These flaky turnovers are so easy to make. Simply stuff with homemade cinnamon apple filling and generously top with caramel sauce.
What I love about these turnovers is how simple they are. There is absolutely nothing difficult about making these caramel apple turnovers! Much easier than a full apple pie, but with all the same apple and cinnamon goodness. It all starts with a package of thawed puff pastry. Puff pastry is very easy to work with. In its raw form, it’s similar to pie crust. When baked – it’s magically airy, flaky, and puffy. Layers upon layers of buttery goodness.
The trick here is to thaw the puff pastry for about 2 hours. But do not let it get too warm or it will be hard to work with. An easy way to do this is to put the frozen puff pastry in the refrigerator before going to sleep. In the morning, the pastry will be thawed, but still cool.
There are typically two sheets of puff pastry in a standard box. Unfold the two sheets and lay them flat. Cut each into four squares. Spoon the filling into the center. Fold in a triangle. Crimp edges with a fork, then brush with beaten egg so they’re beautiful and shiny on top.
Like so:
The filling is made from two small peeled and chopped apples. I used 1 Granny Smith and 1 Pink Lady apple. Any variety will work. You’ll cook down the apples with cornstarch, chopped pecans, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and sugar. The pecans are completely optional. I loved the extra texture they gave to the gooey filling though!
The cinnamon-y apples will leak onto the baking sheet…
…and it’s utterly amazing.
I like to eat them warm right out of the oven. Once they’re done, drizzle each with salted caramel. There is nothing quite like the combination of caramel and apples, especially this time of year! If you ever have the itch to pair the two together in a full-size pie, my salted caramel apple pie is for you. Or try salted caramel apple pie bars or these apple cupcakes with salted caramel frosting.
If you have about an hour to spare, do yourself a favor and make these irresistible turnovers. For breakfast, afternoon snack, or heck – even dessert with a huge scoop of melty vanilla ice cream and a dollop of whipped cream. (Umm… yum.)
Don’t want to use puff pastry? Use my favorite pie crust to make individual hand-pies with this filling instead. See my apple hand pies post for shaping success tips, as well as alternate filling ideas. That filling is very similar to this one, but yields more filling and uses more fall spices.
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Caramel Apple Turnovers
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 turnovers
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Easy, buttery, and incredibly flaky turnovers stuffed with gooey cinnamon apples and generously topped with caramel sauce. My favorite way to start a cool, crisp fall morning.
Ingredients
Filling
- 2 small peeled & finely diced apples, any variety
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- optional: 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Pastry
- 1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, thawed*
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup salted caramel for drizzling
Instructions
- Make the filling: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook the apples, cornstarch, pecans, vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar. Stir constantly for 5 minutes. Switch to low heat and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool off for 20 minutes.
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Prepare the pastry: Unroll the puff pastry sheets onto a lightly floured surface. Cut each into 4 squares. Spoon 2-3 Tablespoons of apple mixture onto the center of each square. Fold each over into a triangle shape and crimp the edges with a fork to seal. See photo above for visual. Some apple juices may leak out.
- Lightly brush the top of each turnover with beaten egg. Cut 2 or 3 small steam vents in the tops. Bake each batch for 20 minutes until golden brown. Rotate the pan halfway through bake time to avoid uneven browning.
- Remove from the oven and drizzle each turnover with caramel sauce before serving. Turnovers taste best on the same day, though you can store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Baked turnovers can be frozen up to 2 months and thawed overnight in the refrigerator, then warmed up in the oven or microwave.
- Puff Pastry: See text above for the best way to thaw puff pastry for this recipe.
Keywords: caramel apple turnovers
Who else is ready for fall?
I would love to make these for thanksgiving but I was wondering if I could bake it earlier in the day then warm them up before serving for dessert?
That shouldn’t be a problem, though they are delicious at room temperature as well!
Warming, sweet and so very delicious! I omitted the pecans since this is my first time making this recipe, but I’m much more open to the idea. I added some nutmeg and allspice to my apple batch and used part brown sugar instead of all white. Then, before baking, I sprinkled each with some turbinado sugar. I’m honestly glad I just made four to start with because these are wonderfully decadent! I’ll make these again when the urge for a fruit turnover hits. Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
These are so moorish! Amazing recipe; easy to get right!
Your recipes are always delish! Can I make the filling in advance and refrigerate for a day or 2?
Hi Katherine, Yes that should be ok!
Everything about this recipe was perfect, easy and delicious. I will definitely be making these again. Used puff pastry from a local pastry shop. And used SBA’s caramel sauce recipe. Based on some comments, I added a little bit more cream. The sauce thickened in the frig, but did not get solid. It was easy to spoon over the hot turnovers, where it melted nicely. Thank you!!!
★★★★★
I have made these for three years now, I have fine tuned them to my tastes and absolutely love them. I put in less vanilla (our is really strong), and use 1/3 of a cup brown sugar instead of white, which I find gives it a richer flavour. Also, I make them smaller so that I can put them in my kid’s lunch boxes and instead of egg, brush butter on top and sprinkle cinnamon sugar on that. I also freeze them before baking and they work really well to bake from frozen. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Is there a flour version instead of pastry?
★★★★★
Hi Nancy! For a homemade version, I recommend this homemade pastry dough.
These turned out absolutely gorgeous. My 2 year old nephew said they are the best thing he’s ever put in his mouth Thanks for another wonderful and easy to follow recipe!
★★★★★
I made these a while ago and they tasted so good!!! I was wondering if I could make it into an apple pie filling?
★★★★★
I love your Danish dough recipe and make it often, how well would these work with that recipe?
Thanks Katie! You can definitely use the homemade danish dough for these instead of the store-bought.
Hey Sally,
I have made these and they are by far – THE BEST dessert I have ever eaten. Not just made, but out of any dessert I have eaten – EVER. I love them so much, it’s a little obsessive.
Anyway, I was wondering if you thought it could be possible to combine the filling in your turnovers to be made in your apple pie recipe? There might be some chemistry that I’m missing… but the filling is THAT good. I kind of want to put it in everything.
Keep being amazing Sally!
Jennifer– I’m SO happy you love this turnovers so much! I love them too, but it’s been some time since I made them! For the potential pie– this won’t nearly be enough to fill a pie. I would double the recipe, but keep the sugar around 2/3 cup (it would be WAY too sweet with 1 whole cup). Increase cornstarch to 1 Tbsp instead of 2 tsp. Even then, you might not have enough filling. Maybe add an extra apple too.
Made with apples from our apple tree..turned out DELICIOUS <3
Do you have a preference of pastry puff that you use? Have you ever made homemade pastry puff? If you have- I’d love the recipe! And if you haven’t you should! Making these right now… can’t wait to try them! I want to eat the apple filling out of the pan it smells amazing.
Hey Kristin! Yes, here is my homemade danish pastry recipe. I typically use it for pastry braids, though it would work wonderfully as a homemade alternative here: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-danish-pastry-dough/
This was the first recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction that I have made (I made them yesterday), and they were a HUGE hit! I received many “ooohs” and “aaahs”. And they were SO EASY to make! (but I didn’t tell anyone… that will remain my little secret). I also made the caramel sauce, which I have heard is a very tricky process, but I followed the instructions and timing exactly as the recipe said, and it was some of the best caramel I’ve ever had. Thanks so much for this recipe! I will for sure be making this one again.
Thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe! I just discovered your blog, and I’m so happy I did! I made these turnovers over the weekend and my family went nuts for them! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
ohhh Sally. This filling is divine!! I used a different crust recipe (don’t have puff pastry where I live and I didn’t have shortening in the house) and the turnover came out great. But this filling, ohhhhhhh amazing!!
I love apple pie and anything like,! I was just wondering if the filling itself could be made a night before baking the turnovers,?
It sure can! I’ve done that before to save time. You can keep it in the refrigerator.
These were so easy to make and came out so fantastic! My fiancé said they looked so perfect he was going to look for the bakery box! And they were so delicious! I used half brown sugar and half white sugar instead of all white and added a 1/4 tsp of apple pie spice. I drizzled them with regular glaze to make it even more simple. We couldn’t stop eating them!
★★★★★
I made these today and they were a total hit!