Apple Turnovers

Shhhh… I’ll let you in on a little secret… You can make these Apple Turnovers using bought puff pastry! Shocking, I know! The truth is; yes… I do make my own puff pastry from time-to-time, but more often than not, I buy an all-butter version which I find more than adequate for most of my baking needs. Making your own puff pastry is actually relatively simple to do but it you need to have some spare time so that the dough can relax and chill between folding.

If you do use pre-prepared puff pastry, this is a very easy recipe to conjure up and it takes relatively little effort to produce these pastries which taste delicious. I have kept everything very simple and have filled them with lightly cooked apple flavoured with cinnamon, but you can vary the fruits, depending on what takes your fancy or what you have to hand. The turnovers make a lovely sweet breakfast treat or mid-morning snack with a cup of coffee or tea, but can of course be enjoyed at any time of the day. They are easy to transport and would be wonderful for a picnic.

I like to eat the turnovers when they are still slightly warm from the oven but they are also delicious eaten at room temperature.

 

Whilst I have suggested using commercially made puff pastry here, you can by all means try making your own and in fact, I think that it is something that any keen baker should try at least once. I’ll be posting my recipe and the various stages involved in making puff pastry, in the next couple of weeks, but any good book about baking techniques should have a recipe and instructions in it.
 

Ingredients:

Apple filling:
6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped into small cubes (about 1cm)

25ml apple juice

Juice of 1 lemon

75g caster sugar

½tsp ground cinnamon

To assemble:

375g puff pastry (preferably all-butter)

A little beaten egg for glazing

To finish:

50g icing sugar

½tsp water
 

Method:

Apple filling:

1. Place all the ingredients for the apple filling in a medium sized saucepan and place over a high heat. Bring up to simmering point and then reduce the temperature so that the apples are gently simmering away. Do not cover the saucepan. Allow to simmer for approximately 10-12 minutes until the apples are tender, but are not disintegrating and turning into a purée. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.

2. Preheat oven to 200C/Fan Oven 180C/Gas Mark 6. Line a large baking tray with a sheet of non-stick baking parchment and set aside.

To assemble:

3. Using a rolling-pin, roll the puff pastry out on a lightly floured work-surface into a rectangle approximately 45cms x 30cms and about ½cm thick. Trim any rough edges and then divide into 6 squares (15cms x 15cms).

4. Brush the edges of each square with a little water, using a pastry brush. Place a large tablespoon of the apple mixture in the centre of each square and then bring one corner, diagonally over to meet the opposite corner, pressing the edges together to seal. Place sideways, flat on the tray and make a small hole in the top layer of pastry to allow steam to escape.

5. Brush each turnover with a little beaten egg to glaze. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes until the turnovers have puffed up and are a rich golden brown colour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking tray.

To finish:

6. Mix the icing sugar and water together and drizzle over the cooled turnovers.

Makes 6.