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apple turnovers

Chaussons aux pommes

Chaussons aux pommes, or French apple turnovers, are the perfect fall recipe. These flaky, golden pastry pockets are made with homemade full puff pastry and stuffed with a spiced apple filling.
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Prep Time 2 hrs
Cook Time 20 mins
Rest Time 1 hr
Servings 12 pastries

Equipment

  • Rolling Pin
  • Parchment paper
  • Baking sheets
  • Large pot
  • 4 inch round, scalloped cookie cutter

Ingredients
  

Dough

  • 4 cups (500g) all purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 tsp (10g) salt
  • 6 tbsp (85g) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup + 1 tbsp (265g) cold water

Butter block

  • 24 tbsp (335g) unsalted butter, cold

Apple filling

  • 6 medium apples, diced
  • 3 tbsp (45g) unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar
  • 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp all spice
  • 1/4 tsp cloves
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Egg wash

  • 1 egg
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tbsp milk or cream

Instructions
 

Make the dough

  • In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, salt, melted butter, and cold water. Knead until the dough comes together. The gluten should not be fully developed. For me, this is 2 minutes on medium speed on my stand mixer
  • Shape the dough into a 7 x 8 inch rectangle and cover in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours

Make the butter block

  • Draw out an 8 x 8 inch rectangle on a a large sheet of parchment paper. Fold along the edges to create a parchment sheet packet that will enclose your butter. Set aside
  • Place the butter between two sheets of parchment paper and beat with a rolling pin until flattened. Transfer the flattened and softened butter to the center of the 8 x 8 inch rectangle. Fold the parchment paper over the butter so that it is enclosed in the parchment paper packet. Press down with the rolling pin to roll the butter towards the edges of the packet. Make sure that the butter is evenly distributed. You should end up with an 8 x 8 inch butter block
  • Place the butter back in the fridge to chill until ready to use

Enclose the butter block + first fold

  • Make sure that the dough and butter are the right consistency. 20 minutes before starting lamination, place the dough in the freezer to chill. Check your butter block - it should be firm but pliable. If it's not firm, let it chill for longer in the fridge. If it's not pliable, leave out at room temperature until it is
  • On a floured surface, roll out your chilled dough into a 16 x 8 in rectangle, with the short size facing you. Place the butter block in the middle of the rectangle. Fold the top part of the dough down, and the bottom part of the dough up so that they meet in the middle and the butter is fully enclosed. Press down on the seam to seal
  • Turn the dough 90 degrees and roll out into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. You may need to periodically lift up the dough and add more flour to prevent sticking
  • Do a book fold. Use a pastry brush to dust away any excess flour. Fold the top edge of the dough to the middle of the rectangle, and fold the bottom edge up to meet the top edge. Then fold along the seam to create a "book"
  • Cover in the plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for 30 min - 1 hour

Second fold + Third fold

  • Remove the dough from the fridge and place on a floured surface. Turn it 90 from the last time you rolled it, so that the open end is facing you. Roll out into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick
  • Do a letter fold. Use a pastry brush to dust away any excess flour. Fold the top third of the dough downwards. Then fold the bottom third of the dough to cover the first fold
  • Cover in the plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for 30 min - 1 hour
  • Repeat the process to create another letter fold
  • Cover in the plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for 30 min - 1 hour before using for the pastries

Make the apple filling

  • Melt 2 tbsp of butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the diced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, all spice, cloves, and vanilla extract and stir to combine
  • Cook until the apples are tender. Remove 2/3 of the apples and place in a bowl. Set aside
  • Add 1 tbsp of butter to the pot, and continue to cook down the remaining apples and liquid. Once the mixture has thickened, transfer into a food processor or blender. Let the mixture cool, then blend on high speed until you have a thick puree
  • Mix together the diced apples and apple puree to create your filling. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to cool. It must be cooled to room temperature before using

Shape the pastries

  • Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 400°F
  • Remove the pastry dough from the fridge and cut in half. Work with one half at a time, and leave the other half in the fridge so it does not warm up
  • Roll out the dough into an 8 x 12 inch rectangle. Use a 4 in round scalloped cookie cutter to cut out 6 circles of dough
  • Take one of the pastry circles and roll out into an oval. Place 1 - 2 tbsp of filling into the center. Dab the edges of the pastry with water, then fold over to seal. Repeat with the remaining pastry circles and place on the baking sheet at least 1 inch apart. Place the pastries in the fridge to chill for at least 20 minutes before baking
  • While the first set of pastries chill, repeat with the second half of the pastry dough

Egg wash, score, and bake the pastries

  • Beat together the egg, salt, and milk to make an egg wash
  • Remove the pastries from the fridge and brush each one with egg wash
  • Use a razor or sharp knife to gently score 5 curved lines on the top of the pastry. Do not score so deeply that you break through the dough into the filling. Scoring helps the pastries expand in the oven
  • Place in the middle rack of oven and bake for 15 - 20 minutes until golden brown

Notes

  1. For the apples, I like to use 3 granny smith and 3 fuji apples. I've also used assorted apples from apple picking and those worked just as well
  2. Please refer to the pictures and video references to help with lamination