Apple Turnovers
Difficulty: Easy
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Serves 4
There’s nothing more American than apple pie. But traditional apple pie is too cumbersome to eat on the go and there's too much filling compared to crust. I’m more of a crust guy and Apple turnovers are a great way to address those issues. By wrapping the filling with pie crust you create a portable, handheld pie with a greater crust to filling ratio! These are easier to make than a traditional apple pie and require no special pans either! These apple turnovers will be a great change of pace from other baked goods you may have been making and you can pretend that you’re being healthy by eating some fruit.
The Recipe:
Ingredients:
Filling:
4 Granny Smith or Baking apples
3 tablespoons of butter
3 tablespoons white sugar
3 tablespoons honey
1/3rd cup brown sugar
15 ml of cognac
The zest of 1 medium lemon
The juice of half a medium lemon
1.5 tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon of freshly ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Crust:
2 cups of flour
1 cup of butter
Cut the butter into small pieces and place into a freezer for about 30 mins before use
1/3rd cup of ice-cold water
4 tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
Egg wash:
1 beaten egg
Sugar to sprinkle on top
The Process:
Start by making the pie crust, by placing the flour and cubed butter in a food processor and blitzing until the butter and flour come together into a bread crumb-like consistency.
When pressing the mixture between your fingers it should come together, but crumble back up once rubbed.
Alt: you can do this without a food processor just cut the butter into even smaller pieces and rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips.
Then add your sugar, water and salt, and blitz until it comes together.
Bring the dough together into a singular mass and wrap in plastic wrap. Then allow the dough to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
For the filling, peel and dice 4 apples into bite-size pieces
Heat 3 tablespoons of butter in a nonstick pan on medium and allow the butter to brown before adding the apples
Once the apples are added add your sugar, salt, honey, brown sugar, cornstarch, and cognac. Cook until the apples reach your desired doneness
Chefs Tip: If you prefer a crunchier filling then cook the apples for less, but if you want a jammier filling, then cook the apple longer
Once the apples have reached your desired doneness, add the cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon zest, and lemon juice and taste and adjust.
Allow the filling to cool down to room temperature before filling your apple turnovers.
Cut the pie dough into 4 segments (wrapping the unused segments and placing back into the fridge) and roll into a circle until it reaches about a 1/8th of an inch in thickness.
Fill the center with a quarter of the apple filling and fold over creating a sealed vessel.
Crimp the edges by folding or pressing down with a fork dusted in flour (to prevent sticking).
Repeat step 11 for the remaining dough and filling.
Place the turnovers onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.
With a sharp knife poke 3 ventilation holes on the top of the turnover to allow any steam to escape.
Place into a preheated oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
Depending on how much sugar you sprinkle on top of the turnover, the crust may be susceptible to burning so make sure you keep an out for that.
Allow cooling for 10 mins before serving.
