Cinnamon Cider Glazed Apple Turnovers
Perfectly cooked apples are lightly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, then wrapped up in puff pastry and baked, resulting in golden, crisp Apple Turnovers with a cinnamon cider glaze.
- Prep Time: 00:40
- Cook Time: 00:25
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 turnovers
- Category: Pastry
- Method: Bake
Ingredients
- Rough Puff Pastry, prepared, or (1) 14-ounce package puff pastry (see notes for guidance)
- 1-½ pounds (about 3-4 apples) baking apples, peeled, cored and diced to ½”
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup (50 grams) packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Big pinch kosher salt
- Pinch grated nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon (7 grams) cornstarch
- ⅓ cup + 2 tablespoons fresh apple cider, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
For Cider Glaze:
- 2 tablespoons cider
- ½ cup (60 grams) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Prepare rough puff pastry or defrost frozen puff pastry. If you make it, you will only need half a batch. The remaining half can be frozen. Or you can double the filling for this recipe, and make 12 turnovers.
- Make the filling: Add apples, lemon juice, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg to a heavy bottom pot. Stir together. Add ⅓ cup of apple cider to the pot, and stir the apples one more time.
- Turn the heat to medium and begin to cook the apples. Stir occasionally to make sure the apples cook evenly. Cook until the apples have softened, about 6 minutes, making sure not to cook off all of the liquid. If the liquid does cook off quickly, add a splash more apple cider to the pot.
- In a small bowl, create a slurry by whisking together the cornstarch and the remaining 2 tablespoons of apple cider together.
- Pour the cornstarch slurry into the apples and stir together until dissolved. Continue cooking until the mixture is thickened, about 1-2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and butter. Let the apple mixture cool completely, preferably overnight.
- Fill a small container with cool water and set aside.
- Line a 12x18” sheet pan with a piece of parchment.
- Roll out the puff pastry on a floured surface (remember, you are only using half of the batch if you've made this rough puff recipe) to about ⅛” thickness, or about a 10” by 15” rectangle. Cut out six 4.5” squares. (See note about using store-bought puff pastry)
- Brush (or use your finger) a small amount of water on two sides of the dough. This helps it stick (if your dough is already super sticky, skip this step). Place about 2 tablespoons of chilled apple filling in the center. Fold one corner of the pastry over the filling to make a triangle. Press down on the edges to seal the two pieces together. Use a fork to press and seal the edges further and to add a decorative touch. Finally, using a sharp knife, cut off just the very edges of the pastry. This helps ensure the puff pastry bakes up properly (see the section for shaping puff pastry for more information).
- Chill the turnovers in a freezer for 20 minutes, or in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This helps the turnovers keep their shape while they bake.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Remove the turnovers from the freezer and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the turnovers are lightly golden all over and puff up.
- Remove them from the oven, and let them cool slightly before transferring to a cooling rack.
- Meanwhile, make the optional glaze. Add powdered sugar, apple cider and cinnamon to a bowl and whisk together until smooth. Drizzle over the tops of the apple turnovers as desired.
Notes
This recipe was developed using half a recipe of homemade rough puff, which is roughly equivalent of one store-bought box of puff pastry. It was tested with store-bought puff pastry, too. Purchased puff pastry typically either comes in one folded 14 ounce sheet, or it comes in two folded 8 ounce sheets. The measurements listed in this recipe correspond with the use of my homemade rough puff recipe. If you are using store-bought puff pastry, the measurements might not work out exactly. If you have purchased puff pastry with 1 sheet, try to roll it out to 8" by 12" and cut out 4" squares. If you are using puff pastry with two sheets, I suggest rolling out each sheet a little thinner and cutting them into 4 squares each, which will mean you will get 8 turnovers. Fill them a little less than directed in the instructions above.
The apple filling must be completely cooled before filling the turnovers. Steaming hot filling in butter pastry always equals a disaster. So be sure to plan ahead of time. You likely will have some leftover filling. You can enjoy any leftovers over ice cream or yogurt. It also freezes well. Or you can make additional turnovers!
Making a glaze can sometimes be a bit of trial and error, unless you are using a scale to measure your ingredients. If your glaze is too thin, simply add in a tablespoon more powdered sugar at a time. If it’s too thick, add in more cider.
The golden rule when making pastry: if at any point it gets too warm, simply place it in the refrigerator or freezer to chill before moving on.
Find it online: https://everydaypie.com/apple-turnovers/