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Filled with a spiced poached apple-raisin compote, this flaky puff pastry apple turnover recipe offers a warm, rustic addition to any brunch or breakfast spread. Or, pair with vanilla ice cream for a simple dessert.
Why Do I Love This Apple Turnover Recipe?
In Intermediate Pâtisserie at Le Cordon Bleu London we learned to make chaussons aux poires (pear turnovers) during a demonstration on puff pastry. However, during the demo the teaching chef mentioned that in France, chaussons are traditionally made with apples. And luckily, while I don’t often keep pears on hand, I do usually have a few apples in the fruit bowl. Which means I often find myself baking up a batch of these rustic treats.
Chaussons aux pommes (“apple turnovers,” as they’re known in English) feature an apple filling encased in puff pastry. They’re delightfully easy to make, especially if you begin with a store-bought sheet of puff pastry, as I usually do. Baked in the oven until flaky and golden brown and best served warm, this apple turnover recipe works equally well for breakfast, brunch, or dessert.
Ingredients for Making Apple Turnovers
To make chaussons aux pommes (apple turnovers) you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Granny Smith apples – Wash, core, and quarter the apples before preparing the poaching syrup.
- Lemon – Lemon zest and juice add a touch of acid to the spicy-sweet poaching syrup.
- Granulated sugar – To give the apple compote its sweetness.
- Fresh ginger – About 25 grams, or a thumb-sized piece. No need to peel—just pop it in the pan whole.
- Cinnamon stick – I used 1 6-inch cinnamon stick. If your sticks are smaller, you can add a second one for a more pronounced cinnamon flavor.
- Ground spices – Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves. You can also add 1/8 teaspoon of allspice or ground cardamom, if desired.
- Raisins – Golden raisins, sultanas, dried cranberries, dried cherries, or mixed peel will also work.
- Puff pastry – I’ve used store-bought puff pastry for convenience, but you can also make your own.
- Egg yolk – Using egg yolk only gives the pastry a darker, deeper color. You can use whole beaten egg for a lighter shade.
- Demerara sugar – Optional, but I love the sweet crunch!
How to Make Apple Turnovers
To make these rustic apple turnovers, you’ll begin by poaching apples in a syrup of lemon, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon. After allowing the poached apples to cool, toss them with raisins (or golden raisins, or dried cranberries) to make a simple compote. Then, spoon the filling on top of discs puff pastry and fold the dough to encase the fruit mixture, creating the classic triangular turnover shape. Finally, crimp the edges with a fork, egg wash the tops of the pastries, sprinkle with a generous amount of Demerara sugar, and bake in the oven until flaky and golden brown.
The combination of buttery pastry and warm, spiced fruit filling makes these simple apple turnovers downright irresistible.
How to Enjoy Apple Turnovers
- Serve warm chaussons aux pommes as part of a breakfast or brunch spread.
- Eat apple turnovers for lunch alongside soup or salad.
- Enjoy as an afternoon snack. (They’re hand-held and portable, with no utensils required!)
- Plate up chaussons aux pommes for a simple dessert, accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice cream and/or a drizzle of homemade caramel sauce. (Whipped cream, or coconut whipped cream, would also be lovely!)
Tools and Ingredients for Making Chaussons aux Pommes (Apple Turnovers)
Because I’ve started with pre-made puff pastry, so this apple turnover recipe is easy to make. (Of course if you’re feeling adventurous, you can also make your own puff pastry.) I always keep a few rolls of puff pastry in my fridge or freezer. It’s fantastic for so many recipes, including hand pies, pithiviers, and cheese twists.
You’ll need a few basic tools to prepare this apple turnover recipe, including a half-sheet rimmed baking tray, a pastry brush, a large stock pot, and a round metal cutter. You’ll also need baking parchment to line your tray, and to make a cartouche for covering the saucepan. Read on to learn all about making a cartouche.
Making the Cartouche
A cartouche is a parchment circle placed over top of a simmering stew, sauce, or compote to help prevent evaporation.
To make a cartouche, begin by cutting a circle of parchment just slightly larger than the opening of your saucepan:
Then, fold the parchment into a square, snip the corner, and round the edges, as though you’re making a paper snowflake. The small hole in the middle allows steam to escape while the compote simmers:
Place the finished cartouche over the saucepan, as per the recipe below:
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
Apple turnovers are best enjoyed on the day they are made, ideally while still slightly warm. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. Layer leftover pastries between sheets of parchment to prevent them from sticking together.
Chaussons aux pommes can also be frozen in an airtight container and layered between sheets of parchment, then thawed and warmed for 5-10 minutes at 350° F / 175° C in a traditional oven.
More turnover and hand pie recipes you might enjoy:
Peach and Ginger Hand Pies
Blueberry, Peach, and Walnut Hand Pies
Nutella-Stuffed Wreaths
Mixed Berry Breakfast Pastries
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
Apple Turnovers (Chaussons aux Pommes)
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 4-inch turnovers 1x
Description
An apple turnover recipe featuring flaky puff pastry and a spiced poached apple-raisin compote filling.
Ingredients
Apple Raisin Compote:
2 Granny Smith apples, cored and quartered
15 milliliters lemon juice (1 tablespoon)
300 milliliters water (1 1/3 cups)
105 grams granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
25 grams fresh ginger (thumb-sized piece)
1 cinnamon stick
Zest and juice of one lemon
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
50 grams raisins, golden raisins, or sultanas (1/3 cup)
Assembly:
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed according to package directions if frozen
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
Demerara sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
Toss the quartered apples in 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
In a large stock pot, combine the water, sugar, ginger, cinnamon stick, lemon juice, lemon zest, and ground spices. Bring to a boil and allow the sugar to dissolve.
Once dissolved, reduce heat to medium-low and add the quartered apples.
Place a cartouche (see notes) on top, allowing it to touch the apples.
Simmer over medium-low heat until apples poach, about 25-30 minutes. Apples should be fork-tender, but not falling apart.
Discard the ginger and cinnamon stick. Drain apples in a fine-mesh strainer. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool, about 30 minutes.
Once cool, dice the poached apples into 1/2-inch pieces and toss with the raisins.
Preheat oven to 400° F / 205° C. Line a half-sheet rimmed tray with parchment.
Unroll pastry on a silicone rolling mat or lightly floured countertop. Depending on the size of the pastry sheet you’ve chosen, you might need to use a rolling pin to roll the pastry a few inches wider. It should be big enough to accommodate about 8 4-inch discs.
With a 4-inch or 4 1/2-inch round metal cutter, cut the pastry into discs.
Transfer to prepared tray. (Save the pastry scraps to make no-waste cheese twists!)
Spoon compote, dividing it evenly among the discs of pastry, then use a pastry brush to apply beaten egg in a thin strip around the outer edge of each disc.
Fold the pastry over the apple compote to create a crescent moon shape. Use your fingertips to gently seal the edges.
Use a fork to crimp along the sealed edge. (Alternatively, you can use the back of a knife to create a decorative scalloped edge.) If desired, use the back of a paring knife to score a design into the top of each pastry. You can also skip this step if you prefer a more minimalist look.
With a pastry brush, brush the top of each apple turnover with egg wash.
Sprinkle generously with Demerara sugar.
Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until turnovers are flaky and deeply golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool briefly before serving. Serve warm.
Apple turnovers are best enjoyed on the day they are made. Turnovers can also be frozen in an airtight container between layers of parchment. Thaw at room temperature and rewarm for 5-10 minutes in a 350° F oven prior to serving.
Notes
A cartouche is a parchment circle placed over top of a simmering stew, sauce, or compote to help prevent evaporation. See the post above for step-by-step instructions for making a cartouche.
I used raisins for the compote, but feel free to substitute sultanas, dried cranberries, dried cherries, or mixed peel, will work. You can also add toasted walnuts for a bit of crunch.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Poaching Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Turnovers and Hand Pies
- Method: Stovetop + Oven
- Cuisine: French
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