These super flakey strawberry turnovers are filled with a sweetened strawberry filling and melt in your mouth cream cheese! Not to mention, the vanilla glaze on top of these pastries makes them too good to be true!
Why you should make these easy strawberry turnovers:
If you’ve ever thought you can only get flakey puff pastry from bakeries, think again! The outsides of these strawberry pastries are beautifully golden brown and full of flaky layers thanks to store-bought puff pastry sheets. This shortcut saves so much time and is just as good (if not better) than homemade puff pastry! I love this recipe for when I need an easy, yet impressive breakfast, dessert or snack.
Turnovers vs hand pies:
There are a few subtle differences between turnovers and hand pies. Turnovers are often made with puff-pastry dough where hand pies are of course normally made with pie dough. Turnovers are also folded rather than stacked. This technique gives turnovers a rectangle or triangle shape instead of round like a hand pie.
Puff pastry vs pie crust:
Puff pastry dough and pie dough are made up of very similar ingredients but their tastes and textures are actually very different when baked! Puff pastry rises more than pie dough and tends to be more flakey. Pie dough bakes up to me more sturdy and rich in flavor.
Ingredients you’ll need for fresh strawberry turnovers:
For the fresh strawberry filling and pastry:
- Puff-pastry: I use Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets
- Strawberries
- Fresh lemon juice
- Granulated sugar
- Cream cheese: Softened
- Egg
- Brown sugar
For the vanilla glaze:
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Milk: water will work too
Some other fresh fruit that would work in this strawberry turnover recipe:
- Cherries
- Apples
- Mixed berries
- Peaches
How to make homemade strawberry turnovers:
- Thaw the puff pasty.
- Make the homemade strawberry jam.
- Cut the thawed puff pastry.
- Fill with cream cheese and strawberry mixture.
- Fold and seal the edges with a fork.
- Cut small slits on the tops, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with extra sugar.
- Bake and let cool for at least 15 minutes.
- Combine ingredients for the vanilla glaze.
- Drizzle the glaze on top of the turnovers.
FAQ:
You can prep these ahead of time, then bake whenever you need something quick and delicious in a pinch! I recommend assembling everything, freezing them, then when ready to bake, remove them from the freezer, apply the egg wash and sugar, then bake as directed.
The best ways to thicken strawberry jam are to either add a little corn starch or just keep letting it simmer and reduce. The more liquid that evaporates out of the fresh strawberries, the more the jam will thicken! The best way to know if it’s done when it’s still hot is by running your finger along your stirring spoon and if the streak line from your finger stays, it’s done. If the jam just covers the streak right back up, keep simmering.
These strawberry turnovers are best when freshly baked, but will keep well when stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
*There will also be a little extra strawberry filling but not to worry, I like to store mine in the fridge and use it on waffles, pancakes, toast, muffins, etc.
The filling ran out of my turnovers while they baked. What did I do wrong?
There are two things you want to be really sure of before you bake these strawberry turnovers:
- Don’t add too much filling: you really only need about 1 tablespoon each of strawberry jam and cream cheese. If you overfill the turnovers, the filling will leak out in the oven.
- Make sure the edges of the turnovers are really well sealed: once you’ve folded the turnovers, go back in with the prongs of a fork and firmly press the edges of the puff pastry together. If the edges aren’t sticking, wet the edges of the pastry with a little water on your finger, then try to seal them again.
Strawberry Turnovers
Equipment
- 1 knife
- 1 large baking sheet
- 1 fork
Ingredients
For the strawberry jam:
- 2 cups fresh strawberries chopped
- 1/2 a lemon juiced
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
For assembly:
- 1 box frozen and thawed puff pastry sheets I like Pepperidge Farm brand (comes with 2 sheets)
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 egg for egg wash
- 3 tbsp brown sugar for the tops
For the vanilla glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tbsp milk water can be substituted
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Thaw the puff pastry sheets. You can do this by setting them in the fridge for about an hour or on the kitchen counter at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
- Start by washing and quartering the strawberries.
- Add them to a medium saucepan with lemon juice and granulated sugar. Let the mixture reduce on medium heat for about 15 minutes or until it’s thickened and the berries are soft.
- Once thickened, transfer to a bowl and set in the fridge to chill.
- In the meantime, unroll the puff pasty and go over it a few times with a rolling pin to push the seams together and make sure everything is smooth.
- Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut each sheet into 6 pieces so there’s 12 total. They should be slight rectangles.
- Line a large baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper, then transfer the puff pastry rectangles to the baking sheet, making sure to keep them about 2 inches apart.
- Spread a dollop of softened cream cheese on the bottom half, then about a tablespoon of the cooled strawberry jam on top of that.
- Fold over the tops and press down the edges with your fingers to seal and prevent leakage. Go back in with the prongs of a fork to make sure the edges are really stuck together.
- Using a serrated knife, cut a little vent on the tops. Doing this will allow steam to escape while the pastries bake in the oven.
- Crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk it up. Using a pastry brush, brush egg wash the tops and edges of the of the unbaked turnovers.
- Sprinkle a little bit of brown sugar on the top of each turnover for good measure.
- Bake at 400 degrees F. for 18-20 minutes.
- While they're baking, in a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth.
- Once the turnovers are baked and cooled, drizzle on the simple vanilla glaze.
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