With Christmas coming around the corner, I figured it was time to write about some buttery, sweet, beautiful homemade treats we can all make for the holiday season.
The best thing about these pastries is that everything can be prepped in advance – which means that you can have freshly baked pastries on Christmas morning if you want to, without any of the prep work taking place on that day!
I decided to make these as mini turnovers, partly because you can eat more without as much guilt. 😉 At least, that’s how I stay optimistic! They’re also just so cute – I love small things.
If you decide you want some variety, try making 1/2 of these cherry and the other 1/2 as my miniature apple turnovers. The recipe is pretty much the same, just with a different filling!
Here’s the recipe:
Miniature Cherry Turnovers
Puffy, flaky, buttery goodness - filled with cherry pie filling and sprinkled with coarse sugar. These are one of the most rewarding things to make on your own at home -and so simple to do!
Ingredients
- 1/2 batch puff pastry see recipe notes*
- 3/4 cup cherry pie filling
- 1 egg beaten
- coarse sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
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On lightly floured work surface, roll your pastry out into a 16" square, about 1/8" thick. Cut into 16 smaller squares. (If you want to make larger turnovers, cut the square into 9 instead).
Tip: If you're having trouble rolling the pastry thin enough, try turning it over on a fresh dusting of flour and rolling it from the other side.
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Spoon about 1/2 Tbsp. cherry pie filling (or 1 Tbsp for larger turnovers) into the centre of each square, and brush 2 of the edges with a little bit of water (not too much, just enough to moisten them).
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Fold the pastry over, corner to corner, sealing the moistened edge to the plain one and forming a little triangle shape. Pinch the edges lightly to encase the filling, and then use a fork to crimp the edges and seal them really well. It's important not to over-fill the turnovers so that the filling doesn't spill out and damage the seal.
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Place the triangle shapes onto prepared pans, brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with coarse sugar. If desired, cut a little slit into the top of the pastry.
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Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and puffy. Cool on wire racks. Serve the day they are made.
Recipe Notes
- *Click Here for the puff pastry recipe! This can be made in advance.
- You can make these ahead of time by preparing them completely, freezing them, putting the frozen pastries into sealed bags or containers to store, and then baking them right from the freezer. Just note that they will likely take a little longer to bake if you do that, so plan a little extra time for baking!
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Steps 3&4:
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If you don’t want to bother making your own puff pastry, you can easily just purchase the pre-made stuff at the grocery store and make them that way. Also, if you want these bigger – no problem. Just cut the pastry square into 9 instead of 16, and give them a little extra filling. They should take about the same amount of time to bake.
I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Happy baking,
Naomi
I tried to roll the puff pastry out to 16×16, no such luck,, biggest I could get was a bout 12×12, Just came out of the oven, so haven’t tried one yet. I did not put a slice in the top, but thinking I should have, the filling kind of pushed out a bit.
Dave, thanks so much for your comment! One thing that can help get the pastry to roll out a little thinner is to turn it over and try rolling it from the other side. I’ll add this to the instructions for future bakers!
I hope you enjoy these turnovers!