Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers

Before you start

Apple turnovers are squares of puff pastry folded into triangles around a spiced apple filling and baked until crisp and golden. They look simple, and they are, once you know why they leak. Raw apples release a lot of juice in the oven, which steams the pastry and bursts the seams. Cooking the filling first, with a little cornstarch, drives off some water and thickens what remains, so the inside stays jammy and the pastry stays flaky.

The other essentials are cold pastry and a cooled filling. Warm filling melts the butter layers before they reach the oven, and a seam with no egg wash may pop open. Cut a couple of small vents in the top so steam escapes through them rather than the edges.

Ingredients

• Filling500 g (3 medium) firm apples such as Honeycrisp or Granny Smith — peeled, cored and cut into 1 cm (⅜ in) dice
• 25 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter
• 50 g (¼ cup packed) light brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch fine salt
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp cornstarch — mixed with 1 tbsp water
• Pastry500 g (1.1 lb) all-butter puff pastry — chilled
• 1 large egg beaten with 1 tbsp milk — for egg wash
• 1 tbsp coarse sanding or turbinado sugar
• Glaze (optional)60 g (½ cup) powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp milk

Method

1. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt and cook, stirring, for 6 to 8 minutes, until the apples are tender at the edges but still hold their shape.
2. Stir in the lemon juice and the cornstarch slurry and cook for 1 minute until the juices thicken and turn glossy. Spread on a plate and cool completely, about 30 minutes.
3. Roll the pastry on a lightly floured surface into a 25 × 50 cm (10 × 20 in) rectangle. Cut it into eight 12.5 cm (5 in) squares and chill them on a parchment-lined sheet for 10 minutes.
4. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Spoon about 2 heaped tablespoons of filling onto one half of each square, leaving a 1.5 cm border. Brush the border with egg wash.
5. Fold each square over into a triangle, pressing out air, and seal the edges firmly with a fork. Cut two small slits in the top of each.
6. Arrange the turnovers on two parchment-lined sheets, brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Chill for 15 minutes.
7. Bake 20 to 22 minutes, swapping the sheets halfway, until puffed and deep golden with the filling bubbling at the vents. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes.
8. For the glaze, stir the powdered sugar and milk until smooth and drizzle over the warm turnovers, if using.

Tips for success

• Dice the apples small and evenly so they cook through in the same time and fill the corners.
• Keep the egg wash off the cut outer edges, which helps the pastry rise in layers.
• Do not overfill. A thin border of filling-free pastry is what seals.

Substitutions

Puff pastry

Rough puff or homemade pie dough also work. Pie dough gives a crumbly, tender hand pie rather than flaky layers.

Apples

Pears, peaches or a mix of apples and cranberries all work; reduce the cooking time for softer fruit.

Light brown sugar

Granulated sugar gives a cleaner apple flavor; maple syrup adds a deeper taste but loosens the filling, so add an extra ½ tsp cornstarch.

Variations

Cherry turnovers

Use 400 g pitted cherries cooked with 60 g sugar and 2 tsp cornstarch until thick.

Apple and cheddar turnovers

Scatter a tablespoon of grated sharp cheddar over the filling before folding.

Troubleshooting

Filling leaked out the sides

The filling was warm, too juicy or overfilled, or the edges were not sealed. Cool the filling, use less and seal with egg wash and a fork.

Bottoms are pale and soft

The oven was not hot enough or the sheet was crowded. Bake on the lower-middle rack with space between turnovers.

Pastry did not puff

It warmed up before baking. Keep the squares cold and chill the shaped turnovers.

Storage

Turnovers are best the day they are baked. Store leftovers loosely covered at room temperature for 1 day or refrigerate up to 3 days, then reheat at 180°C (350°F) for 8 minutes. Freeze unbaked turnovers on a tray, then bag them; bake from frozen, adding 5 to 8 minutes.

Safety notes

Contains wheat, egg and milk; check the puff pastry label for any other allergens.