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Flaky Apple Turnovers

Recipes »  Desserts  »  Desserts - Other

These gorgeous sugar crystal-encrusted, flaky turnovers are made from scratch using a simplified "quick" puff pastry technique. We're talking about seriously good here -- crisp on the outside, flaky, moist, buttery pastry, just firm enough, not too sweet, with just a little tang from added sour cream, apples that have been cooked and carmelized before filling the pastry, and just the right ratio of pastry to apples. Simply the absolute best turnovers I have ever made. The pastry for these turnovers is actually quite easy to make. However, even though simplified, the making of pastry and turnovers is still a little time-consuming. But most of the time is spent just waiting, and the actual work/prep steps are minimal and pretty straightforward. Still, you may wish to make the dough one day, and the turnovers the next. This recipe also lends itself very well to just about any other fruit or fruit/cheese combination you can think of.

"I am only 14 so this recipe was ALOT of work. I left out the vanilla bean (didn't have any), and the turnovers still came out AMAZING. The turning part of the bread I didn't quite understand, but I just folded the dough into three layers and the were still to die for. I made this on vacation for 10 other people, and everyone was amazed at how much work I put into it, but in the end they all loved it. Thank you very much for posting this recipe" - Jjduf18

Yield: 16 Ready in 45 minutes

Cuisine: AmericanMain Ingredient: Apples

(4.8, 14) 55% would make again (reviews)

Favorite 625 people favorited
Try Soon418 people trying soon

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Servings          
Original recipe makes 16
== Dough ==
1 cupsour cream,; cold
1/2 cupSugar
3 cupsUnbleached all-purpose flour
1 cupCake flour
1 teaspoonSalt
1 1/2 cupsunsalted butter; (3-sticks), very cold, cut into small pieces
== Filling ==
4 largeapples; peeled, cored, cut into small pieces (about 2 lbs), (I mix Jonagold & Granny Smith)
1/2 cupSugar
1/2 teaspoonGround cinnamon
1/4 teaspoonGround ginger
1/4 teaspoonGround allspice
Pinch ofSalt
1/2 vanilla bean,; split and scraped
2 to 4 tablespoonsFresh Lemon Juice
1/4 cupunsalted butter; (1/2-stick)
== Egg Wash ==
1 largeegg; beaten with 1 teaspoon of water
Sanding sugar,; for dusting (a coarse crystal baker's sugar)

Flaky Apple Turnovers Preparation

== To Make Dough ==

In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream and sugar; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, cake flour, and salt. Add butter pieces and toss until coated with flour. Cut butter in with pastry blender, two knives, or rub in with your fingertips until mixture forms an irregular coarse meal, with still visible pieces of butter. Don't overworked dough. Make a well in center of mixture and add sour cream. Use a fork in a lifting and tossing motion to gently blend sour cream with flour mixture, mixing just until a rough, very soft and sticky dough is formed. (If mixture doesn't come together or is at all dry, add a little more sour cream or cold water.) Divide dough in half and turn out each half onto a piece of plastic wrap. Using the plastic wrap, push and pat dough to form into rough rectangles. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 2 days.

Remove a rested piece of dough from refrigerator and place on a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle dough with as little flour as necessary to prevent sticking, and roll it out into a 9-by-18-inch rectangle about 1/2-inch thick (dimensions aren't that important--a rough rectangle shape is fine). With one of the narrow edges facing you, do a sigle turn on the dough (a single turn creates 3 layers of dough). Fold the bottom third of the dough up over the middle third, then fold the top third down over the these two layers (so all 3 layers are stacked on top of each other). Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Repeat process with second piece of dough. Refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 day, or freeze for up to 1 month.

== To Make Filling ==

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and salt. Add apples, vanilla seeds and lemon juice, and toss to coat. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat until it turns a light nutty color, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add apple mixture and saute until apples are slightly softened and caramelize, about 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer cooked apples to a baking sheet and let cool completely before forming turnovers. Cooled filling can be stored in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

== To Make Turnovers ==

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

Remove a piece of dough from refrigerator and place on a lightly floured work surface. Roll out dough to a thickness of about 1/8- to 3/16-inch. Cut out 4 1/2-inch rounds with a large cutter. Repeat with second piece of dough. Gather up all of the scraps, press scaps together, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes, then reroll and cut out additional rounds, if desired. (I find that turnovers made from the scraps are still flaky and taste just as good!)

Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of apples in center of each round. Using a pastry brush, apply a thin coat of water to lower half of each round. Fold top half of dough down over filling and gently press edges together. Seal edges by crimping with tines of fork. Use fork to poke steam vents into each turnover. (At this point, turnovers can be frozen, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap when firm, and stored in freezer for up to 1 month.) Using wide metal spatula, carefully transfer turnovers to prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1-inch apart. Chill filled turnovers for 30 minutes, or cover with plastic and refrigerate up to 24 hours.

Adjust oven racks to upper and lower third positions and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Using a pastry brush, apply a thin coat of egg wash to tops of turnovers and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake for 10 minutes. Rotate baking sheets from top to bottom and front and back, reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until puffed, firm to the touch, and golden brown. Using a wide metal spatula, transfer turnovers to wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container for up to 24 hours.

Makes 12 to 16 turnovers.

Notes: Depending on thickness of dough and size of cutter, you should get from 12 to 16 turnovers. If you don't want to bake them all, you can freeze assembled turnovers prior to baking. Frozen turnovers keep well in the freezer for up to 1 month. Bake frozen turnovers without defrosting -- place frozen turnovers on a parchment lined baking sheet, brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sanding sugar, if desired, and bake in a 375 degree F oven adding a few minutes to the baking time.

Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's "Baking From My Home to Yours".

Notes

Two important elements: (1) Keep everything cold. Keeping the dough chilled as you work is key to the success of this pastry -- otherwise, the butter gets soft or melts and will no longer form distinct layers. Also, keep your warm hands off the dough as much as possible. I freeze both the flours and the butter pieces before beginning. (2) Don't overwork the dough. If the gluten starts developing too much, the final product will be chewy and breadlike.

If you don't have cake flour, replacing it with all-purpose flour works fine -- but, for the most tender dough, one part cake flour to three parts all-purpose is better!

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  • Calories Per Serving: 557
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    Flaky Apple Turnovers Reviews

    Give it a rating Would you make it again?   [please sign in to add your comment]
    My kids went crazy over these turnovers! Easy prep easy cooking...thank you!!!
    2 months, 1 weeks, 5 days, 1 hours, 26 minutes ago
    Another winner..better than bakery. ..wonderful warm. Thanks for posting. All your stuff is awesome!
    2 months, 1 weeks, 5 days, 4 hours, 55 minutes ago
    7 months, 1 weeks, 2 days, 23 hours, 18 minutes ago
    I am only 14 so this recipe was ALOT of work. I left out the vanilla bean (didn't have any), and the turnovers still came out AMAZING. The turning part of the bread I didn't quite understand, but I just folded the dough into three layers and the were still to die for. I made this on vacation for 10 other people, and everyone was amazed at how much work I put into it, but in the end they all loved it. Thank you very much for posting this recipe
    1 years, 1 months, 2 weeks, 10 hours, 3 minutes ago
    SO GOOD! A bit of work but worth it. They smelled wonderful as they baked and tasted divine. They were so beautiful, my guest could not believe that I had made them.
    1 years, 3 months, 5 days, 17 hours, 24 minutes ago
    1 years, 9 months, 1 weeks, 2 days, 19 hours, 26 minutes ago
    My daughters and I followed the recipe except for one small change. For the dough, we used frozen butter which we grated (used a frozen grater) into the frozen flour. We ended up with nice slivers of butter all through the dough. The recipe was fairly easy to make and the turnovers were pretty impressive as well as absolutely delicious!
    2 years, 7 months, 5 days, 22 hours, 24 minutes ago
    I made these today! I am in school fulltime so I froze the dough for a week, thawed it out and made them today. Careful not to manipulated the dough too much. They were excellent according to my husband!
    2 years, 7 months, 1 weeks, 9 hours, 44 minutes ago
    great recipe! so flaky & delicious.
    one tip i'd offer is; if you freeze some to bake later, i'd recommend wrapping the edges with foil for the first half of baking, like you would a pie crust. otherwise the edges brown too quickly & the turnovers aren't cooked thoroughly. still delicious, but an odd texture :)
    2 years, 7 months, 2 weeks, 1 days, 7 hours, 3 minutes ago
    My husband thanks you, he loves good apple dumplings, but what you get at the bakery just don't look like these,

    Will try these for sure,
    Janet
    4 years, 4 months, 2 days, 6 hours, 24 minutes ago
    [I made edits to this recipe.]
    5 years, 1 months, 3 weeks, 2 days, 11 hours, 26 minutes ago
    [I made edits to this recipe.]
    5 years, 1 months, 3 weeks, 3 days, 10 hours, 2 minutes ago
    [I made edits to this recipe.]
    5 years, 1 months, 3 weeks, 3 days, 20 hours, 56 minutes ago
    Two important elements: (1) Keep everything cold. Keeping the dough chilled as you work is key to the success of this pastry -- otherwise, the butter gets soft or melts and will no longer form distinct layers. Also, keep your warm hands off the dough as much as possible. I freeze both the flours and the butter pieces before beginning. (2) Don't overwork the dough. If the gluten starts developing too much, the final product will be chewy and breadlike.

    If you don't have cake flour, replacing it with all-purpose flour works fine -- but, for the most tender dough, one part cake flour to three parts all-purpose is better! [I posted this recipe.]
    5 years, 1 months, 3 weeks, 3 days, 23 hours, 31 minutes ago

    Tags

    1. spring brunch
    2. Buttery
    3. Winter
    4. Apples
    5. Breakfast
    6. Brunch
    7. Desserts
    8. Snacks
    9. pastry
    10. puff pastry
    11. sour cream
    12. sugar
    13. AP flour
    14. cake flour
    15. Salt
    16. apples
    17. cinnamon
    18. ginger
    19. allspice
    20. lemon juice
    21. egg
    22. American
    23. unsalted butter
    24. vanilla bean
    25. sanding sugar
    26. Advance
    27. Bake
    28. Saute
    29. MFVCgQRzhBvWuxQ

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