Apple Turnovers

These easy apple turnovers are made with store-bought puff pastry or homemade pie crust. They're filled with tart apples, currants, walnuts, sugar and cinnamon. All the best fall flavors in a hand-held pie!

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
Learn about Simply Recipes' Editorial Process
Updated February 16, 2021
Elise Bauer
Turnover recipe using puff pastry shows the apple filling.
Alison Bickel

Apple turnovers are easy to make! The biggest decision one needs to make is how to do the pastry crust.

The Best Crust for Turnovers

  • If you use already-prepared frozen puff pastry or folded pie crust, the apple turnovers will be a snap to make, they will look pretty, and the crust will have lots of buttery layers.
  • If you use a homemade butter crust (pâte brisée), which is really not so hard to make, your pastry will taste wonderful, and may even be flaky, but not filled with puffy layers.
  • If you make your own homemade puff pastry dough, which requires technique and steps beyond a simple homemade pie dough, you will have a truly delicious and gorgeous pastry.

Since I have yet to master this last technique, I am obliged to use either a homemade butter pie crust, or a frozen prepared puff pastry sheet. I've made apple turnovers with both, and I can say that the homemade butter crust is light years better than the frozen puff pastry, but is obviously a bit more work.

So, what I have here is a recipe that calls for either using a frozen puff pastry sheet or homemade pâte brisée dough.

Ingredients for Apple Turnovers

The inside of these apple turnovers include apples, of course, but also dried currants, walnuts, apple sauce, a little sugar and cinnamon, and a dash of vanilla.

Storing and Freezing Apple Turnovers

Baked turnovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days. They will lose their crispiness, but are still delicious. You can also regain some crispiness by warming them in a toaster oven.

The baked turnovers can also be frozen for up to three months, but for best texture, it's actually better to freeze the unbaked turnovers on a parchment-lined baking sheet until solid, and then transfer to a freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to three months.

To bake, place the frozen turnovers (do not thaw) on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake extra few minutes.

More Favorite Apple Recipes

From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

Apple Turnovers

Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 40 mins
Servings 4 to 6 turnovers

Ingredients

  • 1 large tart baking apple (such as Granny Smith), peeled, cored, cut into 1/4-inch dice
  • 3 tablespoons dried currants
  • 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup applesauce
  • 1/8 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 frozen puff pastry sheet, thawed, OR 2 pâte brisée dough recipes (enough for a double crust pie)
  • 2 tablespoons butter, cut into bits
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon milk

Method

  1. Get ready:

    Put oven rack in lower third of oven and pre-heat oven to 400°F. Butter a large baking sheet (or use Silpat).

  2. Make filling:

    In a medium bowl, mix together apples, currants, and walnuts with the sugar, cinnamon, and corn starch, making sure the fruit and nuts are well coated. Mix in the apple sauce and vanilla.

    If using puff pastry:

    Unfold the thawed pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Depending on the size of your puff pastry sheet you are going to want to cut the sheet into either four 5-inch-by-5-inch or six 4-inch-by-4-inch squares.

    If using pie dough:

    Roll out your pie dough on a lightly floured surface to a 16x11 inch rectangle. Trim the edges to 15x10 inches and cut into six 5x5-inch squares.

  3. Add filling to pastry squares:

    Divide the apple mixture among the squares, leaving a 1-inch border. If you are using an already prepared puff pastry sheet, dot the mixture in each pastry with a little butter. (If you are using a butter pie dough, you can skip adding the extra butter.)

    Puff pastry cut into squares and topped with apple filling to show how to make apple turnovers.
    Alison Bickel
  4. Brush egg mixture on pastry edges:

    In a small bowl mix the beaten egg with a teaspoon of milk. Use a pastry brush to brush the egg mixture on the border of the pastry. This will help the pastry seal.

  5. Fold and crimp, add steam vents:

    Fold each pastry into a triangle, enclosing the filling, and crimp edges with a fork. Brush the tops of the pastries with more of the egg wash. Cut 2 or 3 small steam vents in the top of each turnover.

    A fork pressing the edges of an unbaked apple turnover.
    Alison Bickel
  6. Bake:

    Place the pastries in the oven and bake at 400°F for 20 minutes, or until puffed and golden.

    Cool turnovers to warm before serving.

    Turnover recipe shows apple turnovers baked on a sheet pan.
    Alison Bickel