Easy Apple Turnovers with Filo Pastry

Saturday brings the beginning of fall and with it, apple season is officially here!  What better way to celebrate the changing of the seasons than with a recipe for Easy Apple Turnovers with Filo Pastry?  Crispy, buttery, flaky filo dough is folded over a delicious warmed apple and spice filling to make these super flavorful, golden brown pastries.

This is a recipe easy enough for even the beginner baker.  It does not require any pastry made from scratch.  Instead, all you need is a package of good quality, store-bought filo pastry dough.  Filo makes these Easy Apple Turnovers light and airy with fewer calories than any other pastry dough; even puff pastry.  These Easy Apple Turnovers with Filo Pastry are like little apple pies, made with a filling similar to that of an apple pie, but with the added bonus of being individually wrapped, self-contained, and portable.

These little pastries are better than any you would find at a bakery.  Not only they are perfect to enjoy with your morning coffee or afternoon tea, but they are also great as a dessert, dusted with some powdered sugar and served with a scoop of good quality vanilla ice cream.

Essential Ingredients for Easy Apple Turnovers with Filo Pastry

• Filo Dough – the pastry needs to be thawed in the refrigerator overnight.  As always, using a good quality filo is essential.  For this recipe I used Fillo Factory filo in the standard 13″ x 18″ size (you will need only half the package)
• Apples –  use your favorite tart and sweet baking apples, like McIntosh, Granny Smith or Empire; for a variation, you could also use pears, which are also now in season
• Warm Spices – ground cinnamon and ground cardamom are a must, but you could also use some ground ginger and/or freshly ground nutmeg too
• Lemon Zest and Lemon Juice – for some added a bright flavor
• Sugar – light brown sugar gives added depth to this dish, but granulated refined sugar works equally as well
• Brandy – or cognac add great flavor to the filling, and the alcohol does cook off, but you can omit this ingredient if you prefer
• Cornstarch – dissolved in a little water, as a thickener.  You could substitute with arrowroot if you have corn allergies
• Butter – to brush on the filo pastry
• Turbinado Sugar:  an absolute must after you have brushed the turnovers with the melted butter.  This step gives an added sweetness and crunch to the pastries. Turbinado sugar is sold commercially in the U.S. as “Sugar in the Raw”, but can be purchased as turbinado sugar in some supermarkets
• Powdered Sugar – for dusting on the baked turnovers (optional)
• Other Optional Additions for the Filling:  Chopped, toasted walnuts, cranberries, raisins

TIPS FOR WORKING WITH FILO DOUGH

• Do not forget to thaw your frozen filo before using, either by placing it in the refrigerator overnight, or, keeping it at room temperature for about two hours before working with it
• Do not take the filo out of its package before the filling is ready, as filo dries out quickly
• Contrary to the popular belief that filo needs to be covered with a damp kitchen towel so it does not dry out, I never do that as it can make the filo wet and the layers sticky.  Instead, I prefer to cover the filo with a dry kitchen towel, as I work – it always works perfectly
• If the filo tears a bit, it is not a big deal, as the tears will be hardly visible at the end
• Once removed from the oven, filo desserts like this, filled with fruit, need to be allowed to cool slightly before serving

HOW TO MAKE THE EASY APPLE TURNOVERS in 6 STEPS

1. Prepare the apples, place them in the pan, then toss them with the sugar and the spices
2. Cook until the apples are slightly soften and caramelized  
3. Make a stack of three filo sheets, each lightly brushed with butter.  Cut the stack into four strips and place some of the apple filling at the end of each strip
4. Start folding upwards, to enclose the filling and create triangles
5. Brush the tops with some melted butter, sprinkle with some turbinado sugar, and bake until crispy and golden brown
6. Allow them to cool slightly, dust them with some powdered sugar, and enjoy

HOW TO MAKE THE APPLE TURNOVERS AHEAD OF TIME

You can form the apple turnovers several hours ahead of time, place them on the prepared pan, cover well and refrigerate.  When you need them, place the pan inside the preheated oven and bake until golden brown, adjusting the cooking time as needed.

You can also form the triangles and freeze them right away, in a single layer in a sheet pan.  Once they are frozen, transfer them to a zip-top bag and return to the freezer.  When you are ready to bake them, place them on a parchment lined-pan and bake frozen, making sure to add a few more minutes to their cooking time.

This recipe for apple turnovers is in collaboration with Fillo Factory. You can find filo dough (along with puff pastry and kataifi) at Whole Foods and several small local stores.  I love the quality of the Fillo Factory products and I always make sure to stash a couple of boxes in the freezer!

5.0 from 5 reviews

Easy Apple Turnovers with Filo Pastry

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

A wonderful, light dessert, full of fall flavors, simple and delicious and always a big hit!

Author: Marilena Leavitt

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: Greek

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 4 - 5 medium baking apples, about 1½ lbs.
• ⅓ cup light brown sugar
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. ground cardamom
• 2 TBSP. brandy
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• 1 TBSP. cold water
• ½ cup butter, melted
• 1 package of filo dough, thawed overnight in the refrigerator
• 2 TBSP. turbinado sugar for sprinkling the tops of the turnovers
• --- powdered sugar, optional for dusting

Instructions

1. Remove the thawed filo from the refrigerator and let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes, without removing it from the package.
2. Peel, core, and quarter the apples. Chop the quarters into ½” pieces then put them in a large nonstick pan along with the light brown sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, cinnamon, cardamom and brandy. Gently combine the ingredients and cook the mixture for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender and caramelized. Dissolve the cornstarch into the cold water and stir it in the apples. Cook for another 3 minutes until the juices thicken. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes to cool.
3. Set the oven rack in the middle position then pre-heat the oven to 375°F.
4. Open the filo package, unroll the filo, and remove one sheet of filo (keep the rest covered with a clean kitchen towel because they dry out easily). Place the first sheet on the counter in front of you, brush it with some melted butter, then top it with a second filo sheet, butter it, and repeat with a third layer of filo. At the end of the process, you will have a three-sheet layer of filo. With a sharp knife, cut the stack of filo in half vertically. Then, cut each half in half again so as to have 4 strips, each one about 4.5 inches wide and 13 inches high.
5. Place about 2, heaping tablespoons of the apple mixture at the end of each strip closest to you. Start folding the filo dough upwards forming triangles as you go (this is done by folding the bottom left corner over the filling diagonally to meet the right edge, then keep folding it over again diagonally until you reach the end of the strip – each triangle can be like a flag or formed with equal sides [i.e., equilateral triangles]). Be sure that the filling stays enclosed in your filo triangles.
6. Continue with the remaining stacks of three filo sheets and the rest of the apple filling. You will have eight triangles in total at the end of the process.
7. Place the triangles on two, rimmed baking sheets that have been lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops with some melted butter, and sprinkle generously with some turbinado sugar. Bake them, one baking sheet at a time, for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the turnovers cool slightly before serving. Serve them plain, with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, or, with a small scoop of good quality vanilla ice cream.

Notes

You can form the apple turnovers ahead of time and freeze them right away, in a single layer in a sheet pan. Once they are frozen, transfer them to a zip-top bag and return to the freezer. Bake them frozen – do not thaw them first. Adjust the baking time as needed.

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