Apple Turnovers

It's a Monday afternoon and I'm hungry for something. Not to mention that my son is home from school today...School Holiday...Hip Hip Hooray...And he has a pretty huge appetite and sweet tooth.  Well I wasn't sure what I was hungry for until I open the fridge and saw some puff pastry just sitting there all alone.  Thought for a minute about what I could do with it that would be truly satisfying to me and my audacious sweet tooth...Hmmm.... I turn around and saw a stack of some delicious apples that are perfectly ripened.  Thinking to myself how happy my puff pastry and apples would be if I could just get them together..Not to mention how happy my tastebuds and tummy would be too :-). Funny thing is that as much as I love to cook and bake with apples and puff pasty, I've never put them together before.   I've added puff pasty to delicious Pot Pies, Cream Cheese Danish and apples to Buttery Pie Crust & Oatmeal, but never together that I can remember.  Well today is the day that my lonely puff pasty will marry my delicious ripened apples.  I thought it would be a great idea to share my personal journey with you and anyone ever facing the same dilemma as me.  It's a very simple and easy recipe and you'll probably have some of these ingredients in your pantry.

 

First you will need to peel, remove the seeds(core) and cube your favorite apples.

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Place 3 to 4 tablespoons of butter into a medium heat skillet then add 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 tsp of cinnamon, a pinch of kosher salt and stir until they blend well together....about 2 to 3 minutes. Now it's time to add your apples (I used 3 medium sized apples) and 1 tsp of vanilla to your butter mixture. You'll need to cook the apples until soften, but not mushy...about 5 to 6 minutes.   

Once your apples are done place them on the side to cool down for a few minutes. This will give you time to prepare your puff pastry.  With puff pastry it's important to keep in cool until your ready to use it... So don't take it out of the fridge until your ready to roll it out.  

Flour your rolling pin and countertop to place the puff pastry on top. This will prevent it from sticking to the countertop or your rolling pin.  I measured my puff pastry out to approximately 15 X 15, which was a little to big...You can reduce this size to about 12 X 12. You will want to divide it into 4 squares. I used a pizza cutter to divide it, but you can use a knife.  If your using a knife make sure to flour it first, so it doesn't stick to the puff pastry. 

This would be the perfect time to preheat your oven to 350 Degrees.  You'll bake these amazing apple turnovers for about 20 to 25 minutes.  Depending on your oven settings.  I found out a long time ago that not everybody's oven will bake the same. 

Now for the fun part...Putting your apples into each square of puff pastry and folding your puff pastry over to make a triangle turnover.  Line your baking pan with a piece of parchment paper.  In a small bowl, mix together 1 egg and 1 tbsp of water (egg wash) to glue your puff pastry together before folding.  If you don't want to use egg and water you can just use water.  I like using the egg wash to glue it together and to brush on top for a nice glossy look. You can divide the apples into 4 groups, while they are still in the skillet, and then add to each square of puff pastry.  Brush the egg wash along the edges of your puff pastry...then fold the pastry over to make a triangle.  You can use the end of a fork to seal edges together. Brush the top with the egg wash before baking.  Make a couple of slates or cuts into the top of the pasty to allow it to breathe and not smother during baking.

Bake your apple turnovers in the oven for approximately 20 to 25 minutes.  I use the middle rack of my oven to bake them. When they turn a light golden brown on top is a good indication that they are done.  Remove and set to cool for a couple of minutes if you can :-).... My son couldn't wait to take one as soon as the pan hit the countertop....and it was the perfect one....You know the one I could have taken a really nice picture of to showcase.  Oh well...Anyone who has a teenager at home knows exactly what I'm talking about.  He even topped it with a caramel sauce and had it with a hot cup of coffee...Yum!  I waited for a couple of minutes and oh my goodness it was so delicious...I had to have another  :-)

Recipe:

Apple Turnover

 

3 to 4 Medium Apples

1/2 Cup of Sugar

3 to 4 Tablespoons of Butter

1 Teaspoon of Cinnamon

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla

1 Pinch of Kosher Salt

1 Sheet of Puff Pastry

1 Tablespoon of Flour

 

1.  Peel, remove the seeds(core) and cube your favorite apples.

2. Place 3 to 4 tablespoons of butter into a medium heat skillet then add  1/2 cup of sugar, 1 tsp of cinnamon, a pinch o kosher salt.  Stir until they blend well together....about 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Now it's time to add your apples and vanilla to your butter mixture. You'll need to cook the apples until soften, but not mushy...about 5 to 6 minutes

4. Flour your rolling pin and countertop to place the puff pastry on top.   I measured puff pastry out to approximately 12 X 12, You will want to divide it into 4 squares. I used a pizza cutter to divide it, but you and use a knife.  If your using a knife make sure to flour it first, so it doesn't stick to the puff pastry. 

5. Perfect time to preheat your oven to 350 Degrees.

6. Line your baking pan with a piece of parchment paper.  

7. In a small bowl, mix together 1 egg and 1 tbsp of water (egg wash) to glue your puff pastry together before folding over. Place apples into each square of puff pastry.  Brush the egg wash along the edges of puff pastry and then fold pastry over to make a triangle.  Seal edges together with a fork. Brush the top with the egg wash before baking.  Make a couple of slates or cuts into the top of the pasty to allow it to breathe.

8. Place your apple turnover into the oven and bake about 20 to 25 minutes depending on your oven. When they turn a light golden brown on top is a good indication that they are done. 

9. Remove from oven and let cool for a couple of minutes....Enjoy!

Try my recipe and come back to tell us all about it!