Apple Turnovers are a delicious dessert or breakfast made with homemade puff pastries filled with homemade apple filling, drizzled with a sweet glaze. For another apple treat right at your fingertips, try my Apple Hand Pies.
Apple Turnovers
If you don’t want to bake an apple pie, bake these apple turnovers to serve instead. It starts with homemade puff pastries from my Pumpkin Puff Pastries (without the cinnamon). Then, I filled and baked the pastries with homemade apple filling, finally topping them with a glaze. And, you can even make these in your air fryer, if preferred! These are also delicious with your morning cup of coffee.
Ingredients
Puff Pastries: Making your own puff pastries doesn’t have to be intimidating. With just four simple ingredients and some chilling time (for the dough, and you, too), you can get them made. Of course, you could also use store-bought puff pastries, but the baking time will need to be adjusted.
Apples: As with many of my baked apple desserts, I like to use Granny Smith apples. They have a nice tartness to them, as well as hold up well during baking. You could use other apples like Braeburn, Honeycrisp, or Pink Ladies, too.
Apple Pie Spice: If you don’t have any on hand, make your own homemade apple pie spice!
Egg Wash: The egg wash will be used around the edges to help seal the turnovers, as well as brushed on tops right before baking.
Glaze: The glaze is made with just confectioners’ sugar and whole milk, drizzled on the warm hand pies.
Can I Use a Different Filling?
Sure! If you are craving a different fruit filling, any of your favorite canned pie fillings would work. I also have a homemade cherry pie filling or blueberry pie filling (from my No Bake Blueberry Pie) you could use, too!
Air Fryer Apple Turnovers
If you don’t feel like turning on your oven, or it is being used for another dish, make the apple turnovers in the air fryer. To do this, follow all of the instructions up to placing them on a baking sheet. Instead, place the assembled apple turnovers into the basket of your air fryer. (Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to work in batches.) Air fry for 10-12 minutes at 325°F, or until golden brown. Have the glaze ready to drizzle over the tops.
Can I Make the Turnovers Ahead of Time?
Yes! In fact, there are a couple of ways to get a head start with this treat. One way is to make the apple filling ahead of time. It can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Or, get the turnovers assembled. Then, freeze the assembled turnovers until frozen (about 2 hours). Finally, store the unbaked, frozen apple turnovers in a freezer-safe container until ready to bake. If you bake directly from the freezer, add more baking time. And, of course, don’t forget the glaze!
How to Store Apple Turnovers
Once baked, the turnovers can be stored in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. You can reheat them in the microwave or in the oven when ready to enjoy. You can also freeze the baked turnovers for up to 2 months after they have cooled completely. I recommend waiting to add the glaze until ready to serve.
Apple Turnovers
Ingredients
Puff Pastry
- ½ cup water, cold
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1¼ cups (2½ sticks / 284 g) unsalted butter, cold, cubed
Filling
- 4 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, diced into ¼-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
- ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon apple pie spice
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Egg Wash
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon water
Glaze
- 1 cup (125 g) confectioners' sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons whole milk, room temperature
Instructions
Pastry
- In a small dish, combine the water and salt. Stir to dissolve and set aside. To a food processor, add flour and butter. Pulse the mixture until pea-sized crumbs form.
- With the food processor on low speed, slowly pour in the water. Watch closely as dough will start to pull together very quickly. Once the dough forms a ball stop the processor.
- Lightly flour a clean work surface.
- Transfer the dough to the work surface and roll dough into a 12×12-inch square, about ½-inch thick.
- Fold the dough in half, then in half again, then in half again. Wrap the folded dough in plastic wrap and chill for one hour. While the pastry dough is chilling, make the apple filling.
Filling
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine apples, brown sugar, apple pie spice, cornstarch, and vanilla. Stir to combine.
- Cook the apple mixture, stirring occasionally, for 12-14 minutes, or until the sugar is completely dissolved and the apples are tender. The mixture should thicken slightly.
- Remove from heat and set aside to cool before assembling the pastries.
Assembly
- When ready, preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Roll the pastry dough out onto a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle (15-inch x 20-inch), about ⅛-inch thick.
- Cut the large rectangle into 12 equal-sized squares (about 5×5 inches each).
- Add about 2 tablespoons of the apple mixture to the middle of each square.
- In a small dish, whisk together the egg and water. Brush a little bit of the egg wash over the edges of the squares, saving some for the tops of the pastries.
- Fold the pastry over from one corner to another, forming a triangle shape, using a fork to press and seal the edges.
- Brush the tops of each pastry with egg wash.
- Use a fork to press the seal the edges of the pastry.
- Place the pastries onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Allow the pastries to cool before adding the glaze.
Glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and one tablespoon of milk. Add more milk, one tablespoon at a time, until a pourable consistency is reached.
- Drizzle the glaze over the top of each turnover.
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
I am not someone who obsesses over Desserts but I am obsessed with this recipe of yours, I tried it recently and now my siblings want more of it. Honestly you have made my job difficult haha , but seriously , I am in love with this dish. Keep feeding us such delicious recipes . Thanks , Radhika Sharma
I have made and loved so many of your recipes.Do you have any tips if I make these apple turnovers with frozen puff pastry ? And I loved the lemon blueberry danish, cooked half in oven and half…in air fryer.Don’t know why but oven was better.And I favor the air fryer.Thank you
Just made these today and they were great and not “ too sweet” Just right !!!
Oh, so good! 🙏🏻
Hey I plan to make this. But I have a few questions.
Would it work to use other apples instead?
Do you think I could do this with frozen strawberries?
Thank you?
Here is what it says in the blog post above: (please feel free to check the post in the future should you have question, I try to anticipate and answer all questions for you before I publish recipes!😋)
Apples: As with many of my baked apple desserts, I like to use Granny Smith apples. They have a nice tartness to them, as well as hold up well during baking. You could use other apples like Braeburn, Honeycrisp, or Pink Ladies, too.
This recipe consist of making a filling. You can use any flavor filling you prefer. It may change the recipe timing, flavor, and visual results.
Hi I’m just wondering if you could tinned pie apple filling, instead of making your own apple filling
Sure. Be sure to check out the post for ideas!
Is there a substitute for brown sugar?