An Easy Apple Turnover

For most of my life I did not enjoy anything made with baked apples.  I think it was the texture that I didn't like, as I found the warm apples too mushy for my taste.  I loved the cinnamon and apple combination, just not when warmed.  Sometime last year, or perhaps the year before, I ate a slice of apple pie and it was good.  Really good, actually.  After so many years of disliking this kind of dessert how could I suddenly find the taste so yummy?  A quick inspection of the filling, revealed that the apples had been cut to a small dice and were so tiny they had become almost mashed, which made all the difference for me.  Finally I had discovered the beauty of a baked apple dessert.

Yesterday, after finishing the weekly food shopping, I realized I had more apples that we could possibly eat this week, so I decided to incorporate them into the after-school snacks I would make for my boys. 

Making turnovers seemed like the most logical answer as the portability of the snacks is great for kids. They don't require a plate or utensils and can be packed and eaten with ease and speed.

Despite my dislike for baked apples for most of my childhood, I always did have a fond spot for apples and cheese together.  Serve these with a slice of old cheddar, like my husband did yesterday,  and I promise you won't be disappointed.

Easy Apple Turnovers, adapted from a Martha Stewart Recipe

For the dough:

2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 cup ice-cold butter, grated on a box grater

6 tbsp ice-cold water

For the filling:

2 cups small diced apples, slightly mashed

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp corn starch

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

~ Prepare the dough: In a small bowl combine the flour, salt and sugar.  Mix well to combine.  Add the grated butter and 4 tbsp of water and mix well until the flour mixture begins to look like coarse meal with pea-sized pieces of butter in the dough.  Your hands will work well for this.  The dough should be crumbly but hold together when squeezed.  Add more water, a tablespoon at a time, if needed to bring the dough to the proper consistency.

~ Form the dough into a large round disk, wrap with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for one hour.

~ While the dough is resting, combine the apples, sugars, cornstarch, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium bowl and toss together.  Set aside.

~ Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough and cut into 12 rectangular pieces (they don't have to be precise).  Spoon some filling into the centre of each piece of dough.

~ Brush some egg wash on the edges of each piece and fold the dough over so it meets at the edges.  Press firmly to seal and crimp with the tongs of a fork or with your fingers.

~ Place turnovers on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Brush the tops with remaining egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar.  Using a sharp knife, or scissors, score a hole in the centre to allow the steam to escape while baking.  Bake until golden brown, approx. 20-25 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  Store in an air-tight container for 2-3 days.

~ Enjoy!

Comments

[Slugs On The Refrigerator]

just made these with my son and they turned out great! we substituted agave for the sugar in the recipe and they were still lovely!

[Jan Scott]

I'm so glad you liked them and I love that you used agave in the recipe. Thanks for the tip - I should try it that way too as I'm really trying to reduce the amount of sugar my kids consume, not that that's always obvious based on my posts :)