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Home » Blog » Course » Handmade Apple Turnover Recipe

Handmade Apple Turnover Recipe

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Published: Sep 7, 2022 · Modified: Jun 13, 2023 by Andrea + Stef ·

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These mini apple pies are crispy and flaky with a succulent homemade apple filling spiced with a hint of cinnamon.
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stacked apple hand pies cut in half
apple pie turnovers stacked on top of each other.

Flaky layers of crisp puff pastry and a mouthwatering, homemade apple pie filling make this handmade apple turnover recipe an absolute summer and fall favorite. Not only are these delicious mini apple pies quick and easy to make, but they also make a an amazing dessert for dinners, parties, picnics or potlucks.

Table of Contents

  • What Are Handmade Apple Turnovers?
  • Why You’ll Love This
  • Ingredients
  • Instructions
  • Recommended Tools
  • Make Ahead
  • Tips For The Best Mini Apple Pies
  • HOW TO STORE
  • MORE PUFF PASTRY RECIPES
  • MORE APPLE RECIPES
  • FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
  • Handmade Apple Turnover Recipe

You can serve these oven baked apple hand pies with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or other ice cream of your choice to make them an extra special treat. So if you are looking for an easy puff pastry recipe that uses real apples, then this is the recipe for you.

pile of apple turnovers on a tray with cinnamon sticks and fresh apple halves

You can serve these oven baked apple hand pies with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or other ice cream of your choice to make them an extra special treat. So if you are looking for an easy puff pastry recipe that uses real apples, then this is the recipe for you.

What Are Handmade Apple Turnovers?

An apple turnover is made from pastry dough, mostly puff pastry (homemade or store bought), rough puff pastry or pie crust, and filled with homemade apple pie filling. Baked golden brown in the oven, they are crispy and flaky on the outside with a delicious, juicy filling in the middle. They are the perfect hand held summer and fall dessert.

stacked apple hand pies cut in half

Why You’ll Love This

  • Main Ingredients: puff pastry, brown sugar, fresh apples, cinnamon
  • Cooking Method: oven baked
  • Cooking Time: 15 minutes prep time, 20 minutes cooking time
  • Special Equipment Needed: sheet pan, parchment paper, pastry brush
apple turnovers on a serving platter
stacked apple hand pies cut in half

Ingredients

You may have all of these ingredients for this Apple Turnover recipe in your refrigerator or pantry and not need to make a trip to the grocery store! If this is your first time making these homemade turnovers, read the possible variations before deciding on your ingredients.

Apple Turnover Ingredients

  • Puff pastry
  • unsalted butter
  • Granny Smith apples
  • brown sugar
  • cornstarch
  • cinnamon
  • Salt
  • Egg and Water to make an egg wash
  • Powdered sugar
  • Heavy cream

Variations

OTHER FRUITY FILLINGS –You can fill puff pastry with pretty much any fruit/pie filling you prefer. We also love raspberry, peach, blueberry or cherry turnovers, for example. In case you are short on time use ready made store bought pie filling.

CHEESECAKE COMBINATION – Another insanely delicious filling for hand pies is cheesecake. You can combine your cheesecake filling with a fruit filling or even peanut butter and chocolate. We love caramel apple cheesecake, cherry cheesecake or chocolate peanut butter cheesecake hand pies.

ingredients for easy apple puff pastry

WHAT TO MAKE NEXT: If you love the blend of apple and cinnamon flavor then you’ll love our Spiked Apple Cider.

Instructions

This section shows how to cook apple puff pastry in the oven, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique. For full step-by-step instructions, photos and nutritional information see the recipe in the recipe card below. You can print the recipe with or without photos.

PREP: Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

cut up apples with sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt in a bowl
cooked apples in a saucepan

MAKE APPLE FILLING: Begin by peeling, coring and cutting apples into pieces about ⅓” wide by 1-2” long. Then toss in brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt. Afterwards, melt butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Add apples to the saucepan, stir frequently and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat when the sauce begins to thicken. Set aside until ready to use.

brushing egg wash on the edges of the puff pastry squares
sealing handmade apple turnovers with a fork

ASSEMBLE TURNOVERS: Firstly, cut puff pastry into 4 equal squares. Divide the apple mixture evenly among the dough squares, putting it in the center of each puff pastry piece. Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg wash. Fold the pastry over and line up the edges. Gently seal the seams with a fork.

tops of apple turnovers are brushed with egg wash
baked apple puff pastries on a baking sheet

BAKE: Transfer the turnovers to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and brush them with egg wash on all sides. Cook for 18-20 minutes or until the puff pastry has puffed up and is a golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack.

glaze being brushed onto handmade apple turnovers
stacked handmade apple turnovers

GLAZE AND SERVE: Whisk together the heavy cream and powdered sugar. Then glaze the cooled apple puff pastries. Allow to dry and serve.

WHAT TO MAKE NEXT: If you love mini apple pies then you’ll love our Granny Smith Apple Pie.

Recommended Tools

Pastry Brush – A pastry brush is perfect for brushing glaze on pastry.

Make Ahead

We do not recommend making apple turnovers ahead of time as they are best eaten within a couple of hours of coming out of the oven. You can, however, prepare the apple pie filling up to 3 days ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.

Tips For The Best Mini Apple Pies

Follow these tips to make the best handmade apple turnover recipe.

  • Cut your apples to equal sizes. We recommend making them about ⅓” to ½” thick. Afterwards, sprinkle them with lemon juice to prevent them from browning.
  • Use parchment paper on your baking sheet to prevent your turnovers from sticking.
  • Don’t overfill your turnovers, otherwise the filling will ooze out the sides. Additionally, make sure you wipe away any excess pie filling from your baking sheet before baking so it doesn’t burn.
  • Rotate your baking sheet halfway through cooking if your oven doesn’t cook evenly to make sure all the puff pastry fully puffs up and cooks.
  • Allow your turnovers to cool before brushing with glaze.

HOW TO STORE

Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container or ziploc bag and refrigerate or store on the counter for up to 3 days.

Freeze: Store in an airtight, freezer safe, container. If you’re storing in a zip top plastic bag, try to get as much air out as possible. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Defrosting: A great way to defrost is in the refrigerator overnight.

Reheating: Use the microwave, air fryer, or toaster oven to reheat leftovers.

hands holding handmade apple turnover halves

MORE PUFF PASTRY RECIPES

Store bought puff pastry is very convenient as you can store it in the freezer for quite a while and it defrosts quickly. Additionally you can use it for either sweet or savory treats. We especially love turning puff pastry into mini chocolate puff pastries, Blueberry Puff Pastry or easy vegetarian pasties, for example.

  • Stack of blueberry puff pastries.

    Blueberry Puff Pastry

  • Apple Pie Bars

  • Cherry Turnover

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    Mini Chocolate Puff Pastries

MORE APPLE RECIPES

Sweet and succulent apple desserts with just the right hint of cinnamon are true favorites with our families. For that reason, we love making Apple Crisp without Oats, Apple Pie Bars, Blackberry and Apple Crumble, Caramel Apple Cheesecake Hand Pies, and Apple Pie Ice Cream over and over again.

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  • stacked apple hand pies cut in half

    Course

    Handmade Apple Turnover Recipe

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

For perfect results every time, here are answers to the most common questions about cooking this handmade apple turnover recipe.

How do I stop the filling from leaking out of my hand pies?

It is particularly important not to overfill your hand pies and to make sure the edges of the pastry stay clean. Brush the edges with water or egg wash, press together with a fork or your fingers, then crimp the edges. This should prevent juices from running out.

Is there a difference between a turnover and a hand pie?

Generally, the only real differences are in the shape (had pies are usually round) and in the dough that is used. Turnovers are often made with puff pastry, but can also be made with a pie crust as well.

Is it possible to use other fillings for turnovers?

Yes, of course! Not only can you use whatever fruit pie filling you prefer, but also homemade and store bought pie fillings work equally well with this recipe. We especially recommend trying raspberry, cherry, blueberry or peach pie fillings, for example.

stacked apple hand pies cut in half
5 from 4 votes

Handmade Apple Turnover Recipe

Author Andrea + Stef

Course Dessert
Cuisine American, vegetarian
Prep Time 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes minutes
Total Time 35 minutes minutes
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4 servings
These mini apple pies are crispy and flaky with a succulent homemade apple filling spiced with a hint of cinnamon.
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Equipment

  • knife and cutting board or apple slicer
  • saucepan
  • fork
  • pastry brush
  • sheet pan

Ingredients
  

  • 1 sheet of puff pastry defrosted
  • 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
  • 3 Granny Smith apples
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon water

Glaze Ingredients:

  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup heavy cream (you can substitute 3 tablespoons of water)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400°F.
  • Peel, core and cut apples into pieces about ⅓” wide by 1-2” long. Toss in brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt.
    peeled and cut apples tossed with spices
  • In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
    melted butter in a saucepan
  • Add apples to saucepan. Stir frequently. Cook for about 5 minutes when the sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat.
    cooked apples in a saucepan
  • Open puff pastry. Cut down the center both ways to make 4 equal squares.
    puff pastry squares on parchment paper
  • Divide the apple filling into 4 parts and place the apples in the center of the puff pastry pieces.
    apple filling on puff pastry squares
  • Whisk together the egg and water to make an egg wash. Brush edges of the pastry with the egg wash. This will help seal the edges together.
    brushing egg wash on the edges of the puff pastry squares
  • Fold the pastry over to line up the edges. Be careful to keep the apple filling inside and away from the edges. Gently smash 3 open edges with a fork to seal.
    sealing handmade apple turnovers with a fork
  • Transfer the turnovers to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  • Brush the tops and sides with the egg wash.
    tops of apple turnovers are brushed with egg wash
  • Cook for 18-20 minutes or until the puff pastry has puffed up and is a golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack.
    baked apple puff pastries on a baking sheet
  • Whisk together the heavy cream and powdered sugar.
    whisking together glaze ingredients
  • When turnovers are cool, top with glaze. Allow to harden.
    glaze being brushed onto handmade apple turnovers
  • Serve.
    cut open apple hand pie

Nutrition

Serving: 1pie | Calories: 597kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 251mg | Potassium: 234mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 385IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 2mg

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    Comments & Reviews

  1. Amabel says

    November 23, 2023

    November 23, 2023 at 4:28 pm

    Some of your ingredient lists in the post look to be confused with a meatball recipe.

    Reply
    • stef says

      January 23, 2025

      January 23, 2025 at 8:38 pm

      Thank you, Amabel. Our template got wonky, but it should all be fixed now.

      Reply
  2. Cheryl says

    October 16, 2024

    October 16, 2024 at 2:03 am

    We loved it! My husband said it was better than the best strudel that he ever had, and better.
    Enjoy😁

    Reply
  3. Lydia says

    December 30, 2024

    December 30, 2024 at 8:05 pm

    These came out AMAZING! I plan on making these again! The only thing is I doubled the recipe and had a bit of filling left over. So id either get more puff pastry next time or do a one less apple

    Reply

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