Blackberry and apple turnovers are a quick and easy dessert to make, using foraged blackberries and a packet of store-bought puff pastry. The sweetness of the blackberries is a perfect foil for the tartness of the apples, which once encased in crispy puff pastry and baked in the oven, turns into a sticky, gooey inside.
And if you don't have any wild blackberries growing near where you live, you can use frozen blackberries instead.
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Puff pastry turnovers
Blackberry and apple turnovers are so easy to make and taste so delicious. All you need is a sheet of puff pastry and the filling of your choice and you can be tucking into one of these tasty treats in next to no time.
I've used blackberry and apple for these turnovers, but you can fill them with whatever fruit you happen to have available. Why not try making them with blueberries, raspberries or even strawberries? My local supermarket does a very nice range of canned fruit pie fillings which are also perfect for popping in a turnover (I'm thinking black cherry here - it tastes amazing!)
To make these turnovers, all you have to do is prepare the filling and encase it in little squares of puff pastry. Sprinkle with demerara sugar to add a sweet crunchiness on top and pop them in the oven for 25 minutes.
And what you end up with is a deliciously light and airy pastry, packed with a sweet and sticky fruity filling. They are perfect for popping into a lunch box for a mid-day treat, or you can turn them into a quick dessert by adding a scoop of ice cream or covering them with cream or custard.
I must give you a word of warning though. It's very tempting to try and stuff as much filling as possible into these turnovers but be careful. If you add too much filling it will bubble out while it is in the oven and you'll end up with a sticky mess.
My secret for ensuring the filling is thick and juicy is to add a little cornflour to the fruit before putting it in the pastry. As the cornflour cooks, it thickens the fruit juices and makes sure the filling stays inside the pastry where it belongs.
What you will need
Equipment
To make apple and blackberry turnovers, you will need a mixing bowl for preparing the filling, and a baking sheet for baking the turnovers.
I like to line my baking sheet with baking parchment, which not only prevents the turnovers from sticking to the tray, but also means there's no sticky overflow on the tray to wash off afterwards.
Ingredients
This recipe makes 12 small apple and blackberry turnovers.
**You can get the full recipe for blackberry and apple turnovers on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
Apples - I like to use a tart green apple such as Granny Smith or Bramley.
Blackberries - if you've foraged these from the hedgerows you should soak them in cold water for at least 15 minutes before using them to make sure they are clean. If you are using frozen blackberries, do not let them defrost before you use them - they are best used from frozen.
Puff pastry - I use shop-bought puff pastry for convenience.
Brown sugar - for sweetness
Cornflour (or cornstarch) - to thicken the cooking juices so they don't leak out during baking.
Cinnamon - for flavouring. If you are using any fruit other than apple and blackberry I would recommend leaving out the cinnamon.
Egg - this is lightly beaten and used to brush on the turnovers before baking.
You will also need a little demerara sugar to sprinkle on the turnovers before they go in the oven. If you don't have demerara sugar you can use granulated sugar instead.
What to do
Make the filling
Peel and core the apples, cut them into approximately half-inch or 1-centimetre dice and put them into a microwave-safe bowl.
Combine the brown sugar, cornflour and cinnamon in another small bowl.
Cover the apples with plastic wrap and microwave on full power for 2 minutes.
Remove from the microwave and stir in the sugar/cornflour mixture.
The apples should be hot enough to melt the sugar.
Allow the apples to cool for 5 minutes (so they are no longer boiling hot), then stir in the blackberries.
Set the fruit aside while you prepare the pastry.
If you don't have a microwave, place the apples into a saucepan and put it on low heat on the stove. Heat gently for 2 or 3 minutes or until the apples are boiling hot.
The idea is to soften the apples slightly, to give them a head start once they get in the oven, and also to bring them to a temperature that will allow the sugar to melt when it is stirred through.
Assemble and bake
Unroll your puff pastry, or roll it into a rectangle approximately 10" x 16" (27cm x 40cm) in size.
Cut the pastry into 12 roughly equal-sized pieces.
Mine measured 3.5 x 4 inches or 9cm x 10 cm.
Place about 1 tablespoon of filling on one half of a pastry square, leaving about half an inch or 1 cm at the edge so you can seal it.
Make sure you get some of the melted cornflour/sugar mixture too, to help thicken the juices.
Carefully fold over the pastry and use a fork to seal it on the three open sides.
Prick the top of the pastry with the fork so the steam can escape when it cooks.
Place the turnovers onto a baking tray lined with baking parchment, and brush them lightly with beaten egg.
Sprinkle the top of each turnover with a pinch of demerara sugar.
Bake in a preheated oven (200C / 400F) for 20 to 25 minutes until they are golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool before eating.
These turnovers are best eaten fresh, but you can store them in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to three days. After that, the pastry turns soggy and unappealing.
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Tips and FAQ
Yes, you can freeze them once they have been assembled. Just place the baking tray of unbaked turnovers into the freezer and freeze until they are solid. Transfer them to a plastic box or bag and freeze them for up to three months.
Bake from frozen, but add another 2 to 3 minutes onto the time.
Absolutely not - my friend Camilla over at Fab Food 4 All, has made these yummy ham, cheese and sweetcorn turnovers that you may like to try. She also puts a lot more effort into her food presentation than I do - she's made some really pretty patterns on top of her turnovers 🙂
Well, yes you can - but given the small size of the pastry it's quite tricky. I did try it with my first one and the filling oozed out everywhere so I reverted to making oblong ones 🙂 .
No, not at all. I like the sweet crunch it gives, but you can leave it off.
Another option is to mix up some icing sugar and milk to get a thick runny paste and drizzle that over the turnovers once they have cooled.
Or you could leave them plain.
Save for later
If you would like to try these apple and blackberry turnovers yourself, why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so that you can find it easily? Just click on the image below.
Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.
Other recipes
If you enjoyed these blackberry and apple turnovers you may like to try some of my other fruity bakes:
You can find many similar recipes on my cakes, biscuits and dessert recipes page.
📋The recipe
Blackberry and apple turnovers
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Baking sheet
- Baking parchment
Ingredients
- 2 large Granny Smith apples peeled, cored and diced
- 1 cup blackberries
- 1 roll puff pastry store-bought
- 1½ tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornflour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 small egg lightly beaten
- 1 to 2 teaspoons demerara sugar
Instructions
- Peel and core the apples and cut them into approximately half-inch or 1-centimetre dice and put them into a microwave-safe bowl.2 large Granny Smith apples
- Combine the brown sugar, cornflour and cinnamon in another small bowl.1½ tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tablespoons cornflour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Cover the apples with plastic wrap and microwave on full power for 2 minutes.Remove from the microwave and stir in the sugar/cornflour mixture.The apples should be hot enough to melt the sugar.
- Allow the apples to cool for 5 minutes (so they are no longer boiling hot), then stir in the blackberries.1 cup blackberries
- Set the fruit aside while you prepare the pastry.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F
- Unroll your puff pastry, or roll it into a rectangle approximately 10" x 16" (27cm x 40cm) in size.1 roll puff pastry
- Cut the pastry into 12 roughly equal-sized pieces.
- Place about 1 tablespoon of filling on one half of a pastry square, leaving about half an inch or 1 cm at the edge so you can seal it. Make sure you get some of the melted cornflour/sugar mixture too, to help thicken the juices.
- Carefully fold over the pastry and use a fork to seal it on the three open sides.Prick the top of the pastry with the fork so that the steam can escape when it cooks.
- Place the turnovers onto a baking tray lined with baking parchment, and brush them lightly with beaten egg.1 small egg
- Sprinkle the top of each turnover with a pinch of demerara sugar.1 to 2 teaspoons demerara sugar
- Bake the turnovers in a preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until they are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool before eating.
Notes
Bake from frozen, but add another 2 to 3 minutes onto the time.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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