Apple Turnovers (Reduced Sugar)
By America's Test KitchenPublished on May 8, 2020
Time
1 hour, plus 20 minutes freezing and 20 minutes cooling
Yield
Serves 8
Sugar
12 grams (down from 25)
Ingredients
Before You Begin
You can learn more about Sucanat in this article. We recommend using Golden Delicious, Jonagold or Braeburn apples in this recipe. To thaw frozen puff pastry, let it sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours or on the counter for 30 minutes to 1 hour; do not microwave the pastry.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Pulse apples in food processor until most pieces are ¼ to ½ inch thick, about 6 pulses. Toss apples, Sucanat, lemon juice, cinnamon, and salt together in bowl and let stand for 5 minutes. Drain apple mixture in fine-mesh strainer set over bowl, reserving 3 tablespoons juice. In separate bowl, combine drained apples and applesauce.
- On lightly floured counter, roll each pastry sheet into 10-inch square, then cut each into four 5-inch squares, for a total of 8 squares. Place 2 heaping tablespoons apple mixture in center of each square. Brush edges of dough with half of reserved apple juice, then fold dough over filling to form triangle. Crimp edges with fork to seal.
- Using paring knife, cut two ½-inch slits in tops of turnovers. Transfer turnovers to prepared sheet and brush with remaining reserved apple juice. Freeze turnovers until firm, about 20 minutes. (Once frozen, turnovers can be transferred to airtight container and frozen for up to 1 month.)
- Brush frozen turnovers with beaten egg white and bake until well browned, 20 to 26 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Transfer turnovers to wire rack and let cool slightly, about 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Time
1 hour, plus 20 minutes freezing and 20 minutes coolingYield
Serves 8Sugar
12 grams (down from 25)Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
To streamline the process for this recipe, we used a food processor to coarsely chop the apples and then tossed them with a bit of Sucanat and cinnamon before spooning the mixture right into our puff pastry. These turnovers were plenty sweet, but tasters found the filling far too wet, runny, and unevenly cooked. To get rid of excess moisture, we let the processed apples macerate with the Sucanat and then we drained the exuded juices. The results were better: The filling was slightly more set and the apples were more evenly cooked. But the filling was now too dry. Not wanting to muddy the flavor of our filling, we decided to enhance the apple flavor by tossing the macerated apples with a bit of unsweetened applesauce. These turnovers were the best yet, and tasters loved the intense apple flavor and saucier texture of the filling. While turnovers are often finished with a sugary glaze or sprinkled with sugar before baking, we opted to skip this step to keep the sugar content down. But tasters still wanted a bit of sweetness in the pastry itself. We realized that the answer was in an ingredient we had been tossing down the drain: the juice from the macerated apples. Brushing the tops of the turnovers with some of the reserved juice gave them just enough sweetness and enhanced the apple flavor even more. Right before baking, we gave the turnovers a final brush with egg white to give them even more color and a glossy sheen. These final turnovers were perfect: deep golden brown, crisp, and bubbling with a thick, saucy apple filling.
Before You Begin
You can learn more about Sucanat in this article. We recommend using Golden Delicious, Jonagold or Braeburn apples in this recipe. To thaw frozen puff pastry, let it sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours or on the counter for 30 minutes to 1 hour; do not microwave the pastry.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Pulse apples in food processor until most pieces are ¼ to ½ inch thick, about 6 pulses. Toss apples, Sucanat, lemon juice, cinnamon, and salt together in bowl and let stand for 5 minutes. Drain apple mixture in fine-mesh strainer set over bowl, reserving 3 tablespoons juice. In separate bowl, combine drained apples and applesauce.
- On lightly floured counter, roll each pastry sheet into 10-inch square, then cut each into four 5-inch squares, for a total of 8 squares. Place 2 heaping tablespoons apple mixture in center of each square. Brush edges of dough with half of reserved apple juice, then fold dough over filling to form triangle. Crimp edges with fork to seal.
- Using paring knife, cut two ½-inch slits in tops of turnovers. Transfer turnovers to prepared sheet and brush with remaining reserved apple juice. Freeze turnovers until firm, about 20 minutes. (Once frozen, turnovers can be transferred to airtight container and frozen for up to 1 month.)
- Brush frozen turnovers with beaten egg white and bake until well browned, 20 to 26 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Transfer turnovers to wire rack and let cool slightly, about 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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