Curly Cooks: Chaussons aux Pommes

Since we're all stuck inside for lockdown, many people are currently baking to pass the time, including me! So, Curly Cooks is a series on the various items that I'm making while on lockdown, most of which will carry personal stories. Today's recipe is the French pastry known as chaussons aux pommes, or apple turnovers.

Curly Cooks: Chaussons aux Pommes

Literally translated, the name of this pastry means 'Apple Slippers', but in the UK they are generally known as apple turnovers. They are super tasty and another of the amazing treats I used to eat (probably too) frequently when I worked in Paris. They're a bit trickier than some other bakes but they are definitely worth the effort as they are delicious. So, onwards to apple heaven! 

Jump to simple recipe

For this recipe you're going to need to start with apple sauce, the kind you'd have in an apple crumble. When I made these I used sauce that I made earlier and had frozen, so I don't have pictures of the process. However, it is fairly simple: put 2 bramley cooking apples, peeled and diced, into a saucepan over medium heat with a cup or so of water, and about half a cup of sugar. I also like to add a sprinkle of cinnamon for a nicer flavour. Once it is reduced down, and you can easily mash the apples, take it off the heat and let it cool, so you have your standard apple sauce consistency. And that's it! 

Next up is constructing the chaussons. Grab some pre-made puff pastry, I used 250 grams, and roll it out so it's about a centimetre thick. 

Then, cut circles out of the pastry (the cutter I used was about 10cm diameter, and it was an ideal size) and place them on a baking sheet. 

Plop about a teaspoon of apple sauce onto each circle. I'd suggest placing it not in the centre, but slightly to one side of the circle to make it easier to fold the pastry. 

Next, brush your beaten egg around one edge of the circle and bring the edges together, squeezing as to keep in the apple. You should now have gorgeous little semicircles. Score lines across the top of each chausson, trying to keep the knife from going all the way through the pastry - we don't want apple spilling out of the top! 

Finally, brush each pastry with egg and put them in the oven for 25 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. And that's it! You can eat them as is or with a sprinkle of icing sugar on the top to up the sweetness. 

Chaussons aux Pommes

Prep Time: 25 minutes         Cook Time: 25 minutes        

Ingredients:

Pre-made puff pastry (I used 250g but you can use the whole 500g block for bigger/more chaussons)

Apple compote, around 200g

1 egg, beaten

Steps:

1. Prepare a tray with a baking sheet (you may need two depending on how much pastry you're using).

2. Roll out the puff pastry to a thickness of 1cm.

3. Cut out circles from the pastry (I found that 10cm diameter was ideal for mini pastries but if you want to make full size ones you can use a much bigger size).

4. Spoon about a teaspoon of the apple sauce onto each circle.

5. Eggwash one side of the circle, then fold it into a semicircle, making sure to pinch the edges.

6. Score the top of each chausson, making sure not to pierce all the way through the pastry.

7. Eggwash once more, then put in the oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

8. Enjoy!

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