You may know these Mini Apple & Cinnamon Turnovers as hand pies or even parcels. They're easy to make, and the lightly spiced apple filling is encased in a delicious cream cheese pastry. They're the perfect bake for the autumn months.
As summer fades in Autumn with the chillier, shorter days and the leaves beginning to turn all shades of browns, many of us are starting to be drawn towards comfort foods.
For me, being a girl with an obvious sweet tooth (just check out my recipe index and I'm sure you'll soon agree), comfort food can be anything from steamed puddings, rich fruit cakes to fruit crumbles and pies.
The great thing about autumn, as I see it, other than the fact that it's a whole lot of fun to walk through piles of crisp, freshly fallen gold and russet leaves (I know, I'm such a big kid!) is the huge range of seasonal fruit and vegetables available. From blackberries and pears, to pumpkins and squashes, and beets. And of course it's the start of the apple season too!
Which makes it the perfect time to make a homemade apple pie. with a touch of cinnamon was the perfect bake.
Quick and Easy Apple Pie
I wanted a quick pie. A pie that didn't require lining a tin. A pie that didn't need blind baking. A pie that's forgiving. A pie that I could eat out of my hand. These Apple and Cinnamon Turnovers, or as our American friends call them Apple and Cinnamon Hand Pies, are super easy to make and absolutely delicious both warm (though not hot as you're likely to burn your mouth!) or cold .
The pastry discs are cut out with a large biscuit cutter (though a tea plate or upturned bowl would work equally well, and would produce a hand pie a little larger than the ones I made here which is no bad thing).
They're filled with a simple yet delicious apple and cinnamon mixture which is thickened with a little cornflour to prevent that dreaded soggy bottom!
Cream Cheese Pastry
The pastry used to make these Apple & Cinnamon Turnovers is enriched with cream cheese making it even more delicious than the usual sweet or puff pastry used for hand pies! It's a pastry I first came across, and fell in love with, when making a batch of Rugelach with a sweet mincemeat filling a few years ago.
It works so well in these Mini Apple and Cinnamon Turnovers too! The cream cheese pastry is quick and easy to pull together, but I must admit with it containing a significant amount of fat courtesy of the butter and cream cheese it does need to be chilled to prevent it from becoming sticky and difficult to work with!
Ingredients
See recipe card for full instructions and quantities.
Use a clear shot of the ingredients for this recipe, prepped, and labeled if necessary. Insert the ingredients into the list below, omitting quantities.
For the Pastry
- Plain flour- (US =all purpose)
- Butter - Chilled. I tend to use lightly salted butter, as that is what I have in the fridge. If you use unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt
- Caster sugar - to sweeten pastry
- Cream cheese - full-fat
- Icing sugar - for rolling
For the Apple Filling
- Eating Apples - I used Braeburn, Coxes or Granny Smiths would also work well. About 300g (12oz) once thinly peeled & cored
- Caster sugar - I use golden caster sugar for most of my baking. It's the same as normal caster sugar, but it's unrefined. It is a little more flavoursome with light caramel tones.
- Cornflour (US = cornstarch)
- Ground Cinnamon - I used ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon for a subtle flavour. Use up to 1 teaspoon if you prefer a more defined cinnamon flavour.
- Butter
To Finish the Turnovers
- Milk - Whichever you have in the fridge.
- Caster Sugar - to give a crunch topping.
Variations
- Try other fruit such as pears or plums or add a few raspberries or blackberries to the apple.
- Try with other spices such as ground ginger, nutmeg or cardamon in place of the cinnamon.
Cook's Tip
- Making the Pastry - Chill the pastry well chilled to prevent it from becoming sticky and difficult to work with!
- Time Saver - Use a sweet short crust ready made pastry if you are in a hurry. You will need about 600g (1 ¼ lbs) for the quantity I made here.
Equipment
- 10 cm (4 in) plain round cutter
- Rolling Pin
- Baking Sheets
Tip - If you don't have a 10cm plain round cookie cutter to hand, alternatives you could use are an upturned large drinking glass, saucer, tea plate or dessert bowl. Use a sharp knife to cut around the object to create a pastry disc. Obviously if using a larger item to cut around, your yield of hand pies will be smaller.
How to serve
The filling is wonderful and fresh with a delicate touch of spice, and the pastry is wonderfully flaky with that melt in the mouth quality. They are absolutely scrumptious served on their own but also team well with Stem Ginger Ice cream, custard or cream
Storage /Leftovers
The turnovers will keep for up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring up to room temperature before serving.
Freeze:
Before baking: for up to 6 months. Open freeze on a linesd tray until frozen then transfere to a freezer bag or container.
To serve - Bake straight from frozen increasing the baking time by about 10-15 minutes (reduce the oven temperature if they brown too quickly
Baked: Freeze for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Defrost at room temperature. Pop into a warm oven to reheat if required.
So, here's how to make Mini Apple and Cinnamon Turnovers
📖 Recipe
Mini Apple & Cinnamon Turnovers
Equipment
- 10cm diam plain round Cookie Cutter (see note a below)
Ingredients
For the Pastry
- 250 g plain flour (9oz)
- 200 g Butter (7oz) chilled
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar
- 200 g full fat cream cheese (7oz)
- Icing sugar for rolling out
For the Apple Filling
- 5 medium Eating Apples (we used Braeburn & they weighed about 300g (10½oz) once thinly peeled & cored
- 2 tablespoon caster sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (see cook's tips)
- 2 teaspoon cornflour
- 25 g butter
To Finish the Turnovers
- milk to brush
- caster sugar to sprinkle
Instructions
To make the pastry
- Place 250g flour in a large mixing bowl. Add 200g chilled butter, cut into cubes and rub in until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
- Stir in 1 tablespoon sugar. Tip 200g of cream cheese onto a plate and cut into slices, then add to the bowl. Use a palette knife or the back of a dinner knife to cut repeatedly through the mixture, moving the bowl around as you do so. Gradually, the cream cheese will become coated in flour and will resemble coarse breadcrumbs again.
- Next, bring the dough together with your hands and form into a ball. Divide into 3 or 4 pieces and flatten. Wrap each piece and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Make the apple filling
- Peel, core and chop 5 eating apples. Place into a saucepan and add 3 tablespoons water, 2 tablespoons sugar and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon. Heat gently so the sugar dissolves, then increase the heat sligtly and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are just beginning to soften.
- Mix 2 teaspoons cornflour with 1 tablespoon water until smooth, stir into the apple mixture and continue to cook stirring until the juices thicken. Then stir in 25g butter until melted. Set aside to cool.
To make the turnovers
- Remove one of the chilled pastry packs from the fridge. Allow it to warm up slightly for a couple of minutes. Unwrap the pastry and place onto a clean work surface liberally dusted with icing sugar. Roll out the pastry 4 - 6mm (⅙-¼in)thick.
- Cut out 10cm rounds of pastry with the cookie cutter. Ball up the off cuts, wrap in clingfilm and place back into the fridge. Place a teaspoon of the cold apple filling on one half of the pastry disc, leaving a border of about 5mm (¼in). Brush a little water around the edge of the pastry. Fold the pastry over to enclose the filling and press the edges together to seal.
- Carefully lift the filled pastry a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Gently press the tines of a fork into the pastry crust. Repeat until all the filling and pastry is used.
- Chill the turnovers for 20 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 280℃ (180℃ fan)/350°F/gas mark 6.
- Brush a little milk over the top of the apple turnovers and sprinkle with a little sugar. Use a sharp knife to make a hole in the top of the pastry for steam to escape. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown and the pastry is cooked through. Allow to cool on the baking tray. Enjoy either warm or cold!
Notes
Cook's Tips
Making the pastry :- Take care not to over work the pastry. If you like to roll your homemade pastry extra thin like me, do try to keep this cream cheese pastry a little thicker. This will allow the pastry to puff and create a lamination effect due to the high percentage of fat in this pastry.
- This pastry is very soft. If you have a lot of trouble rolling the pastry try rolling between 2 sheets of cling wrap or baking parchment and try keep the pastry as cold as possible
- The pastry can be made up to 2 days ahead of when required.
- The apple filling can also be made 2 days ahead of time.
- Assemble the pies upt to 24 hours in adavnce of baking
- Use a sweet short-crust ready-made pastry if you prefer. You will need about 600g 1lb 5oz) for the quantity I made here.
- I used used ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon for a subtle flavour. Use up to 1 teaspoon if you prefer a more defined cinnamon flavour.
Store
The turnovers will keep for up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the regrigerator. Bring up to room temperature before serving.Freeze
Before baking: for up to 6 months. Open freeze on a linesd tray until frozen then transfere to a freezer bag or container.To serve - Bake straight from frozen increasing the baking time by about 10-15 minutes (reduce the oven temperature if they brown too quicklyBaked: Freeze for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Defrost at room temperature. Pop into a warm oven to reheat if required.Pin for later
Julie McPherson says
Ooh, these look fabulous and are just perfect for this time of year. Commenting as BritMums Baking Round-up Editor. 🙂
Kat BakingExplorer says
They look absolutely moreish! I'm loving all the spiced apple recipe at the moment!
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
Thankyou Kat 🙂 Autumn definitely says spiced apple to so many people doesn't it 🙂
Angela x
Corina says
Oh these are wonderful and the pastry looks incredible! I grew up eating all kinds of apple pies and tarts and have such a weakness for desserts like this. Thanks so much for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
Haha, I think my brother & I as well as hubby were weaned on pastry too! Just love the stuff! It's so comforting, and really quite easy to make too 🙂
Angela x
Deepika|TheLoveOfCakes says
These are beautiful Angela!! Who doesn't love a warm spicy apple filling in the fall months! Adding cream cheese to the pastry dough is such a great idea! Lovely!!
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
Apple and cinnamon is a must in autumn isn't it - just so yummy!
Angela x
Cat Sherrin says
These look incredible. I love cinnamon and apple together. I haven't tried cream cheese pastry before but it sounds even more delicious than puff pastry so I will have to give these a go!x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
I with you there Cat, apple and cinnamon are just heavenly aren't they 🙂 You must try the cream cheese pastry at some time - it's soooo much easier to make than puff!
Angela x
Jo / Jo's Kitchen Larder says
These are real beauties!!! Love the addition of cream cheese to pastry and really curious to try it out! Mmm the smell of apples and cinnamon makes you feel oh so cosy, it doesn't get any better than this. Love the photos as always! x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
Ooh you must try the cream cheese Jo, I'm sure you'll love it as much as we do.
Angela x
Jenny says
mmmmm your mini turnovers look divine. I love how the apple juices have spilt out off the pastry slightly, and looks almost caramelised. I dint remember the last time I ate an apple turnover, but its been too long!
Thank you also for including my recipe Angela x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
I was just the same Juenny, I must have been creeping up 20 years since I had an apple turn over! I know, way too long given how yummy they are! Those caramalised bits were lush Jenny, and although i had two minds about re-baking them so the juice didn't come out I figured these were 'real' and shows what happens.
Angela x
Eb Gargano says
These look so good Angela! The perfect thing for a chilly autumn day. And lovely to see your new backdrop being used...I have that one too - it's fab isn't it? It always makes food look good and no lines to line up!! I would probably use it every time if that wasn't just a tad boring!! Thanks for linking up to #CookBlogShare 🙂 Eb x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
🙂 To be honest I was inspired with your images, and that's why I decided to get that particular design from Lucy. It's so perfect for baking styled pics. And yes, you're right there's no lines to line up (or un-line up) either . That's the only thing which I'm not keen on with the other backdrop - I feel as though the line (which I realise is meant to be the gap between the planks of wood) breaks up and separates the image if that makes sense. At the moment I try to position things so that the line can be cropped our of the image.
Angela x
Mandy says
Angela I love the sound of these. Lovely photos too, especially the flat lay!! I don't think I've ever made cream cheese pastry before but I'm certainly tempted to give it a go having read this recipe. Thanks also for including my flapjacks. Loving the sound of Debbie's apple and blue cheese soup.
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
Thankyou Mandy, I was really pleased with the how the flat lays came out - all thanks to a tip from Charlotte tbh about the f-stops! Ooh you must try a cream cheese pastry when you have chance Mandy, it's so easy to make - and incredibly yummy! You're more than welcome, i love flapjack, and yes Debbie's soup really does so amazing!
Angela
helen says
They are absolute beauties Angela! I haven't eaten a turnover in yonks but really want one now. I love cream cheese pastry, mainly because it's so easy to work with, and it's the only pastry I like to make as I am extremely rubbish at pastry making!
thanks for including my trifle recipe 🙂
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
Thankyou Helen, it's such a fab pastry isn't it - and so yummy too! You're welcome, we're huge fans of trifle in our family!
Angela x