Apple Turnovers
Irresistible Apple Turnovers are the most delicious pastries that are perfect for a sweet breakfast or even dessert. They are quick and easy to make with puff pastry, and the homemade apple cinnamon filling is absolutely to die for. Pop them in the oven until they’re puffy and golden, then add a drizzle of vanilla glaze over the top for a little extra sweetness. These are definitely a crowd favorite!
You simply cannot go wrong with these Easy Apple Turnovers! They are made with buttery, flaky puff pastry that’s generously stuffed with gooey cinnamon apples and topped with an incredible vanilla glaze. They work great as a sweet brunch option, an afternoon snack or serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the ultimate fall dessert. My favorite way to celebrate this time of year!
Outstanding! There is an apple produce stand in our mountain town and people line up to get their apple turnovers and pies. My husband declared these as way better than theirs! I agree. Easy, pretty and absolutely delicious just as written. I didn’t change a thing.
— Toni
Why you should make this recipe
- So tasty. These are so cozy with sweet apple and warm cinnamon flavors that are irresistible and comforting. They will no doubt have you craving the fall season!
- Simple to make. Since you don’t have to make dough from scratch, there’s very little hands-on time needed.
- Versatile. Enjoy these apple turnovers for a sweet breakfast, for a holiday brunch spread or as dessert with a cup of coffee!
- Family-friendly. These are loved by all! And they might even taste better than apple pie!
Ingredients needed
These incredible apple hand pies are perfectly sweet, packed with warm spices and covered in a buttery flaky crust. Here’s what you’ll need to make them:
- Unsalted butter. Just a bit of butter helps to get the apples cooking and gives the filling a lovely rich flavor.
- Apples. Choose an apple that is firm enough to stand up well during the baking process and give the pastries a nice bite. Great options are Honeycrisp (personal favorite!), Fuji, Granny Smith or Gala apples.
- Brown sugar. To sweeten the filling, we prefer the flavor of dark brown sugar or light brown sugar, but granulated sugar or even coconut sugar works too.
- Flour. A very small amount of flour helps to thicken the apple filling.
- Lemon juice. The acidity of lemon keeps the fruit from browning and balances the sweetness.
- Spices. We’re using warm, cozy spices of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
- Vanilla extract. Adds a bit more delicious flavor to the apple cinnamon filling.
- Egg white. A simple egg wash of egg white and water will help keep the dry pastry together and helps it to bake up golden brown.
- Puff pastry. In its raw form, puff pastry is much like pie crust, but when baked it will become buttery, flaky and puffy. You can find puff pastry in the freezer section of your grocery store, near other dessert options. I always use Pepperidge Farm brand.
How to make this recipe
This apple turnover recipe is seriously SO simple to make! The most time consuming part is dicing the apple. Here’s the easy process:
- Cook diced apples. Once the puff pastry is thawed, prep your apples and get those cooking in melted butter over medium heat.
- Add sugar & spices. After about 3 minutes, stir the brown sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in with the apples and cook about another 3 minutes and until the apple mixture has thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Allow filling to cool slightly.
- Prep the puff pastry. Unfold one pastry sheet on a piece of parchment paper or lightly floured surface. (Keep the other one in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.) Pinch seams together if necessary. With a sharp knife, cut sheet into four squares. Mix the egg white with about 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl, and brush the edges of the pastry squares with egg wash.
- Fill the puff pastry. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the cooled apple mixture into the center of each pastry square. Fold pastry in half diagonally and crimp the edges with a fork to seal. Lightly brush egg wash over the tops and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining pastry sheet.
- Bake. Place in the oven and bake until the turnovers are puffed and lightly browned, about 20-25 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes.
Vanilla glaze
The vanilla glaze is completely optional, but SO amazingly delicious and simple. I highly recommend a drizzle of it over the tops of your apple turnovers, once they’ve cooled for about 10 minutes. Simply combine powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Mix to a smooth, thick consistency and drizzle over the turnovers.
See below, under the “variations” section, if you want to try something other than the glaze. You could actually do some turnovers with the glaze and some with a different topping, like caramel sauce.
Expert tips
- Be sure to let the filling cool a bit before adding it to your puff pastry dough, otherwise you run the risk of melting the dough.
- Thaw your frozen puff pastry at room temperature for about about 45 minutes or until they’re pliable and easy to work with. You can also thaw it in the fridge overnight.
- If the puff pastry becomes too soft to work with, put it back in the fridge for a few minutes and it will firm up.
- Be careful not to overfill the turnovers or the filling could seep out when baking.
Variations
- Topping. Instead of the vanilla glaze, you can add a sprinkle of turbinado sugar before baking or after the apple turnovers have baked and cooled slightly, you can add a dusting of powdered sugar. Or drizzle caramel sauce on top instead of the icing.
- Fruit filling. This apple filling recipe is next level delicious, but in a pinch you can substitute with canned apple pie filling. You can also try using other fruits and canned filling. Cherry pie filling or peach fruit filling would be delicious! Depending on the fruit, you may need to adjust the bake time.
- Mini turnovers. Cut out smaller square pieces of puff pastry and make these treats bite-sized.
- Nuts. Try adding roughly chopped pecans, walnuts or pistachios to the apple filling.
Frequently asked questions
The main difference is that turnovers are made from a folded piece of dough while hand pies are circular (or sometimes square) and pressed closed on all sides. In either case, you can make the crust yourself or use store-bought puff pastry or refrigerated pie dough.
To keep the pastry crust from getting soggy, we’re using flour (or cornstarch) in the filling mixture, sealing the pastry with egg wash, and baking them long enough in the oven.
We like to use Honeycrisp apples for any apple recipe. The bite of the tart apples pair really well with the sweet filling and makes for a great flavor. They are also firm enough to hold up to baking. They’ll bake up nice and tender, but not get overly mushy. Other great options are: Granny Smith apples, Fuji, Braeburn and/or Pink Lady apples. You could also use a mix of a couple different types of apples to give the pastries even more depth of flavor.
Storing, freezing and reheating
- Storing leftovers. These are best served warm the day of baking, but they will still be delicious and fresh for 3-4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you don’t plan to serve them all at once, it’s best to add the icing just before serving.
- Reheating. The best way to reheat apple turnovers is in the oven (not the microwave) at 350ºF for about 5-8 minutes. The crust will be nice and flaky while the inside will be gooey and delicious. Once they’ve cooled slightly, add the glaze.
- Freezing. Once completely cool, and before adding the glaze, place in a single layer over a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the pan in the freezer and flash freeze them for about an hour. After frozen, wrap each turnover in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then place them in a freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw and reheat in the oven before enjoying.
More apple recipes
- Applesauce Muffins
- Baked Apples
- Healthy Apple Crisp
- Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
- Cinnamon Streusel Apple Bread
- Apple Pancakes
If you try this apple turnovers recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and if your family loves it as much as mine does, be sure to give it a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, tag @kimscravings on Instagram with a picture of your creation. Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.
Apple Turnovers
Ingredients
Apple Turnovers
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cups apples (I used 2 large honey crisp apples), peeled, cored and finely diced
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg white, for egg wash
- 1 (17.3 ounce) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
Vanilla Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add apples and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the brown sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Cook and stir for 3 minutes until the apples are tender and the sauce is thickened. Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, unfold one pastry sheet on a piece of parchment paper. (Keep the other one in the fridge until you're ready to use it.) Pinch seams together if necessary. With a sharp knife, cut sheet into four squares. Mix the egg white with about 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl, and brush the edges of the pastry squares with egg wash. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the cooled apple mixture into the center of each pastry square.
- Fold pastry in half diagonally and pinch the edges with a fork to seal. Lightly brush egg wash over the tops and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining pastry sheet.
- Bake at 375ºF for 20-25 minutes until the turnovers are puffed and lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract. Mix to a smooth, thick consistency and drizzle over the turnovers. Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
- Make ahead. The turnovers are best served warm the day of baking, but you can make them a day ahead by leaving them unglazed and when ready to serve, warm them in a 350ºF oven for 5 minutes, then add the glaze.
- Leftovers. Store leftover turnovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freezing. Baked turnovers can be frozen up to 2 months and thawed overnight in the refrigerator, then warmed up in the oven or microwave. It will work to freeze the turnovers that have been glazed, but if you know you will be freezing them, wait and glaze them after warming them up.
Did you make this recipe?
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These were so easy to make and turned out absolutely beautiful!
My husband just made these and they are so easy and so tasty!!
These turned out so gorgeous and I could eat the filling alone with a spoon!
Simple, delicious, classic recipe. I’ll have to try some of those variations sometime too! Thanks for sharing!
Love your recipes! I made the apple turnovers last weekend! The recipe was simple and easy to follow! They turned out great! 😋
Thank you so much! So happy to hear that they came delicious! Thanks for your feedback!
These are just perfect! I’m making a bunch to take to my sister in law who just had a baby!
Yummy! My family loved this recipe! Thanks so much! I will definitely be making these again.
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.
These are gorgeous, and I was surprised at how easy it was to make. I wanted to lick the vanilla glaze right out of the bowl!
Outstanding! There is an apple produce stand in our mountain town and people line up to get their apple turnovers and pies. My husband declared these as way better than theirs! I agree. Easy, pretty and absolutely delicious just as written. I didn’t change a thing.
What a compliment!! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed so much. This one is a favorite of my family’s too! ❤️
I love apple turnovers and not doubt these turns out great! They were so yummy, and your photos are so beautiful.
Oh heavens, we made up these turnovers this morning and between the buttery pastry and sweet filing, we were in culinary heaven. They tasted like they came from a bakery but were simple enough to make at home. I’m already getting repeat requests!