Pie in A Pocket
When it comes to candy, syrups, or drinks, cherry is definitely not the first flavor I’d pick. But when it comes to pie, I’m a hardcore cherry pie fan! I love the sweet and tart combination. It adds more depth to the flavor profile and makes it taste more fresh. When pies are overly sweet, the fruit tastes heavy and artificial, which defeats the whole purpose of incorporating fruit. Now that stone fruits are in season, I wanted to make something inspired by my favorite pie, but of course, with a twist! Pies can be a little time consuming, if you’re making everything from scratch, so these Cherries and Cream Turnovers are a quick and easy way to have all of the best parts of a cherry pie without having to make one!
Cherries and Cream
These Cherries and Cream Turnovers are made with flaky puff pastry, filled with a cherry pie and cream cheese filling. We’ve all heard of berries and cream and peaches and cream. Now, we’re introducing cherries and cream to the world because, I have to say, it’s pretty damn good! Sweet and tart foods always go so well with a creamy component because the flavors balance each other out.
In my opinion, these Cherries and Cream Turnovers may be even better than your standard cherry pie. These turnovers are easier to make, and I personally love how flakey and light puff pastry is compared to pie crust. It also develops a great balance of texture with a crisp outside and a softer inside.
To start, let’s make the filling. This is a simple cherry pie filling because I love to let the natural flavors of the cherries shine. Add the cherries, granulated sugar, lemon juice, and salt to pan over medium heat. After a few minutes, the cherries should start to release their juices. Once this happens, we’re going to mix in a combination of water and cornstarch. This mixture is known as a slurry and will help the juices to thicken and develop a glossy sheen. Because our batch of cherry filling is a little smaller, it should only take another minute or two to thicken. Transfer the cherries to a bowl, and set it aside to cool while we move onto our cream cheese filling.
The cream cheese filling is a combination of cream cheese, a bit of sour cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and salt. All we need to do is mix the ingredients together until evenly combined, and then we’re ready to make our turnovers!
Pour Some Sugar on Me
Lightly dust your work surface and the puff pastry sheets with flour. Roll the sheets into a square and so that they’re just slightly thinner than how they originally were. Use a knife to cut each sheet into 4 squares. Pipe 1-2 tablespoons of the cream cheese filling onto one half of each square. Then spoon 1-2 tablespoons of the cherry pie filling on top. Take one corner of the square and fold it over the filling so that it meets the opposite corner. Use the tips of a fork to crimp and seal the edges to lock in the filling. Transfer the completed turnovers onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing them 1 1/2 inches apart.
Beat together an egg and a splash of milk. Brush a coating of this over all the turnovers. This is known as an egg wash, which will help our turnovers develop a golden brown color in the oven. Use a knife to cut 3 slits into the tops of the turnovers. This helps the filling to ventilate so that the filling doesn’t explode from the pastry.
And now for my favorite part: raw sugar. Sprinkle raw sugar all over the tops of the turnovers. This step sounds so simple that you wouldn’t think it makes that big of a difference. But you would be wrong. The raw sugar adds an extra layer of textural crunch to the outside of the pastry along with a bit of sweetness. So please do not skip this step! Bake them in the oven at 425℉ for 23-24 minutes until golden brown. Allow them to cool slightly before eating because that filling will be piping hot. Then you’ll have perfect and delicious Cherries and Cream Turnovers ready to eat!
Cherries and Cream Cravings
I kid you not, my boyfriend and I finished the entire batch of these Cherries and Cream Turnovers ourselves within 2 days. That is a testament to how delicious these are. My boyfriend normally isn’t the biggest fan of cooked fruit desserts and he was inhaling these one after the other.
The sweet, tart, and creamy flavors are a match made in heaven — it’s fresh and fruity but also indulgent. Then the creaminess of the cream cheese paired with the crisp exterior and soft interior of the puff pastry is heaven in your mouth! The combinations of flavors and textures makes this the perfect treat for your summer gatherings. You may even have to double the recipe to satisfy everyone’s desire for more. Pro-tip: maybe even serve these warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to get even more of that summer pie feel. Let me know what you think about these Cherries and Cream Turnovers in the comments below!
Cherries and Cream Turnovers
Ingredients
For the Cherry Pie Filling:
- ¼ Cold Water
- 1 Tbsp Cornstarch
- 9 oz. Cherries (pitted and halved)
- ¼ cup Granulated Sugar
- ½ Tbsp Lemon Juice
- ⅛ tsp Kosher Salt
For the Cream Cheese Filling:
- 8 oz. Cream Cheese
- ¼ cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Sour Cream
- ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
- ¼ tsp Kosher Salt
For the Turnovers:
- 16 oz. Puff Pastry (2 sheets) (thawed)
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 Tbsp Milk
- 3 Tbsp Raw Sugar
Instructions
For the Cherry Pie Filling:
- Add the cold water and cornstarch into a small bowl and whisk until combined. Set it aside.
- Heat a pan over medium heat. Add in the cherries, granulated sugar, lemon juice, and kosher salt. Mix until combined then cook for 2-4 minutes until the cherries begin to release their juices.
- Stir the cornstarch mixture again then pour it into the pan. Mix until combined. Simmer the cherries for another 1-2 minutes until they've slightly softened and the juices have thickened into a pie filling consistency. Transfer the mixture into a bowl and set it aside to cool.
For the Cream Cheese Filling:
- Add all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix until the ingredients are well combined. Set aside.
For the Turnovers:
- Preheat the oven to 425℉. Line a few baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour. Add the puff pastry sheets onto the work surface and lightly dust them with flour. Roll each sheet of puff pastry into a square and so that they are slightly thinner than they originally were.
- Cut each sheet of puff pastry into 4 squares so you have a total of 8. Pipe 1½ to 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture onto the center of the square, making sure to leave a ½ inch border around it. Spoon 1½ to 2 tablespoons of the cherry filling on top of the cream cheese mixture.
- Take one corner of the puff pastry and fold it up and over until it meets the opposite corner, making a triangle. Using your fingers, gently press down on the edges. Then use the tips of a fork to crimp all along the edges to seal the seam. Transfer the turnover onto the lined baking sheet. Repeat this process to make the remaining turnovers. Space then turnovers 1½ inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Beat together the egg and milk until combined to create an egg wash. Use a pastry brush to coat the tops of the turnovers with the egg wash. Cut 3 slits onto the tops of all the turnovers so they can vent while baking. Sprinkle the raw sugar onto the tops of the turnovers. Bake them in the over for 23-24 minutes until golden brown. Allow the turnovers to cool for a bit then enjoy!
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