Rachel's Real Food Kitchen

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This no-sugar apple turnover recipe is an old favorite for late in the growing season, when we have lots of apples that need preserved and the weather has turned cold enough that we don’t need to worry about heating up the kitchen anymore! They do take a little elbow grease and admittedly make a big mess in the kitchen, but if you make a large batch together, they can be frozen for later.

Here’s how to make no-sugar apple turnovers:

No-sugar Apple Turnovers Recipe

Ingredients:

• Pie Dough
• Apples
• White Flour
• Spices (optional)

Instructions for Making No-sugar Apple Turnovers:

Start by preparing your apples. Wash, core, and slice apples, removing any bad spots. Don’t worry about the peels! I leave mine unpeeled and I think it helps the texture.

Cook the apples down until they’re soft. You can do this on the stovetop, in the oven, or in the InstantPot. I’ve become partial to the InstantPot lately simply because it speeds things up. I just put the sliced fruit in the pressure cooker with a bit of water to prevent it from burning, and then process under pressure for ~3 minutes.

Once cooked, stir in enough flour to make a thick mixture. How much you need will depend on the juiciness of the apples. If desired, you can also sprinkle in some cinnamon or other apple pie spices during this step.

Next, prepare your pie dough. I make my own pie crust, but I have found that for turnovers, it works best to make homemade pie crust in the food processor. This yields a more uniform dough that won’t crumble quite as much as my hand-stirred pie dough does. You need a pie dough that’s pliable, but also not overly wet or it will stick.

Don’t have a food processor? Don’t worry! You can still make this with homemade pie dough. It will just be a little more crumbly, but it should still work. 🙂

Make a small ball of pie dough, a few inches in size. Press it down gently against a layer of waxed paper.

Fold over the top of the waxed paper and roll pie dough into an even circle/oval shape. Curious what type of rolling pin? I cannot recommend the type featured in this article enough.

Transfer the rolled pie dough onto a cookie sheet. On one half of the circle, spread a thin, slightly rounded layer of the cooked fruit mixture. Fold over the other side of the pie dough on top.

Crimp the edges of the apple turnover using your finger and/or a fork. (If it won’t stick together, put a little water on your finger to seal the edge.)

Make some vent holes on the top of the turnover using a fork or sharp knife. Repeat until you’ve filled up the entire cookie sheet with turnovers.

Bake at 425 degrees F until the crust appears golden brown and you start to see the fruit mixture bubble a bit. Remove apple turnovers from cookie sheets and allow to cook at least slightly before serving.

Tips, Tricks, & FAQs for No-sugar Apple Turnovers

How Large Should I Make Homemade Apple Turnovers?

You can make these turnovers in about any size you choose. I’ve made both small and large versions. You just need to be careful not to overfill them as that makes closing the turnover more difficult.

How to Freeze Apple Turnovers

Apple turnovers freeze beautifully. What I usually do is put them in a zipper storage bag or sandwich bag and then put those bags into a larger container, such as a plastic freezer container. Then I just pull out a turnover or two whenever I need them. These are also great for traveling–you can pull them out frozen, pop them in a cooler, and it will be melted and ready to eat later.

What Pastry is an Apple Turnover Made From?

I use a regular pie dough, made from oil or lard. You just need a pastry dough that will withstand a bit of rolling but also not get tough with your rolling.

What Kind of Apples Should I Use for Making Turnovers?

This recipe gets its flavor from the apples primarily, since it doesn’t contain any additional sweetener, which means the more flavorful the apple, the better. I’m partial to a robust, tart apple like Jonathan. You can use other types of apples too, but the stronger the flavor, the better the final result will be.

I hope you give these no-sugar apple turnovers a try! They are delicious.

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