Puff Pastry Cherry Turnovers
A small batch recipe for homemade Puff Pastry Cherry Turnovers. The perfect batch of 4 turnovers made with a fresh cherry filling and flaky puff pastry from scratch. Drizzle with a little chocolate ganache for the perfect breakfast treat!
Servings: 4 Turnovers
Ingredients
PUFF PASTRY
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 1/3 cup water, ice cold
- 1 egg white, beaten with 2 teaspoons of water for brushing the dough
- Turbinado Sugar optional - for sprinkling on top of the turnovers
CHERRY FILLING
- 2 cups fresh cherries - pitted and halved
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
CHOCOLATE GANACHE DRIZZLE
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips any sweetness
- 1/4 cup milk, or heavy cream any non-dairy or dairy
Instructions
PUFF PASTRY
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar.
- Add the cubed butter. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture is crumbly with pea-sized butter pieces.
- Create a well in the center of the dough and add the water. Mix with your fingers. The dough will still be a little crumbly and may seem too dry. It will come together once you start rolling it.
- Pour the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and form into a rough triangle with your hands. Flour the rolling pin and roll the dough until it is about 9-inches long. The next few steps are what is called 'laminating' - folding the dough over itself.
- Take the bottom of the dough and fold it over the middle of the dough. Then take the top of the dough and fold it over the middle of the dough too. Like you are folding a letter.
- Rotate the dough a quarter of a turn, and roll the dough out until it is about 9-inches long again. Flour the surface as needed to keep the dough from sticking. Repeat the letter fold, rotate, and roll out for a total of 6 folds - ending with a folded piece of dough.
- If at any time during the laminating process the dough gets warm and the butter seems to be melting, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for about an hour. Then pick up where you left off.
- Wrap the folded dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
CHERRY FILLING
- Make the cherry filling while the dough is chilling.
- In a small saucepan, add the prepared cherries, lemon juice, maple syrup, and cornstarch. Stirring occasionally, cook over medium-low heat until the juices start to release from the cherries and the mix becomes thick - about 5-7 minutes.
- Most of the cherry halves will still be intact for a thick filling. If you prefer a smoother filling, cook the cherries for 2-3 minutes longer and mash with a wooden spoon while they are cooking.
- Transfer the filling to a small bowl and let cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble the turnovers.
ASSEMBLING THE TURNOVERS
- Preheat the oven to 400F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
- Transfer the chilled dough to a lightly floured work surface. Roll out into a 9-inch square. Cut the sheet of dough in half both lengthwise and widthwise, to get 4 squares.
- Spoon the cherry filling into the middle of each dough square - equally dividing the filling among each square.
- Using a pastry brush or your finger, dab a small amount of the beaten egg white onto one of the corners of each dough square. Fold the opposite corner over the filling and press the two corners together, to make a triangle.
- Brush the tops of each turnover with the beaten egg white and sprinkle with the coarse sugar (if using).
- Transfer the turnovers to the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the turnovers turn golden brown.
- Prepare the chocolate drizzle while the turnovers are baking. Place the chocolate chips and milk in a microwave-safe bowl and cook for 30-45 seconds, until the chocolate starts to melt. Remove from the microwave and let it sit for a few minutes for the chocolate to melt further. Then stir until the mix is smooth.
- Cool the turnovers on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool further. Drizzle the chocolate over the top of each turnover with a spoon. Or transfer the chocolate ganache to a small plastic baggie and cut one of the corners to create a piping bag.
- The turnovers are best served immediately, while still slightly warm. If there are leftovers, store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day.