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These Gluten-Free Apple Turnovers are a perfect balance of a light, slightly crispy pastry and a warm, bubbly apple cinnamon filling. The texture of the dough sits right between a shortcrust and a puff pastry, providing a golden, buttery crunch that melts in your mouth.
Inside, the fresh apple chunks are cooked briefly in a buttery sauce with cinnamon and a splash of fresh lemon juice. This combination creates a thick, syrupy filling that stays tucked inside the pastry as it bakes. It’s a simple, from-scratch dessert that is much better than any store-bought frozen option.
Why You’ll Love It
The Pastry Texture: This gluten-free dough is designed to be light and flaky rather than dense or crumbly.
Fresh Filling: Using fresh lemon juice and butter makes the apple flavor bright and rich, not just sugary.
Handheld Dessert: These are easy to portion and serve, making them great for kids or a quick dessert on the go.
Use Cold Butter: To get those flaky layers, you need to see small, pea-sized pieces of cold butter in your flour. These melt in the oven to create air pockets in the crust.
Seal the Edges: Use a fork to firmly crimp the edges of the pastry squares. This prevents the steam from the apples from pushing the seams open while baking.
Chill the Dough: If the kitchen is warm, pop the prepared turnovers in the fridge for 10 minutes before baking to ensure the pastry stays crisp.
Kids love apples!
Apple is one fruit that most kids love, especially with cinnamon like the apple cinnamon chips. Here is why.
they are sweet and juicy
they all taste a little different and have various textures
The Best Apples:Granny Smith is the top choice because they stay firm when cooked. Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, or Rome apples also hold their shape well.
Dairy-Free: A high-quality vegan buttery stick can be substituted; just ensure it is very cold or even partially frozen before mixing.
Sweetener: Brown sugar provides a deep caramel flavor, but granulated sugar or coconut sugar can be used as a 1:1 swap.
Substitutions
The Apples: I recommend Granny Smith for tartness or Honeycrisp for sweetness. Avoid soft apples like McIntosh, as they turn to mush.
Dairy-Free: You can swap the butter for a high-quality vegan buttery stick (keep it chilled!).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to pre-cook the filling? Yes! Briefly sautéing the apples in the butter-cinnamon sauce ensures they are perfectly tender by the time the pastry is golden brown.
Can I use store-bought GF pastry? You can, but this homemade “half-puff” recipe is specifically designed to handle the moisture of the apples without getting soggy.
How to Make Apple Cinnamon Filling?
This part was super easy. The fresh apple chunks are briefly cooked in a buttery, cinnamon sauce with fresh lemon juice. The filling is sooo good! The cinnamon apple filling and sweet pastry are a perfect combo.
Assembling the Gluten-Free Apple Turnovers
Assembling the turnovers is the most important part of getting that signature flakiness. The secret to success is keeping the pastry dough cold. You want those small, visible pieces of butter to stay solid in the flour; as they bake, they melt and create the steam that lifts the pastry into crisp layers.
Prepare the Dough: On a lightly floured surface (or between two sheets of parchment paper), roll your chilled dough out into two large squares.
Cut the Squares: Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut each large square into four smaller, equal-sized squares. If the dough starts to feel soft or sticky at any point, pop it back into the fridge for 5–10 minutes.
Add the Filling: Place a spoonful of the cooled cinnamon apple filling onto one-half of each square. Be sure to leave a small border around the edges so you can get a clean seal.
Seal and Crimp: Fold the pastry over the filling to form a triangle. Press the edges together firmly with your fingers, then use a fork to crimp the seams. This not only looks professional but locks the bubbling apple juices inside.
Final Touch: Cut two small slits in the top of each turnover to let steam escape, and they are ready for the oven!
Serving Ideas
Enjoy these warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream for a classic dessert, or pair them with a sharp cheddar cheese slice for a savory-sweet snack. For a bakery-style breakfast, simply drizzle the turnovers with a powdered sugar glaze while they are still hot.
The Finishing Touch: Simple Glaze
For a bakery-style finish, drizzle this glaze over the turnovers while they are still warm.
1 cup Powdered sugar (sifted)
1–2 tbsp Milk or heavy cream
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
Instructions: Whisk the ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. If the glaze is too thick to drizzle, add milk a few drops at a time. Use a spoon or a whisk to drizzle it back and forth over the warm pastries.
Storing
Room Temp: Keep in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Reheating: To regain that “freshly baked” crunch, pop them in a 350∘F (175∘C) oven for 5 minutes. Avoid the microwave if you want to keep the pastry crispy!
Tried this recipe?
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Heat butter, sugar and cinnamon in a large saucepan over medium heat until the butter starts to melt. Add apples and lemon juice, stir to combine and cook until the apples begin to soften but still holding shape. Stirring as needed, about 3 - 5 minutes.
3.
Mix water with arrowroot/tapioca and add to the apples. Cook for about another minute until the sauce starts to bubble. Remove from the heat, bring to room temperature and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until ready to use. You can make the filling a day in advance.
4.
PASTRY
5.
Using a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, xanthan gum, baking soda and salt.
6.
Using a box grater, grate the chilled butter into the flour. Using a fork, mix the butter with the flour, and then using your fingers, work the butter into the flour until slightly crumbly.
7.
Add sour cream and mix. The dough will still be a bit dry. Add one tablespoon of ice water at a time and use your hands, knead the dough until it begins to come together. If the dough is too dry, keep adding 1 tablespoon of ice water at a time while working the dough until it holds together. I used 6 tablespoons.
8.
Transfer dough onto a plastic wrap and form a compact disk. Wrap the dough and place it in the refrigerator for 45 minutes.
9.
Preheat oven to 400 F and line a large baking tray with parchment paper
10.
Divide the dough in half. Working with one half at a time, roll the dough out on a lightly floured parchment paper into a square about 1/8-inch thick, using flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking. Cut into for squares.
11.
Add apple filling over half of each square and fold the pastry over apples. Wet the tips of your fingers lightly with water and moisten inside of the edges of the pastry dough. Press the edges to seal the filling. Transfer to a lined baking tray. The apple filling should fill eight pastries, I used about two tablespoons of filling per each pastry.
12.
Using a sharp knife, cut three slits in the top of each pastry and brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.
13.
Bake for 23 - 26 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and place pastries on a cooling rack. Enjoy warm or at room temperature
Nutrition Info
Per Serving: Calories: 445 Total Fat: 24g Sodium: 260mg Total Carbohydrates: 54g Dietary Fiber: 4g Sugars: 18g Protein: 5g | Note: These values are estimates and can vary based on specific brands. Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Leave a Comment
Kristina
Andie, in this apple turnover recipe you can use coconut milk (not canned) or rice milk. I don’t know about the coconut milk yogurt? Sorry
Andie Glasgow
Since I'm dairy free, would coconut milk yogurt work as a replacement?
Kristina
Yes Ray, bring them to room temperature before baking
Ray Elisseos
Can I make these and freeze them, and bake at a later date when needed.
Kristina
thank you Kathy for sharing!
Kathy
I made these for the 4th of July weekend, everyone loved them! I didn't have any sour cream on hand so I substituted with plain Greek yogurt 2%. It seemed to be fine.
Kristina
be careful when you measure your flour! It is important when you measure the flour to lightly fill the measuring cup with a spoon and then level it off with a knife. I found that often many people dip the measuring cup into the flour. This will give you more flour than you need making the pastry too dry. Thank you for sharing
John
My first experience with baking....I think I could be a vontrtstay on "Nailed It". Pastry was too dry which made the fill and fold kind of a nightmare. I'll mix it up richer next time.
Leslie
I just made these and they turned outstanding!!! Thank you ☺️
Kristina
Thank you Cathy for letting us know, you made my day!!!!
Cathy
I made this recipe today and it was to die for! I added a bit of vanilla to the filling, as that’s my preference. The dough was easy to work with, I rolled it between two pieces of parchment because I was afraid of it sticking but it was nice and sturdy. It baked up soft and flaky without any gumminess. I was really impressed! This recipe is ten-stars in my book, thank you for this!
Kristina
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