Dutch apple turnovers - Appelflappen

It’s cold outside these days, with rain that at times seems to go on forever.

It’s been dark, gloomy and for the most part, I enjoy it. I needed a change of seasons somehow, put on my woolen socks, stay in with a good book, turn on the oven and bake.

I’m baking quite a lot these days, whenever I can scare up some free time that is, because I’ve been pretty busy with work. One of the things I made was these Dutch pastries. When it comes to pastries, let me tell you, the Dutch are good. A testament to that is the Appeltaart (Dutch apple pie) but these puff pastry beauties are equally delicious.

These are the Dutch appelflappen (singular: appelflap) aka apple turnovers and they are little baked triangles of crisp puff pastry filled with grated apples, dark brown sugar and warming spices. They are traditionally drenched in icing sugar, the Dutch love their icing sugar on pastries, but they’re even more scrumptious when paired with a chantilly cream spiked with whiskey.

Apples, spices and single malt; it’s a match made in heaven, guaranteed to warm you up on a chilly autumn day.

Appelflappen (Dutch Apple Turnovers) with Whiskey Chantilly Cream

Apple season is here and you can take your pick with the apples you could use. I chose Goudrenet (a Dutch variety) but Granny Smith or any other type of good tart apple will do.
You can make these with homemade puff pastry or store-bought. Just make sure it is made with butter. It makes a difference.

Yield: 8 appelflappen

Ingredients

for the appelflappen
350 g (2 large) tart apples (Goudrenet or Granny Smith)
2 tablespoons soft dark brown sugar
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of grated nutmeg
1 sheet ready-made puff pastry (40 x 24 cm), defrosted

1 small egg, lightly beaten, for glazing the pastries
Icing sugar and cinnamon, for sprinkling over the pastries

for the whiskey cream
250 ml cream, full-fat (35%)
2 tablespoons caster sugar
2 tablespoons single malt whiskey

Special equipment: box grater, baking sheet, baking paper, pastry brush, stand or hand-held electric mixer


Preparation

for the appelflappen
Peel the apples and grate them coarsely into a bowl. Add the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix well with a spoon.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius / 290 Fahrenheit.
Line a large baking sheet with baking paper.

Lay the puff pastry on a piece of baking paper and cut it into 8 equal squares, trimming off any excess pastry. Place about 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of each square, fold it over to create a triangle and press edges together with a fork to seal. Transfer pastries onto the prepared baking sheet, brush them with the beaten egg and prick the tops with a fork.
Bake for about 20 minutes on the middle rack of the oven until golden-brown and puffed.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

Serve sprinkled with some icing sugar and cinnamon, and a dollop of whiskey chantilly cream on the side.

Note: If you have any of the apple mixture leftover, don’t throw it away. It is delicious served on top of some thick Greek yoghurt. Even the syrup that will accumulate at the bottom of the bowl with the grated apples, sugar and spices is wonderful to drink as a liqueur of sorts.

for the whiskey cream
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl and using a hand-held mixer), beat the cream and sugar with the whisk attachment on high speed until soft peaks form. Add the whiskey and beat until stiff peaks form.
Keep chantilly cream refrigerated until ready to use.