Sparkle Kitchen: Mrs. Brown's Apple Turnovers
In the At Home with Martin & Sylvia story "Rainy Day Help," we discover that the family had been out on a cold, rainy day, helping their dear friends, the Browns, to harvest apples. And as usual, Mrs. Brown had something luscious to share at the end of the work day. This time it was apple turnovers, fresh out of the oven!
You may not know that, besides being a master storyteller, David Sewell McCann is an accomplished baker. Inspired by this story, we adapted this gluten-free apple turnover recipe by including almond meal and cutting the sugar — two modifications that brought this treat more in line with our typical family eating habits.
David made the apple turnovers to serve with our dinner. We had one each with our soup (Tuesday is soup night at our house) and then another half for dessert. And guess what? They were delicious. Of course they were! Just what Mrs. Brown would make.
If you want a wheat flour version, Martha Stewart has one that looks lovely. You’ll find it here.
Mrs. Brown’s Apple Turnovers
Ingredients for the almond pastry crust
½ cup raw almonds
1 cup all-purpose baking mix (we used Bob’s Red Mill)
3 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg, cold
1 tablespoon ice water
Ingredients for the apple filling
2 apples — peeled, cored, and chopped into ½ inch pieces
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ tsp grated nutmeg
Directions for the almond pastry crust
In a food processor, pulse almonds and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar until you have a finely ground meal, about 1 minute. (Note: don’t over grind, or you’ll end up with almond butter. The sugar will help it to stay a meal.)
In the food processor, add flour and sugar to the almond meal. Pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the egg and ice water. Blend until the dough forms a ball. (Be careful not to over-mix.)
Divide the dough into 6 pieces, flatten each into an oval disk, and place between two sheets of wax paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Directions for the Apple Filling and Creating Turnovers
Preheat oven to 375°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix apples, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Remove the pastry disks from the refrigerator. Handle gently — the dough is a bit fragile. Take one disk and roll it between the two sheets of waxed paper. Peel off the top piece of wax paper and place a dollop of apple mixture along the center of the dough in a line.
Sliding your hand under the bottom piece of waxed paper and using the wax paper to support the dough, fold the dough over in half, then crimp the edges together to form a half moon. Peel off the bottom piece of wax paper and place the turnover on the parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough and filling.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. Serve plain for dinner, or turn it into a dessert with sweet whipped cream or ice cream!
Enjoy!
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About the Author
Lisabeth Sewell
Lisabeth Sewell has worn many hats at Sparkle over the years, from Sparkle Kitchen Blogger to Editorial Director to Doer of All Odd Jobs. Her primary role is as CEO.
