Just 5 ingredients go in to making these easy Apple Turnovers. Bakery quality pastries ready in just 40 minutes, with minimal effort. Puff pastry pockets stuffed with soft sweet cinnamon apples and then baked until flakey and golden. All the flavour of apple pie, but so much easier!
We love any kind of apple dessert and these might just be our favourite because they are SO easy! Just soften the apples with cinnamon and sugar and then wrap them up in little puff pastry parcels and bake until crispy perfection. They also freeze really well if you want to make a big batch.
Delicious for breakfast, snack or dessert, you can't beat homemade pastries. We have "cheated" by using store bought puff pastry, but the filling it freshly made and then all baked. Your house is going to have that amazing bakery smell whilst these are cooking.
This is such a great way to use puff pastry. If you are looking for other ways to use it, then why not try our Easy Mushroom Tartlets, Asparagus Tart, Cinnamon Swirls, Puff Pastry Tart or Cheese Straws?
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What is an Apple Turnover?
Chances are you have seen these in the bakery department of your local supermarket. I remember eating these as a kid, and they felt like a real treat. It is large triangle shaped puff pastry, stuffed with a sweet and soft apple filling. It's a portable dessert, kind of like our Apple Hand Pies.
Turnovers can also be savoury though and you can make breakfast ones with egg and bacon filling or even a savoury cheese and onion mixture. But we love sweet turnovers.
Why You Will Love Them
- Quick - Just 10 minute prep time goes in to making these easy apple turnovers and then just 30 minutes in the oven.
- Easy - These are so simple to make and once the apple mixture is cooked and cooled, then you can get the kids to help put the filling in and fold over the pastry.
- Bakery quality pastries - One of our favourite little luxuries in life is warm pastries from the bakery. But, there are so easy to make at home, and it saves a trip out.
- A great way to use puff pastry - We always have some puff pastry in our fridge at Christmas time and these apple turnovers are a great way to use it. You could always make smaller ones with leftover pastry too.
- Travel well - These are a sturdy pastry, so we like to take them out on walks with us. If our kids know that one of these and a flask of hot chocolate is at the end of a winter walk, then it keeps them motivated. They are also good for lunch boxes.
Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Puff pastry - This is one of our favourite kitchen "cheats" as it just saves so much time and honestly we can't taste the difference. You can also use frozen puff pastry and let it defrost before using.
- Apples - The star of this recipe. You really can use any apples for this recipe, however we used gala apples. It really depends on if you prefer tart or sweet apples. If you are using cooking apples then you might need to add some extra sugar.
- Caster sugar - This adds lots of sweetness. You could also use light brown sugar, which would give it a lovely colour and rich flavour.
- Cinnamon - Apple and cinnamon is just the perfect flavour combination. We like it heavy on the cinnamon, but feel free to use less.
- Egg - Brushing the pastry with an egg wash before it goes in the oven will ensure that they get a lovely golden flakey crust.
More ingredient substitutions and variations can be found in the recipe card.
Step by Step Instructions
Prep: Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C(fan)/400°F/Gas 6. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Remove the puff pastry from your fridge.
- Step 1: Put the apples, sugar (for the apples) and cinnamon into a pan.
- Step 2: Heat over a low heat until it forms a compote, about 10 minutes.
- Step 3: Unroll the puff pastry and cut into six equal squares.
- Step 4: Put ⅙ of the apple mixture into the middle of each square.
- Step 5: Fold over the pastry corner to corner, to form a triangle. Use a fork to crimp and seal the pastry edges.
- Step 6: Put the turnovers onto a lined baking tray, brush with whisked egg and cut a small hole in the top of each turnover. Sprinkle over the remaining sugar.
- Step 7: Put in the centre of the oven and cook for 18-20 minutes, until golden on top and they have puffed up. Leave to cool on a rack and dust with icing sugar (optional).
Serving Suggestions
These are perfect just as they are. A nice breakfast or snack, but you can also have them warm as a dessert. Serve them with some really good quality vanilla ice cream or clotted cream. Custard is also delicious over them.
We like to add a sprinkling of icing sugar on top for presentation (and a little extra sweetness). However, you could mix the icing sugar with a little water, or even a little orange juice, to make it in to an icing and then drizzle that over the apple turnovers. A drizzle of caramel sauce is also amazing on these, as apple and caramel is such an incredible combination.
If you are looking for a hot drink to have this with as a bit of an afternoon pick-me-up, then why not they our Chai Tea Latte, Cinnamon Coffee or Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate.
Extra Tips
- Make sure you chop all the apples in similar sizes. This makes sure that they all cook evenly.
- You can swap the cinnamon for nutmeg or ground ginger, or use a mixture of all three.
- You can swap half the apples for pears for something a little different.
- If you don't want a strong cinnamon flavour (which we personally love), then you could add a cinnamon stick to the apples and just take it out before serving.
- Vanilla is also a delicious addition. Just a little vanilla extract or vanilla paste goes a long way.
Frequently Asked Questions
We peeled ours, as we prefer the texture of them peeled in the turnovers. But, no, you don't have to peel the apple first. Not only does it save time, but there is lots of goodness in the peel too.
No, you don't have to, but we find that it does make a difference. We like the apples to be really soft and for the cinnamon sugar to really infuse the apples. However, if you want to save some time, and you don't mind a little bite to the apples, then you can just mix the raw apples, sugar and cinnamon together and put them in the pastry. Just make sure that they are cut up very small, so that they are not hard. They won't have the same caramelised flavour.
It doesn't matter how well you crimp the edges of the turnovers, sometimes the mixture will seep out a little. There are a few things that you can do to prevent this from happening though. Use a fork to really tightly crimp the edges. Making sure the edges are well brushed with the egg wash will stop the pastry from drying out and cracking. You can also put the turnovers in the fridge for 15 minutes before they go in the oven which will help.
You can store these in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. They are best eaten after one day though.
Yes, you can actually freeze these before they are baked. Make the apple filling and add it to the puff pastry and fold into a triangle and seal the edges. Don't brush with egg wash! Put them on a lined baking tray and into the freezer until frozen. You can then transfer them to a freezer bag and they will keep for 3 months. When you want to cook them, take them out of the freezer (do not defrost), put the on a baking tray and brush with egg wash and put them in the oven for 23 minutes.
We wouldn't recommend freezing them once cooked, as they don't defrost well.
More Apple Recipes
If you’ve tried this puff pastry apple turnover recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Apple Turnovers
Ingredients
- 375 g (13.25 oz) Puff pastry
- 3 Apple - peeled and finely chopped
- 35 g (3 tablespoon) Caster sugar - for the apples
- 5 g (1.25 teaspoon) Caster sugar - for sprinkling
- 0.5 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 Egg - whisked
- Icing sugar - (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C(fan)/400°F/Gas 6.
- Put 3 Apple, 35 g Caster sugar and 0.5 teaspoon Cinnamon into a pan and heat on low until it forms a compote, about 10 minutes.
- Unroll 375 g Puff pastry and cut into six equal squares.
- Put ⅙ of the apple mixture into the middle of each square. Fold over the pastry corner to corner, to form a triangle. Use a fork to crimp and seal the pastry edges.
- Put the turnovers onto a lined baking tray, brush with 1 Egg and cut a small hole in the top of each turnover. Sprinkle over 5 g Caster sugar.
- Put in the centre of the oven and cook for 18-20 minutes, until golden on top and they have puffed up. Leave to cool on a rack and dust with Icing sugar (optional).
Recipe Tips
- Make sure you chop all the apples in similar sizes. This makes sure that they all cook evenly.
- You can swap the cinnamon for nutmeg or ground ginger, or use a mixture of all three.
- Take these apple turnovers to the next level with a drizzle of caramel sauce before serving.
- You can swap half the apples for pears for something a little different.
- If you don't want a strong cinnamon flavour (which we personally love), then you could add a cinnamon stick to the apples and just take it out before serving.
- Vanilla is also a delicious addition. Just a little vanilla extract or vanilla paste goes a long way.
Nutritional Information
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Jess says
Only 5 ingredients?! Yes, yes and yes!!
Tara says
Such beautiful apple turnovers! I love how they come together with only five ingredients. So perfect for fall!
Natalie says
I have apples in my pantry that I need to use. I'm going to bake these turnovers tomorrow. Can't wait. Thanks for the idea!
Julie says
Had no idea they were this easy to make. Now I can have fresh apple turnovers whenever I want. Yay!
Pam says
I can't believe how fast and easy these were. I've always avoided making turnovers because I thought they would be too hard.
Vicky says
This would be great to serve for breakfast on Christmas morning when there are no bakeries open but you want to serve a fresh baked treat. Love the crisp crust with the tender apples.
Gus says
Just finished making my turnovers! they were delicious and the house smells like heaven! Thank you!
Sally Humeniuk says
I have every single ingredient for this recipe and am going to make it for a small Thanksgiving gathering. This is one of the reasons I always have puff pastry in my freezer. Thanks for all the tips!
Maria San Juan says
I love apple desserts. Will definitely try this! Thanks for sharing!
Louise Cayzer says
What a yummy way to use up all the apples that we had fallen from our tree! So easy to make too.
Maricruz says
Oh those seems so easy to make and my apple tree is giving tons of fruit this year. Can't wait to try it and enjoy with tea in the afternoon :)
Gustavo says
I love turnovers! We call them empanadas in Latin America but we usually have savory ones! Looking forward to making these sweet ones!
Elaine Benoit says
My first job was at a bakery and I used to love their turnovers. I haven't had one in forever. I made your recipe and it was so delicious! I was transformed back to my teens! Great recipe.
Heather Johnson says
these are so delicious - i just used brown sugar and they were still great!!!!! what's the benefit of the caster sugar? where do i find it? how is it different?
Dannii says
Caster sugar is finer, so it dissolves quicker. But brown sugar works fine too.