Full disclosure: I’m not posting any new Halloween recipes this year, but I did update my Candy Corn Cupcakes, so that’s something. Right? I don’t know. I’m just not a Halloween gal. I can’t help it. I did purchase some sparkly cat ears, but I’ve mentally moved on to November.
I spent one morning last week loading my freezer with pie dough because—can you believe it—it’s almost time to talk about Thanksgiving food. Almost. Not yet. Don’t worry, I’m going to let Halloween happen before we discuss pie (!) and side dishes (!!!) and everything that goes with a teeny Thanksgiving fit for a pandemic (?????).
Again though—not yet. Not today, not Friday. But also, if you made these Apple Turnovers a part of your Thanksgiving dessert spread, I don’t think you’d have any complaints. Flaky pastry folded around perfectly-spiced apple filling? Oh hell yes. Pass ‘em my way, please.
But why wait til Thanksgiving when you can have apple turnovers today? Or this weekend? Or on election night? I always like to have a cooking or baking project on election night to keep myself from spiraling, and that goes double this year. I pickled carrots in 2012 and made chili in 2016. Is 2020 the apple turnover election night? Maybe so.
I make turnovers approximately once every four years, which is ridiculous because they are incredibly simple. Truly, they’re hardly a recipe—just put some filling on a square of puff pastry, fold it over (ahem, “turn it over”) into a triangle, bake until brown, and then drizzle on a glaze. Whether you use homemade rough puff pastry or the thawed frozen stuff, these are one of the easiest homemade pastries out there, y’all.
Oh, and they’re so delicious—crisp, buttery, flaky and chock-full of apple filling. They’re a comfort pastry if I’ve ever had one. Is that a thing? Comfort pastries? It should be a thing. Let’s make it a thing.
Apple Turnovers
makes 6 turnovers
Apple Filling:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large baking apples, 1/4-inch diced
3 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon cornstarch (or flour)
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
pinch of Kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
Rough Puff Pastry:*
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
5 ounces (10 tablespoons) unsalted European-style butter, very cold, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup water or milk, very cold
Egg Wash:
1 large egg
1 teaspoon water
Glaze:
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
pinch of salt
2-3 teaspoons milk
Apple Filling and Rough Puff Pastry may be made a day in advance. Keep both tightly wrapped in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Make the Apple Filling. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add butter and swirl to melt. Add apples and cook, stirring frequently, until softened but not mushy (about 8-10 minutes). Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and salt. Stir in apple cider vinegar. Remove from heat and let filling cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Make the pastry. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Use a pastry blender or two forks to cut butter into dry ingredients until the largest pieces are the size of small peas. Pour in cold water or milk and stir with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms.
Flour a surface and a rolling pin. Turn dough out onto surface, and use your hands to pat it into a rough rectangle. Roll the dough into an 8×10″ rectangle. Fold dough in thirds, and give it one quarter turn. Roll into an 8×10″ rectangle again, fold, and turn. Repeat rolling, folding, and turning until it has been done six times total. Wrap folded dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour, or up to 48 hours.
Make the tart. Place an oven rack in the center position. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment.
Make egg wash. Combine egg and water in a small bowl and whisk together with a fork.
Flour a surface and a rolling pin. Unfold dough. Roll dough out to 10×14-inch rectangle. Slice into 6 squares.
Working with one square at a time, roll it into a 5-inch square. Place 2 slightly-heaping tablespoons of apple filling in the center. Paint two intersecting edges of each turnover with egg wash. Fold dough into half to seal. Use a fork to crimp the edge. Remove to prepared pan. Repeat with remaining dough and filling, chilling for 15 minutes if dough becomes sticky or difficult with which to work.
Chill pan of turnovers for 10 minutes. Cut vents in each turnover. Brush all exposed pastry with egg wash. Bake 25-27 minutes or until golden. Let cool on the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.
Make glaze. In a small bowl, use a fork to whisk together confectioner’s sugar, salt and 2 teaspoons milk. Add more milk by the 1/2 teaspoon until the desired consistency is reached. Drizzle over cooled turnovers. Glaze should set after 20 minutes.
Turnovers are best the day they are made, but will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Pastry will soften over time.
Note:
If you do not wish to make the Rough Puff Pastry, you may use one sheet of frozen all-butter puff pastry that you have thawed according to package directions.
I’ve somehow blogged my way through five Thanksgivings without ever posting an apple pie. There was one 
I kind of feel like I should preface this recipe by saying that I know there are a million and a half apple pie recipes and that this is nothing revolutionary, but
In terms of flavoring, there’s all sorts of good stuff in here. The apples are tossed in a mixture of granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and apple cider vinegar before being left to macerate (sit and release liquid) for an hour. After that, a mixture of ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves is stirred in, along with some cornstarch for thickening and salt for balance. Mmhmm.
The filling—accumulated liquid and all—is piled high into a pie crust before being topped with another crust. I went for a classic lattice and a couple of braids here, but feel free to do a whole top crust (make sure to cut some vents!) or whatever makes you happy. Then brush that thing with egg wash, sprinkle it with coarse sugar and bake the crap out of it.
When you read through this recipe, you’ll notice that there are a lot of pauses and chills and that this pie bakes for more than an hour. Pie takes time, y’all. There’s no way around it. If I wrote a chill in there, it’s because I think it’s important. I don’t want to put anymore time between you (or me!) and that first slice than absolutely necessary.
As for baking, this pie is a bit of a diva, but aren’t they all?! In apple pie’s case, you’ll need to preheat a rimmed baking sheet when you heat the oven. This serves two purposes: protecting your oven floor from overflow and helping ensure that the bottom crust doesn’t wind up completely raw. Also, this pie starts baking at 400F for fifteen minutes and finishes at 375F for 50-60 more. It’s a long time, but this is a big pie! Try to be patient, and don’t forget to tent with foil as necessary. You want that golden top!
I promise all this work will be worth it when you slice this thing up. Homemade apple pie always is.
If you are looking for an apple cake with brown sugar and warming spices, this isn’t the one. (
If, however, you’re looking for a buttery, almost custard-like cake with only a teaspoon of vanilla extract to distract from the flavor of tender fresh apples, you’ve come to the right blog.
Meet the French Apple Cake. It’s easy. It’s elegant. It’s French home-baking at its finest.
This little cake is perfect for the upcoming holidays (or just any ol’ day) because it requires minimal effort and delivers big time. Also, it requires exactly nine ingredients (ten, if you include the confectioner’s sugar) and there’s an 80% chance you have all of them already.
There’s no need to soften any butter either, so you can conceivably have this in the oven in under 20 minutes. You won’t even need to break out your mixer!
This beauty bakes up in about 45 minutes, and since it doesn’t require frosting or filling or anything more than a dusting of confectioner’s sugar, it only needs a 15 minute rest before you can release it from its springform and slice it up.
You read all that correctly. If you crank the oven right now, you can be eating French Apple Cake in 80 minutes.
I’d start moving toward the kitchen, if I were you.
e2 bakes brooklyn 