Puff Pastry Turnovers
When they say context is everything, it’s really true. The word chaussons means slippers in French, but it’s also the name given to puff pastry turnovers. Strange, right?
That’s why you’ll usually hear the dessert version of the word followed by whatever fruit it’s been made with. Usually, that’s chaussons aux pommes (apple turnovers), or in this case aux fraises (strawberries).
With the abundance of farm-fresh, aromatic, sweet strawberries, I can think of nothing better than using them in delectable puff pastry turnovers like this.
I think I have a special affinity towards turnovers because they remind me so much of Pop Tarts.
Homemade puff pastry turnovers are obviously much better than the store-bought breakfast tarts, but nevertheless, there’s something to be said about jam enclosed in a pocket of pastry.
As a child, I was guilty of eating a Pop Tart for breakfast every now and then. I absolutely loved them warm out the of the toaster oven with a glass of cold milk.
Nowadays, I’m a lot more health conscious about what I put into my body and prefer making my sweet treats at home. These strawberry puff pastry turnovers fulfill that nostalgic craving and more.
Homemade puff pastry is a really similar process to making croissants, meaning it can be a long and tedious process.
Instead, I use a quick and easy shortcut to making puff pastry that still yields an incredibly flaky and buttery result. That paired with the fresh strawberry preserves creates an irresistible combination.
While you can easily forego making your own pastry or preserves, I can’t guarantee it will taste as incredible as the homemade route. I love that you can control how sweet your preserves taste when you make it at home; I find the store-bought kind often too sweet.
These puff pastry turnovers would also make a wonderful treat for Mom this coming Mother’s Day. Imagine her surprise to find a plate of these waiting for her in the morning!
Puff Pastry Turnovers
Sweet strawberry preserves enveloped inside golden puff pastry.
Ingredients
for the puff pastry dough
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, 125 g
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp cold, 140 g, unsalted butter , cubed
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2-4 tbsp cold water
- 1 egg, for egg wash, beaten
for the strawberry preserves
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 2/3 cup quartered strawberries, and destemmed
- powdered sugar for garnishing
Instructions
- Begin by creating the strawberry preserves. In a small saucepan, add the sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the strawberries and continue to cook over medium-low heat until the strawberries have completely softened. Pour into a bowl and set aside at room temperature to cool.
- Create the puff pastry dough by combining the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Add the butter and use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour until you get pea-size clumps. Alternatively, you can use a food processor to combine.
- Stream in cold water, one tablespoon at a time, and continue blending the mixture until a crumbly dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a floured board.
- Sprinkle a pinch of flour over the dough and roll it out into a rectangular strip. Brush off any excess flour using a pastry brush, then fold the dough into thirds. Rotate the dough so that the open ends are facing you and again roll out into a strip, brush off excess flour, and fold into thirds. Repeat this step 2 more times for a total of 4 rolls.
- After the final fold, transfer the dough to a lightly floured plate, cover with a sheet of plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge (approximately 30 minutes).
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. After the dough has chilled, turn out the dough onto a floured board. Roll the dough out into a rectangle that's 1/4" thick. Lightly sprinkle flour on the dough and rotate the dough as needed to prevent the dough from sticking. Use a sharp knife to cut off the uneven edges along the rectangle's sides. Then cut the rectangle into 4 squares, or 4 rectangles.
- Scoop the strawberry preserves onto the center of each square, evenly distributing the preserves among the 4 squares. Turn one half of each square over and onto itself to create a smaller square pocket. Use your fingers to press down the edges and seal the pocket. For some creative design, use a fork to crimp the edges of the dough.
- Brush the pastry pockets with the beaten egg. Bake the turnovers for 22 to 24 minutes, until they're a deep golden color. Let the pockets slightly cool for 10 minutes, then dust with powdered sugar.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 4 ServingsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 344
Hi Beeta,
I love how you always provide fully homemade recipes! There’s no way I can buy store bought puff pastry – it always contains something in it I’m allergic to. Ughhh! Plus, as your comment said, it’s a lot healthier for everyone to make their own! 🙂
But… not to put you on the spot – I’d LOVE to see a video of you making puff pastry! It seems a little daunting and visuals would really help. I have soooo many recipes where I could use puff pastry (especially baked brie!) and I’m still nervous to mess this up.
I honestly thought there were more stages involved, more rolling, iced butter, chilling, more rolling, more chilling. Somewhere I saw a recipe that looked like it took 8 hours total! Yikes! LOL
Gorgeous Beeta! I love the idea of mini fruity pies – making a big one is far too much work (and I can never master the art of not getting a soggy pastry bottom..). Strawberries too! So perfect for Mother’s day, you’re right <3
Thank you, Claudia! They are exactly like mini pies, but I think even flakier! 🙂 XO
I’m loving these puff pastry turnovers a little too much Beeta! I’m on a sugar detox right now but I’m about ready to break it and make these for breakfast tomorrow. Yum!!!! Detoxes are stupid anyways and thanks for making me realize that by posting this delicious recipe 😉
Lol oh my, I’m awful for tempting you like this! But hey it’s all homemade, so that’s got to count for something right? No processed stuff here, so you’re technically detoxifying your body of processed food…;) I tried! lol XOXO
I love making fruit turnovers! These look gorgeous, as always, Beeta! I like to serve them at breakfast if we have guests, but I do end up snacking on the leftovers for the rest of the day 😉 xx
Thank you, Louise! Turnovers are ridiculously easy to snack on throughout the day so I dont blame you at all! 😉