Easy Cherry Turnovers Recipe + Video

Super easy, flaky and delicious puff pastry turnovers with homemade cherry pie filling and vanilla glaze. These little sweet pastries are best when served as breakfast or snack with a cup of coffee.

What is a cherry turnover?

Turnovers are easy and simple stuffed pastries made with puff pastry sheets and homemade cherry pie filling. These bakery-style fruit pastries are easily made at home with just a handful of ingredients.

Cherry turnovers are one of the simple desserts or breakfasts to make whenever you have guests or have no time in hand to prepare anything fancy.

Can I use frozen cherries?

Absolutely, thaw them before you make the filling.

Can I use store-bought cherry pie filling?

I always make my own pie fillings but store-bought pie fillings are works well in this recipe.

Alternatives for puff pastry:

If you don’t have puff pastry in hand, you can make turnovers using the pie crust or phyllo dough.

Fruit variations:

I love to fill the turnovers with the seasonal fruits. The options are endless, you can use apples, peaches, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries or pears. Store-bought pie filling can be used in this recipe.

Serving suggestions:

These are so versatile. Serve them as a snack, dessert or breakfast. They are great when served warm or cold.

Alternatives for the glaze:

I have drizzled a simple vanilla glaze over the pastries to make them a little more attractive and delicious. If you don’t want to do it, below are some other options to make them fancy! 🙂

Almonds – Sprinkle the slivered almonds or sliced almonds on the stuffed turnovers before baking. They will add a nice crunch and taste to them.

Coarse Sugar – Sprinkle a generous amount of coarse sugar on top after brushing with milk.

Powdered sugar – Simply dust the baked pastries with some powdered sugar.

Can I make them ahead?

Yes, they freeze beautifully. Once the pastries are assembled (DO NOT brush with milk), freeze them flat on a single layer. Once they are frozen, transfer them to a ziplock bag and freeze them up to a month.

Whenever you want to bake them, just arrange the frozen ones on a baking sheet, brush with milk and bake immediately. You don’t need to thaw them to bake. Just remember the baking time will be a little longer if they are frozen.

How long can you store them?

They stay well at room temperature for up to 2 days. If you are NOT using glaze (which contains milk), they will stay well for up to 3 days.

If you want to store them for longer, I would suggest storing them in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Step by step preparation:

• Wash and cut the cherries into half. Discard the stem and seeds. Keep them aside.

• Combine 1.5 tablespoons of cornflour and 2 tablespoons of water in a cup and keep it aside until use.

• In a pan, add 1 & ¼ cups of halved cherries, ¼ cup of sugar and 1 tbsp of lemon juice. Combine everything.
• Let it cook for about 5 minutes over a medium flame. Gently press the cherries using a spatula while stirring.

• After 5 minutes, reduce the flame to low and add the diluted cornflour mixture.
• Combine everything and let it cook for another 3-4 minutes with constant stirring.

• Once it is thick, turn off the flame and let it cool down slightly.

• Cut the puff pastry into 9 squares and fill each square with a spoonful of prepared pie filling.

• Fold the dough to make a triangle shape. Press the edges of the dough with a fork to seal them completely.
• Prick a few holes using a fork to make a small cut with a knife to create a vent on top. (if you want to freeze them for later use, freeze them at this stage).

• Carefully transfer them to a lined baking tray.
• Brush them with some milk (If you eat eggs, brush them with eggwash).
• If you are decided to decorate with almonds or sugar instead of the glaze, sprinkle almonds or coarse sugar at this stage.
• Pop them in the preheated oven and bake at 200 degrees C for 20-25 minutes or until they are golden brown.

• To make the vanilla glaze, combine powdered sugar, vanilla and milk in a small mixing bowl. Mix everything well with a fork until creamy and smooth.
• Add more milk or powdered sugar to adjust the consistency.
• When the turnovers are completely baked, remove them from the oven and let them cool a bit.
• Drizzle the glaze over the cooled or warm turnovers.

You might love these recipes:

• Banana Chocolate Jam
• Italian Sesame Cookies
• Cherry Almond Cake
• Strawberry Summer Cake
• Chocolate Sandwich
• Watermelon Strawberry Popsicles
• Peanut Butter Strawberry Sandwich

Puff pastry cherry turnovers recipe video below: