rice Pudding
- Apple Cider
- Apple Pancakes
Apple Turnover Recipe
Ingredients
Apple Turnover Ingredients:
- 1 lb puff pastry, (2 sheets) thawed according to package instructions
- 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour, for dusting
- 1 1/4 lb Granny Smith apples, (3 medium) peeled, cored, and diced into 1/3" thick pieces
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 egg+ 1 Tbsp water for egg wash
For the Glaze:
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 400˚F. Remove puff pastry from the freezer and thaw according to instructions while making and cooling the apple filling.
- In a medium pot, melt 1 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Add diced apples and cook, stirring occasionally until softened (5 min).
- Reduce heat to low and stir in 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and salt. Continue to simmer 3 minutes until apples are soft and caramelized. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Use a rolling pin to roll the first sheet of thawed pastry to an 11" square. With a pizza cutter, cut into 4 equal-sized squares. Place cooled apple mixture over half of each square, leaving at least a 1/2" border.
- Thoroughly Beat together 1 egg and 1 Tbsp water. Brush eggwash lightly on edges of the pastry (just enough to seal), bring the edges together and crimp tightly along the edges with a fork to seal. Repeat steps 4 and 5 with the second sheet of puff pastry to make 8 turnovers.
- Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, keeping them at least 1" apart. With a paring knife, cut 2-3 small slits in the top of each turnover.* Brush the tops with egg wash and bake 20-23 minutes or until golden and puffed.
- While turnovers are still warm, stir together powdered sugar and heavy whipping cream (adding to your desired consistency) and drizzle glaze over turnovers.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
These are so easy and delicious I love all Natasha’s recipes!
Thanks for your good comments and feedback, Deb!
AWESOME! I always shied away from making turnovers, thought they would be difficult but your recipe is SO easy. Only difference I would make is add more filling. Thanks for sharing.
I’m so glad you found it easy, Dee! Thank you for your lovely review!
Natasha, I can’t seem to find the apple chopper on this page. Can you share with me please?
Hi Patricia! You can find it here in my Amazon affiliate shop
Hi there I was wondering if they can sit out until eaten? Since the glaze has heavy cream in it. Or does it need to refrigerated as soon as they are cooled?
Hi Gayle, yes, they will need to be refrigerated. They can be stored for a couple of days in the refrigerator lightly covered in foil or plastic wrap.
My husband just made these and they are so easy and so tasty!!
What is the best way to store the leftovers?
Hi Patricia! I’m so glad they were enjoyed. They can be stored for a couple of days in the refrigerator lightly covered in foil or plastic wrap.
Hi Natasha
Can I make these with other filling, such as blueberries, cherries and maybe even lemon curd? If I did would the bake time be the same?
Hi Leslie! Some of my readers have tested berries and other fruit successfully without any changes. Let us know if you experiment with more.
Hello Natasha,
I’ve been enjoying a few of your recipes. They are easy to do and turn out great. Thank you!
Could you “pronounce” your last name ? Even though you are pretty to look at and seem to be a nice lady – I don’t watch videos if I can help it so I poke jump to recipe every time.
Keep posting, I really like to read all the recipes and make the ones that tickle my taste buds !
Hi Steve, thanks and I hope you’ll enjoy all the recipes that you will try. You should watch my video tutorials too next time so you can get more guidance on some recipes that you’d like to try.
Whenever I try one of your recipes they come out unbelievable. Thank you
I’m so glad to hear that, Joseph! Thank you for sharing.
These are so easy and delicious! I have made them a few times now and everyone loves them. Thanks for sharing these and all your wonderful recipes. You are a fabulous cook and person!
Hi Mary! Thanks so much. I’m glad you loved the recipe.
Can I keep these in refrigerator for 2-3 hours and bake when finishing dinner?
Hi Cheryl, that should work. Here’s what one of my readers wrote: “. I’ve made this recipe many times as written and it was amazing every time! But this time I tried something different and used peaches instead of apples. I also assembled them in the evening then refrigerated them for about 18 hours before I baked them. They were a huge hit with my family!!” I hope that’s helpful!
Natasha wow this is the easiest recipe and so delicious. I really have not tried baking with puff pastry but your recipe was so easy to follow and understand that I just had to try it. these turned out so good that I could hardly believe I made them. Thank you and I will be following and using your recipes in the future…Deb
Hi Deborah! I’m so glad you loved it. Thank you for trying recipe and I hope you find many more to enjoy.
Hi Natasha! well, another hit! these were wonderful, I have to say , all your recipes are amazing! Will be ordering you book! Thank-you for all these delicious recipes!
Hi Judy! That’s wonderful to hear. Thank you so much for the feedback. I appreciate the love and support. 🙂
Hi, Natasha!
I’m going to try making these for a fundraiser bakesale since they will go so well as an easy-to-grab breakfast item in the to go with coffee. It’s an early morning event. I’ll need to bake them early in the morning, but they will need to travel an hour and will not be able to stay warm. Will they still be as good? Any tips?
Hi Clarice! Yes, this recipe is great even when it’s cooled down but you can also transport it in foil and wrapped in a towel to keep it warm. I hope it’s a hit. Enjoy. 🙂
Hi Natasha, thanks for this recipe! I’m so excited to try it. If I were to make “mini” turnovers and reduce the size of the square, do you know if I should still bake it for the same amount of time? Thanks!
Hi Thais! You’re welcome! They may bake faster so I would watch them in the oven so they don’t burn!
Hello, reading the ingredients mentions you need 1 Tbsp of flour but I cannot find what this is actually used for. What am I missing?
Hi Chris! Yes, I put a note next to it. It’s for dusting your surface so your pastry dough doesn’t stick. I hope you love the recipe!
Hi Natasha,
Lobe your recipes, especially your apple pie.
Can I use your apple pie filling for this instead?
Hi Sherill, I haven’t tested that, but I imagine that may work! If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
hi how long can you freeze before baking apple turnovers?
i might make enough and bake couple at a time so i need to know how long it will be good enough in the freezer.
Hi Joana, unbaked turnovers, stored in a freezer bag or airtight container, are safe in the freezer for up to two months.
hi im planning to make this on thanksgiving day. is it okay to make smaller size? my family is not big eaters so im wondering if i can make it bit smaller.
Hi Joanna! In my recipe card above, I have the number of servings listed. If you hover your cursor over the number in red, you can scale to the right or left to increase or decrease the servings to your preference. 🙂
Hi!! How do you make puff pastry dough? Or is it less of a hassle just to buy it?
Hi Dave, you can buy them. I usually use store-bought for puff pastry and freeze them!
I made these this morning with my coffee and wow it tasted very yummy. Easy to make and way better than the store. I melted cream cheese and butter with powdered sugar for the glaze. Tasted like a toaster strudels. Will make again.
So glad you loved them!
Being of Polish decent, I am concerned about your family left in Poland,. I pray they’re fine! U mother’s me was Ptak.
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