About the Recipe
As the autumn leaves start falling from the trees, and my surroundings begin looking more and more bare, I start to really have the urge to cozy up indoors. As part of my hibernation preparation, I start longing for the warmth of freshly baked treats. And if you are like me and are craving a little sweet treat this time of year, and looking for something to do with all those apples you picked, there is nothing easier and more delicious than a light and flaky apple turnover. These little pockets of goodness are just what one needs for a special morning treat or as a side to ones afternoon tea. Light and flaky, it won't leave you feeling heavy and overstuffed (unless you simply can't help yourself and eat two or three. I won't blame you).
I usually don't have the patience to make my own phyllo pastry. So store bought will do just fine. No need to give yourself more work to do. You just have to remember to thaw the dough ahead of time since it usually comes frozen. I try to put mine in the fridge the day before I plan to make them, but when I forget, I leave the dough out on the counter for 2-3 hours to defrost to room temperature.
I love this recipe because it is simple to make, has minimal ingredients and everyone will rave about your baking skills.
I usually use Honeycrisp apples, but that is just because they are what my family loves to eat most, so those are the ones I tend have on hand. You can also use Fuji, Gala or Granny Smith which taste equally as delicious.
Ingredients
2 squares of phyllo dough
3 apples (Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji or Granny Smith)
3 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp corn starch
1/2 tsp salt
Glaze (optional)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2-3 tbsp. apple juice (from the filling)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 400F. Peel and then core your apples (I just prefer mine peeled, but if you don't want to bother, you can leave the skin on) . If you have a coring tool it makes your job even easier as well. Once your apples are naked, chop them into bite sized cubes (think about how big you would want the chunks to be in your turnover). Mine are usually about 1.5-2cm big.
Step 2
Melt the butter in a sauce pan. Add apples and cook until softened (approx. 5 mins) stirring often. Add in brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Cook for another 2 mins. Scoop out 2-3 tbsp. of cooking liquid and set aside (you'll use this for making the glaze). Add the cornstarch to the apple mixture, stir and cook for an other 2 mins until liquid has thickened slightly. Set aside.
Step 3
Assembling the turnovers. Time to roll out the dough. Flour your work surface so that the dough does not stick as you are rolling it out, it will be easier to handle this way. Take one square at a time and roll it out with a rolling pin into a square about 3mm thick.
Step 4
Divide the dough into four equal squares and put a heaping scoop of the apple mixture into each square. You want to leave enough dough around the edges to be able to close each pocket properly or it may leak out during baking.
Step 5
In a small bowl combine the egg with two tbsp. of water. Mix well until you have a smooth egg wash. Brush the edges of the dough with your egg wash mixture. Do not make it too wet. You just want to put just enough to make the edges stick. Fold each square into a triangle by lining up opposite corners. Press down along the edges to close into a nice pocket.
Step 6
To add extra security so the edges do not separate during baking, use a fork to press along the edges. This will not only seal your sweet packets of goodness, it also adds a nice visual finishing touch.
Step 7
With the help of a spatula, carefully transfer the apple turnovers onto a lined baking sheet and bake at 400F for 20-25 mins. until golden brown.
Apple Glaze (optional)
While the turnovers are baking you can prepare the apple glaze. The turnovers are wonderful on their own and if you are not a big sweet tooth, you can definitely enjoy as is. If you want to add a little extra sweetness, mix together the powdered sugar, the spoonful's of apple juice that you had placed aside earlier and the vanilla. Remove turnovers from the oven and drizzle with apple glaze if you so desire. Enjoy!
