Flaky puff pastry filled with homemade apple cinnamon pie filling and dusted with cinnamon sugar.
I recently found an old book of mine from when I was in elementary school. I'm not sure if other schools did this, and I hope they did and still do, we used to have a day where we took time from our classes to go to the library where they set up an area where we could buy some books. I remember Harry Potter had just come out and to be honest no one really bought those books at the time since they weren't popular just yet but I remember specifically passing The Sorcerer's Stone and thinking it looked interesting but it wouldn't be for another year until I actually picked it up and started reading it. Harry Potter aside, I bought this book called Mr. Putter and Tabby Pick the Pears by Cynthia Rylant. I mostly chose it because it came with a Tabby the cat keychain, even back then I knew how to get the best for my buck. And looking up the book now, there's actually an entire series of Mr. Putter and Tabby! I might go crazy on Amazon this afternoon.
So anyways, I love this book. And now my Rou loves it too which just warms my heart. Mr. Putter is an elderly man who lives with his cat, Tabby. His favorite season is fall because he loves pear jelly and all things juicy such as apple pie, apple turnovers, apple cider with cinnamon sticks, stuffed tomatoes, and of course the pear jelly. Only he's too old to get up the ladder and pick the pears so he devises a plan to get them down and what ensues is a heart-warming tale of cleverness and being young at heart. And there may be a slingshot involved.
We have read this book now almost every single night since the first day of fall and Rou even started saying "appoo tuwn-ovews" which made me think, let's make some apple turnovers!
Gluten free puff pastry is sort of like searching for a unicorn in that you hope it's real but you know it's a magical being. When I discover the secret to gluten free puff pastry you can bet your gluten free underpants I'll let you in on it. That being said, geefree makes a puff pastry that can be found in the frozen aisle and it's not baaaaad but I strive for perfect and it's not that. So do what you will with that information. If you roll it out super thin and eat it within the same day, it's pretty good.
For the apple cider with cinnamon sticks, click here for a homemade recipe.
Ingredients:
1 package puff pastry (can substitute regular vs. gluten free)
4 small apples (or 2 large ones), peeled, cored, and diced
4 tbsp sugar
4 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
for topping
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Instructions:
1. Let puff pastry thaw according to package directions
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. In a medium saucepan, combine apples, sugar, vanilla, cornstarch, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally util mixture becomes thick and apples soften just slightly.
5. Cut puff pastry into even squares and spoon apple mixture onto the middle of each. Fold one corner over to make a triangle (or in my case, fold the entire thing over).
6. Using a fork, press edges together. Poke a hole in the top for the steam to vent. Place on parchment paper.
7. Brush the top of each with egg and dust with cinnamon and sugar.
8. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes and let cool for 5 minutes.
9. Serve warm (ice cream is always a plus!) and enjoy!
