There’s nothing better than a homemade pastry, warm from the oven! These Maple Apple Turnovers can be made with either store-bought or homemade puff pastry and are filled with delicious maple apples.
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At my very first bakery job I was the scone girl and the turnover girl. That means that first thing in the morning I clocked in and started making three varieties of scones and two types of turnovers. The maple walnut scones and the apple turnovers were my favorite to make and to eat. These Maple Apple Turnovers are a nod to that new baker and her favorite pastries.
These Apple Turnovers can be made with either store-bought or Homemade Puff Pastry, and are like an easier, quicker version of your favorite apple pie! Made with simple ingredients, they take minutes to assemble and can be ready to eat in less than an hour. Assemble the night before and in the morning you can be eating homemade turnovers in the time it takes to shower and get dressed!
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❤️ Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Convenient - Uses store-bought puff pastry, although my homemade rough puff works great as well!
- Worry-free - The apple turnover filling is pre-cooked, so there's no worry that the apples won't be cooked at the end of baking.
- Easy - Cooking the filling and assembling the turnovers is a breeze.
- Kid-friendly - Make the filling the day before and have the kids help you with assembly in the morning!
- Freezer friendly - Great to make ahead for another day
The more the merrier! Make a double batch of the maple apples and spoon some into my better-than-Starbucks baked apple croissants.
Ingredients
No complicated ingredients here!
Puff pastry - The two major commercial brands of puff pastry are Pepperidge Farm and Dufour. They are of a similar weight and will work equally well. If you have time, you can also make my homemade puff pastry a day ahead and use it in this recipe.
Apples - To make the apple filling, you need an apple that holds up well to cooking and baking without becoming mealy. I prefer to use honeycrisp, fuji, or pink lady apples as they are a great combination of sweet and tart. Avoid creamier snacking apples like red delicious, golden delicious, or McIntosh, as they tend to become too soft and mealy during the cooking and baking process.
See recipe card below for quantities.
Substitutions
My goal is always to put delicious food in your mouth. Here are a few substitutions, if you need them:
- Apples - If you don't like apples, I'm not quite sure how you got this far into the recipe, but hey, you can substitute with 4 cups of berries, but don't cook them first. Just combine with all the other filling ingredients except butter. Add the juice of ½ a lemon instead.
- Puff pastry - Feel free to use frozen pie dough. Most come in a 2 pack and you can just roll them out enough to cut each one into four 5 inch squares
- Maple glaze - If you don't like the flavor of maple, you can leave out the maple syrup and add another tablespoon of milk. You can skip the maple extract altogether, or replace it with a bit of vanilla or almond extract.
Variations
Play with your food. It's fun!
- Peach - Replace the apples with fresh or frozen (thawed and cut) peaches. I would avoid canned peaches as they are way too wet and will give you a dreaded soggy crust.
- Berry turnovers - As stated above in substitutions, you can replace the apples with your choice of fresh berries.
- Canned pie filling - Make these the ultimate in kid-friendly, or easy morning-friendly, by using your choice of canned pie filling. Cherry, apple, or whatever suits your mood!
Instructions
This recipe comes in three parts: making the apple turnover filling, cutting the puff pastry, and assembling your turnovers. Well, four if you count the glaze. You can make the filling up to 3 days ahead, to save time in the morning!
Making Maple Apples
1. In a medium pot or deep skillet, melt butter over medium heat. As it melts, keep swirling the butter over the heat until it is light brown in color and smells nutty, about 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Immediately add the diced apples and stir around in the brown butter.
3. Add brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10-12 minutes until the apples have slightly softened.
4. Whisk 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of maple syrup.
5. Pour the maple syrup/cornstarch slurry into apple mixture. Simmer for another 1 to 2 minutes or until mixture has thickened.
6. Spread on a small sheet pan to cool.
Making Maple Apple Turnovers
Line 2 large sheet pans with parchment paper and set aside.
1. Roll one store-bought puff pastry sheet out to 11 inches per side. Use a pizza cutter or knife to divide into 4 equal pieces. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry. You will have 8 squares total.
2. If using homemade puff pastry, or a rectangular store-bought puff pastry, roll out to 15 inches by 10 inches and cut into 6 equal pieces.
3. Place one square of puff pastry on the counter in front of you like a diamond. Brush egg wash on the two sides facing you. Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of apples in the center of the square.
4. Fold the square over to form a triangle, firmly pressing the two edges together.
5. Use the tines of a fork to seal the edges. Repeat with the remaining puff pastry squares. Place finished turnovers on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place the sheet pans of turnovers into the freezer for at least 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 400°F.
6. Remove the turnovers from the freezer and brush the tops with an egg wash made of one egg whisked with one tablespoon of water.
7. Cut two one inch slits in the top of each turnover to release steam while baking.
8. Place into 400°F oven for 22 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown and puffed up. Cool on a wire rack at least 10 minutes.
Glaze
1. In a small bow, whisk together all of the glaze ingredients until fully combined.
2. Drizzle over warm turnovers and let set for 15 minutes, or get sticky and dig right in!
Hint: If you want your glaze to be thinner, add another teaspoon or two of milk. If you want it thicker, add one or two more tablespoons of powdered sugar. Ultimately, you want it to be easy to drizzle over your warm turnovers with a spoon.
Keeping apple turnovers from leaking
If a little bit of apple filling comes peeking out of the side of your turnover, it's not a complete disaster, but we want to avoid a full explosion. Here's a few tips:
- Egg wash the edges of your puff pastry square before adding the filling. You want the puff pastry to be dry when applying the egg wash, so it will stick better.
- Remove as much of the air as possible while you press the edges together, then use the fork to fully seal them shut.
- Don't forget to cut slits on the top of your apple turnover to allow steam somewhere to vent while they bake - then it's less likely to try to come out on the sides.
- Chill your turnovers in the freezer for at least 15 minutes to firm up the puff pastry before baking.
Love apples? Get even more apple flavor with my Easy Apple Cake with Almonds! Tender apples, practically floating in a light and fluffy almond flavored cake? I'm in!
Recipe FAQ's
It is always recommended to chill pastries made with puff pastry before baking. The pastry becomes soft rather quickly and in a softened state it won't puff up as much and may become soggy.
Yes, you can. My old side-by-side fridge had a tall skinny freezer that would only fit small sheet pans, so you can chill them on a few of those. Otherwise, you can place the turnovers into the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes before baking.
I don't recommend making these and refrigerating because the filling will make the pastry soggy before you have a chance to bake them
Absolutely! Place in the freezer on a parchment lined baking sheet until fully frozen, then transfer to a zip top bag for up to 1 month (or just until tomorrow morning). To bake, place still frozen (do not thaw) on a parchment lined baking sheet and add on 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time.
Storage and Reheating
Storage
After devouring more than your share, you can keep leftover turnovers fresh for another 2 to 3 days. Let them cool completely and store in an airtight container, where they will last for about five days.
Reheating
Reheat in a 350°F oven until the crust is crispy and the filling is heated through, about 10 to 15 minutes. They will not get as crispy as when first baked and the glaze will melt, but they will still be delicious!
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-Cynthia
📖 Recipe
Maple Apple Turnovers
Ingredients
Turnovers
- 4 apples peeled, cored, and diced into ½ inch pieces
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 large egg + 1 teaspoon water for egg wash
- 2 sheets puff pastry
Maple Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon maple extract optional
- 2 tablespoons milk
- Tiny pinch of salt
Instructions
- Allow puff pastry to thaw overnight in the refrigerator or for 30 minutes on the counter, or until easy to unfold.
- Make apple filling
- In a medium pot or deep skillet, melt butter over medium heat. As it melts, keep swirling the butter over the heat until it is light brown in color and smells nutty, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Immediately add the diced apples and stir around in the brown butter. Add brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10-12 minutes until the apples have slightly softened.
- Whisk 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and pour into apple mixture. Simmer for another 1 to 2 minutes or until mixture has thickened. Spread on a small sheet pan to cool.
- Line 2 large sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Roll one store-bought puff pastry sheet out to 11 inches per side. Use a pizza cutter or knife to divide into 4 equal pieces. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry. You will have 8 squares total.
- Whisk together one egg with one tablespoon of water.
- Assemble turnovers
- Place one square of puff pastry on the counter in front of you like a diamond. Brush egg wash on the two sides facing you. Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of apples in the center of the square.
- Fold the square over, corner to corner, to form a triangle, pressing the two edges together. Use the tines of a fork to seal the edges. Repeat with the remaining puff pastry squares. Place finished turnovers on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Place the first sheet pans of turnovers into the freezer to chill while you preheat the oven to 400°F. If you don’t have room for two sheet pans, make one tray of four turnovers and chill them while you make the second tray, then bake them separately.
- Remove turnovers from the freezer and brush the tops with egg wash. Cut two one inch slits in the top of each turnover to release steam while baking.
- Place into 400°F oven for 22 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown and puffed up. Cool on a wire rack at least 10 minutes. Make your glaze while they cool.
- Make glaze
- In a small bow, whisk together all of the glaze ingredients until fully combined. If you want it thinner, add another teaspoon or two of milk. If you want it thicker, add one or two more tablespoons of powdered sugar.
- Drizzle over warm turnovers and let set for 15 minutes, or get sticky and dig right in!
Save This Recipe! 💌
I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later, plus you'll get great new recipes from me every week!
Sam says
Such a fun and delicious fall treat! The filling is so dang tasty, I can see myself using it for apple hand pies, a topping for oatmeal/pancakes, and many other tasty applications 😊
Cynthia Christensen says
Thank you! I use maple apples in a few other recipes because they are so good!