Apples and cinnamon are a heavenly duo in this recipe for homemade Apple Turnovers. These crispy treats are perfect for breakfast or dessert!
Growing up, my Mom would make these as a special treat when we went back to school. It remains a nostalgic, fall favorite to this day.
Why This Recipe Works
- Using a mixture of brown sugar & granulated gives the perfect amount of sweetness.
- The cinnamon & nutmeg marry perfectly with the apples in the filling.
- To save time, store-bought puff pastry is used for the crust.
Who doesn’t love Apple Turnovers? I mean a hand-held dessert, made with sweet, warm apples and cinnamon baked in pastry – what’s not to like?
The best part is that these Apple Turnovers are really simple to make. Kids will love helping make this easy cinnamon-spiced dessert, so get them to join in!
What apples for apple Turnovers
Whether you like them sweet or tart when baking with apples, be sure to choose the right variety. Look for an apple with a crisp bite, so it stays firm when cooked.
Granny Smith and Golden Delicious apples are good choices as they tend to hold up best under heat. Use Granny Smith if you like a tart flavor and Golden Delicious for a sweeter choice.
How to Prep the Apples for the Turnovers
Start by peeling, coring, and chopping the apples. When Apple peels are cooked, they tend to get chewy. It’s always best to peel the apples first.
Peeled Apples are brown quickly, so coat them with lemon juice.
How To use frozen puff pastry
You can use Homemade Puff Pastry or frozen. Frozen puff pastry is a convenient choice but requires a little planning since it can’t be frozen. It needs to be thawed before it can be baked, and doing it overnight in the fridge is the best approach as it allows the puff pastry to become pliable without over-softening.
You can thaw it at room temperature if need be. The key is to use it when it’s just ready to be rolled before it softens so much that the dough is limp and the butter is melting.
How To Make Apple Turnovers
Combine the lemon juice and diced apples in a bowl to prevent them from turning brown. Add sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and melted butter. Mix to combine. Set aside.
Next, roll each sheet of puff pastry to a 12-inch by 12-inch (30cm by 30cm) square. Cut each sheet into 4 squares and make sure they stay chilled until you are ready to use them.
Brush the edges of each square with the egg wash.
Neatly place 1⁄3 cup of the apple mixture on half of the square.
Fold the pastry diagonally over the apple mixture and seal by pressing the edges with a fork.
Place on a pan and brush each one with the egg wash.
Bake for 20 minutes, until browned and puffed.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes, and then drizzle with the cream cheese icing.
Enjoy every last bite!
Apple turnovers are best served warm, but they’re wonderful leftover too!
Other Apple Recipes You’ll Love
Erren’s Top Tips
- Peeled Apples brown quickly, so be sure to coat them with lemon juice while you prepare the dough.
- Make a small slit on the top of each turnover to keep them from bursting the seam.
- Be careful not to overfill – Overfilling the turnovers may cause them to break open.
- Don’t overwork the pastry. Puff pastry is delicate if you over-roll or use too much force, lose some of the flakiness and it may not puff up when baked.
- To easily trim the pastry, use a sharp paring knife or pizza cutter.
- If the dough becomes too soft to manage, just place it in the fridge for a few minutes and it will firm back up.
- Allow the apple turnovers to cool slightly before serving – The filling will be hot.
Storing, reheating & Freezing Instructions
- To store these apple turnovers when iced, place them in an airtight container, and refrigerate. If you don’t plan to serve them all at once, it’s best to leave the icing off leftover so they can be reheated.
- To reheat once cooled, bake at 400F for 5-7 minutes.
- To safely freeze Apple Turnovers that are made with previously frozen puff pastry, they must be baked before freezing.
- If you plan to freeze this recipe, bake for 15 minutes instead of 20. Allow to cool completely (don’t ice them), store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
- When ready to use, bake the thawed turnovers at 400F for 20-25 minutes until crispy and brown. Ice according to the recipe and serve.
Did you make this?
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Let’s Make Apple Turnovers
Ingredients
- 4 medium-sized cooking apples of choice peeled, cored, and diced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ tablespoon butter – melted
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 lb Puff Pastry thawed
- For the Cream Cheese icing:
- 2 tablespoons softened cream cheese
- 1 tablespoons butter melted
- ¼ cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
- Combine the lemon juice and diced apples in a bowl to prevent them from turning brown. Add sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and melted butter. Mix to combine. Set aside.
- On a floured surface, roll each sheet of puff pastry to a 12-inch by 12-inch (30cm by 30cm) square. Cut each sheet into 4 squares and make sure they stay chilled until you are ready to use them.
- Transfer to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper/greaseproof paper. Brush the edges of each square with the egg wash and neatly place 1/3 cup of the apple mixture on half of the square.
- Fold the pastry diagonally over the apple mixture and seal by pressing the edges with a fork.
- Brush the top with egg wash, make a small slit on the top of each turnover, and bake for 20 minutes, until browned and puffed. Let cool for 5 minutes.
For the cream cheese icing:
- Mix the cream cheese butter, sugar, and vanilla and beat until smooth. Drizzle each turnover with icing. Serve warm.
Tips + Notes
- Apples brown quickly, so be sure to coat them with lemon juice while you prepare the dough.
- Make a small slit on the top of each turnover to keep them from bursting the seam.
- Be careful not to overfill – Overfilling the turnovers may cause them to break open.
- Don’t overwork the pastry. Puff pastry is delicate if you over-roll or use too much force, lose some of the flakiness and it may not puff up when baked.
- To easily trim the pastry, use a sharp paring knife or pizza cutter.
- If the dough becomes too soft to manage, just place it in the fridge for a few minutes and it will firm back up.
- Allow the apple turnovers to cool slightly before serving – The filling will be hot.
Nutrition Information:
Update Notes: This post was originally published on Oct 18, 2017, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions, cooking tips, and a video in October of 2018.
iraj says
So much was tasty, and love it.
Erren's Kitchen says
Thank you so much Iraj, I’m glad you liked the recipe 🙂
Laura says
Hi- I wanted to assemble a day ahead time and just keep in the fridge until ready to bake, will that work with no issues?
Thanks,
Laura
Erren Hart says
I’ve never tried it, but I don’t see why you couldn’t do it ahead.