I’m feeling flakey. Not the brain fog flakey and not the dry skin flakey. Just flakey good about my puff pastry experiment.

apple turnover

I’m a newbie to the puff. I usually go with heavy whole wheat flours, but I have to admit I sometimes crave a flakey pastry. As kids my Dad would bring home rolls on Sunday after church and there would always be a few “elephant ears” in the box. These were huge round flakey pastries dripping with cinnamon and a light icing. Perfect, right?

3 grannies

But that’s not what I made. It’s apple season and I really wanted to play with apples and puff pastry. Turns out, it’s a good gig. Easy, fun and very rewarding. I even lured my son-on-law to turn off the freeway as he drove by from Kansas City to New Prague, to capture a few.

Ingredients for 8 Apple Turnovers
3 baking apples – I used Granny Smith which are tart
3-4 TBS brown sugar
1 TBS water
1 TBS minute tapioca
1 egg with 1 tsp water for egg wash
2 sheets puff pastry

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Wash, core and slice the apples. No need to peel unless you want to.
Put apples, brown sugar, water and tapioca in a sauce pan and cook gently until apples are mushy and the sauce is thick and yummy.
Open the sheets of puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface and cut each one into four squares.
Transfer the pastry squares to the baking sheet.
Whip the egg and a bit of water in a small bowl.
Brush a bit of egg wash around the edges of each square.
Put 3-4 TBS of the apple yummy in the center of each pastry square.
Fold it over to create a triangle.
Use a fork to crimp all the edges together.
Now brush more egg wash on the outside.
Bake 15 – 18 minutes until the pastries are golden brown.
When they cool, add a drizzle of icing.

apple turnover

flaky layers

Ingredients for Orange Icing
1 TBS butter
1 TBS cream cheese
1/2 tsp almond flavoring
2 TBS orange juice
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions for icing:
Soften the butter and cream cheese in the microwave.
Add the rest of the ingredients and whip with a fork or small whisk until smooth.
Add more powdered sugar if the icing is too runny; add orange juice by the teaspoon if it’s too thick.
Use a pastry bag if you like, or just spread the icing on the turnovers.

And enjoy. Flakey, flakey, flakey! Yum.