Apple Turnovers

I remember eating so many of these as a kid.

Before I discovered the deliciousness that was the cheese danish, turnovers were what I loved to get at the bakery. It’s literally been years since I’ve had either a danish or a turnover and I thought that that was something that needed to be changed.

I made these on a whim and the result was astounding; I had no short of a dozen and a half apple turnovers all to myself. Talk about a dream come true! Not just any apple turnover, though, these were delicious and flaky and I could hardly contain myself from eating more than just one or five. I mean, it was obvious that I had to make up some lost time between myself and the turnover.

However, no one girl needs to eat an entire recipe worth of apple turnovers. Luckily for me, I have a few friends who are happy to be fed and I was able to share these treats with them. If there was ever any doubt about my belonging to my family, it would be totally washed out with my innate desire to feed other people; just like my Mother and her mother and pretty much every other woman in our family.

In fact, the women in our family make it their mission to feed every mouth and stomach that walks through the front door. If you do not leave stuffed, then we are not satisfied and have not done our job or at least that’s how most of my family views things. I guess the apple never falls far from the tree.

Apple Turnovers
(Adapted from Epicurious Recipe)

3 – 4 medium apples, peeled and diced
1/4 c. water
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 pkg. frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. For the filling, peel and cut the apples. In a sauce pan, put water, sugars and apples over medium heat. Bring to a boil stirring throughout. Cover the pot and reduce the heat; let the apples cook until very tender, stirring occasionally, about ten minutes. Using a fork, gently mash the apples into a chunky applesauce like texture. You can let the apple filling cool completely or not, I have no patience and left it warm; I didn’t notice any difference.

Once the pastry dough is thaw, roll it out on a floured surface to a 15-inch square. Using a knife, cut the puff pastry into nine equal sized squares. Spoon about a tablespoon of filling into the center of each square and brush the edges with the beaten egg. Fold the square in half, either pinching the edges with your fingers or with a fork to seal the turnover closed. Once all pastries have been folded, lightly brush the tops with egg and make three small slits in the tops with a sharp knife. Place pastries on a baking sheet and refrigerate for about 15 minutes.

Bake turnovers for about 25 minutes until crispy and golden brown. Serve warm and sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

I could really go for one of these for breakfast right about now. Mental note: do not write blog posts on a empty stomach.