Easy Apple Turnovers with Filo Pastry
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
A wonderful, light dessert, full of fall flavors, simple and delicious and always a big hit!
Author:
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.
Recipe by Marilena's Kitchen at https://marilenaskitchen.com/easy-apple-turnovers-with-filo-pastry/