Apple Turnover Time!

Last Christmas my aunt gave us a Bouchon Bakery cookbook, which has wonderful pictures of all the recipes.  Yesterday I was just flipping through it, looking at all of the pictures, when I saw the recipe for apple turnovers!  Now I have always been a big fan of anything made with apples; apple pie, apple ice cream, apple sauce, apple turnovers, you name it!  I have had apple turnovers many times before, but never home made, so since everything is always better if you make it at home, I decided to make apple turnovers!

I wanted to make them right away, so I bought my puff pastry at Ralph's, but if you have the time, make yours at home!

The first thing you will need is apples, eight apples to be precise.  I'm used Granny Smith apples because they are very tart and crispy, so the sugar doesn't make them too sweet, but you can use any other type of apple.

If you have an apple peeler, use it, it makes peeling and coring the apples so much easier!  But if you don't have one you can always do it by hand.

Cut the peeled and cored apples into quarters and put them into a bowl with water and lemon juice so they don't get brown.

While the apples are soaking, add 1/2 cup sugar to a large pot with a lid,

Along with 1 tablespoon warm water,

And stir them together until the sugar is completely moistened.

Turn on the pot and let the sugar mixture melt.

Drain the apples and add them to the pot with some lemon juice.

Put on the lid and let the apples cook down.

After about 5 minutes, once the apples have cooked down a bit, it's time to add the spices!

I'm using mace, ground cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon.

Add 1/4 teaspoon of mace,

1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves,

1 teaspoon of nutmeg,

1/2 teaspoon of allspice,

And 2 teaspoons of cinnamon.

Once you've mixed in all of the spices and your apple mixture is a dark golden brown, put the lid back on and let it cook down for about 5 for minutes, then turn off the stove, take off the lid, and let it cool.

While your apples are cooling, it's time to tackle the puff pastry!  (Don't forget to preheat your oven to 350 F)

Unwrap the box, take one of the sheets out, and put it on a well floured surface.  You don't want anything sticking!

Cut your sheet into 4 identical squares.

Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and put a scoop of the cooled apple filling in the middle.

Brush the edges with egg wash (1 egg yolk & 1/4 milk.)  This helps the pastry seal at the edges.

Fold over the pastry, making sure it is completely sealed at the edges.  You don't want any of your filling coming out!

Repeat this process with the second sheet of puff pastry.  Once all of your turnovers are assembled, put them in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until they are very crispy have doubled in size.

When the turnovers are cooked, take them out of the oven and transfer them to a cooling rack.  Let them cool for 10-20 minutes.

I'm so glad I decided to make apple turnovers, they're just so good!  They probably would've been even better if I had taken the time to make my own puff pastry, but that takes several hours, and who wants to wait that long?  I hope you enjoy your apple turnovers!