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Cherry Turnovers

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Cherry Turnovers are so easy to make at home! Made with puff pastry and homemade pie filling and topped with a simple glaze, these turnovers are the perfect dessert or decadent breakfast treat. 

Cherry turnovers topped with glaze scattered on a piece of parchment paper

Not too long ago, my friend Stephie was reminiscing about how her family would often make those Pillsbury cherry turnovers for breakfast on Christmas or Thanksgiving morning.

I hadn’t thought about those in years, but talking about them immediately made me crave them.

Pillsbury doesn’t seem to make those turnovers anymore, but that’s ok. It turns out that we can make turnovers just as easily at home and they taste even better!

Ingredients for cherry turnovers arranged on a white countertop

WHAT IS A CHERRY TURNOVER?

If you didn’t grow up eating turnovers as a nostalgic special-occasion breakfast, let me fill you in on why turnovers are so great.

Turnovers are pretty much a mini pie that is acceptable to eat for dessert OR breakfast. After all, mini pecan pies and mini pumpkin pies are adorable but you can’t exactly get away with eating them for breakfast.

Four squares of puff pastry on a marble surface. One of the squares has cherry pie filling in the center

Ok, maybe that’s simplifying things a bit too much, but it’s also pretty high on the list of reasons why I think Cherry Turnovers are great.

Turnovers are just a flaky pastry, usually puff pastry, that is filled with a sweet or savory filling and then folded over and baked. These are a little bit like cherry hand pies, with the filling sealed inside the pastry.

Sweet turnovers are often topped with a simple icing, but they can be topped with coarse sugar, too.

Square of puff pastry with cherry pie filling in the center set on a marble surface. A pastry brush is brushing egg wash along two of the edges of the puff pastry.

HOW TO MAKE CHERRY TURNOVERS

If you’ve never made Cherry Turnovers at home before, you might be surprised to learn how easy they are to make!

Ingredients You’ll Need

There are really only two required ingredients for making these turnovers:

If you’d like to use an egg wash to help seal your turnovers – which I strongly recommend – you will need:

  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon water

If you plan to add a simple icing on top of the turnovers, you’ll also need:

  • ⅔ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Fork crimping the edges of a cherry turnover set on a marble surface

Tools You’ll Need

This cherry turnover recipe has a short list of ingredients and doesn’t need much equipment, either. You’ll need to grab:

  • A baking sheet
  • Parchment paper
  • Rolling pin
  • Sharp knife
  • Pastry brush
Freshly baked cherry turnovers cooling on a wire rack

Making this Recipe

If you’re baking your Cherry Turnovers right away, preheat the oven to 400°F.

The key to working with puff pastry is to keep it cold. Since we’re using two sheets of puff pastry for this recipe, work with just one sheet at a time. Keep the other sheet in the refrigerator until you’re ready for it.

Unfold the puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface and use your fingers or a rolling pin to gently pinch together the seams. If your puff pastry is not quite a square, use the rolling pin to gently shape the dough into a square.

Whisk drizzling glaze over the top of cherry turnovers

Use a sharp knife or even a pizza cutter to cut each sheet of puff pastry into 4 equal squares. Add 1-2 spoonfuls of the cherry pie filling to the center of each square. You may not use all of the filling – that’s ok.

I recommend using an egg wash to help seal the edges of the turnovers so they don’t pop open in the oven. Whisk together the egg and water and brush a small amount of this egg wash along 2 edges of the dough.

Fold the square over to make a triangle and gently press the edges together. Use a fork to crimp the edges – not only does it look pretty, it helps seal the edges together!

Move the completed turnovers to a parchment-lined baking sheet, then use a sharp knife to cut a small slit into the top of each one. If you’d like, gently brush the tops of each one with some more of the egg wash for a lovely golden-brown finish.

Bake the turnovers – they are done when they are puffed and golden on both the tops and the bottoms.

Let the turnovers cool for about 10 minutes before whisking together the icing ingredients and drizzling the glaze over the turnovers. 

Two cherry turnovers on a white plate. One of the turnovers is cut in half with the cherry filling facing the camera

FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS

I love making a batch of Cherry Turnovers and freezing them for later. That way I can bake 1 or 2 turnovers whenever I am craving them.

To freeze these Cherry Turnovers, place the assembled turnovers on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cut a small slit into the top of each turnover but do not brush them with the egg wash.

Place the baking sheet with the turnovers into the freezer and freeze until solid. Pop the frozen turnovers into a zip-top freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Baking Frozen Turnovers

The greatest thing about freezing your homemade turnovers is that you don’t have to thaw them before baking!

When you’re ready to bake, place as many of the frozen turnovers as you’d like on a parchment-lined baking sheet. You can brush them with egg wash or leave that off. 

Bake the turnovers at 400°F for 20 minutes. The filling is VERY hot right out of the oven, so make sure you let them cool for at least 10 minutes before digging in!

Overhead view of glazed cherry turnovers arranged on a piece of parchment paper

STORING YOUR TURNOVERS

If you have any leftover turnovers, store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They will stay good for up to 3 days, although the pastry may not be as flaky as on the day they were baked. 

Two glazed cherry turnovers arranged on a light-colored plate

RECIPE VARIATIONS

You know how much I love a recipe that can be tweaked based on the ingredients in your pantry or your personal tastes!

Fillings

Don’t have any homemade cherry pie filling on hand or don’t feel like making any? No worries! You can use your favorite canned cherry pie filling in these turnovers.

Don’t like cherries? Try Apple Turnovers instead! Or swap out the cherry pie filling for your favorite pie filling – peach pie filling would be delicious!

Toppings

I think that a simple glaze is the perfect way to finish off these Cherry Turnovers. After all, that’s how the Pillsbury ones were!

But you can also sprinkle them with coarse sugar or turbinado sugar instead of the glaze, or leave them completely plain. Honestly, there’s no wrong way to enjoy a cherry turnover!

Two cherry turnovers on a white plate. One of the turnovers is cut in half with the cherry filling facing the camera

Cherry Turnovers

Yield: 8 turnovers
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Cherry Turnovers are so easy to make at home! Made with puff pastry and homemade pie filling and topped with a simple glaze, these turnovers are the perfect dessert or decadent breakfast treat. 

Ingredients

For the egg wash:

  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon water

For the icing:

  • ⅔ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. 
  2. Work with one sheet of the thawed puff pastry at a time, keeping the rest in the refrigerator until you’re ready to work with it to keep it cold.
  3. Unfold the puff pastry sheets and place on a floured surface. Use a rolling pin to gently pinch the seams together and shape the dough into a square as needed. If dough gets warm while working with it, set it back in the refrigerator for a few minutes – you want the dough to stay cool. 
  4. Cut each sheet of puff pastry into 4 smaller squares. Add 1-2 spoonfuls of pie filling to the center of each square (you may not use all of the pie filling). Whisk together the egg and water and brush a small amount of the egg wash along 2 edges of the dough. Fold over the dough, corner to corner, and gently press the edges together. Use a fork to crimp the edges and set the shaped turnover onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with each of the remaining dough squares. 
  5. Use a knife to cut a small slit into the top of each turnover. Gently brush the tops of the turnovers with the egg wash. Bake for 20 minutes or until puffed and golden.
  6. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes. While the turnovers cool, whisk together the icing. Drizzle over the turnovers. Serve warm. 

Notes

  • To freeze the turnovers, place the assembled turnovers on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cut a small slit into the top of each turnover but do not brush with the egg wash.
  • Place the baking sheet with the turnovers into the freezer and freeze until solid. Store frozen turnovers in a zip-top freezer bag for up to 1 month. 
  • When ready to bake, place the frozen turnovers on a lined baking sheet; optionally brush with egg wash before baking. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes. 
  • If you prefer not to ice your turnovers, try sprinkling the tops with coarse sugar or turbinado sugar just after brushing with the egg wash, before baking.

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Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 1 turnover
Amount Per Serving Calories 151Total Fat 3gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 23mgSodium 38mgCarbohydrates 28gFiber 0gSugar 9gProtein 2g

Did you make this recipe?

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Kate

Friday 18th of March 2022

So good

Jamie

Monday 21st of March 2022

Thank you so much for stopping by and taking the time to comment! Happy baking. -Jamie

Ellen

Monday 14th of March 2022

You are so right, I have fond memories of the Pillsbury Blueberry Turnovers that my Mom would make as a treat...

Jamie

Tuesday 15th of March 2022

Thanks so much for stopping by, Ellen! I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Happy Baking! -Jamie

Cassandra

Monday 14th of March 2022

Well, now I'M craving them. Looks like I'm off to the store. Thanks for sharing this :)

Jamie

Tuesday 15th of March 2022

Thanks so much for stopping by, Cassandra! Happy to contribute to your cravings. :-) I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Happy Baking! -Jamie

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