Did someone say Christmas morning?

One of my many controversial yet brave food opinions is that apples are…meh. Why settle for a meh fruit when you can replace apples with PEARS in this delicious turnover recipe!? The filling is full of warming spices that you can find at most grocery stores, and the additions of fresh ginger and golden raisins really take it up a notch. There is no need to stress about the dough; frozen puff pastry works wonders here and makes every home cook’s life a little easier!

These would make a perfect treat to wake up to on Christmas morning, or have as a dessert with ice cream. To reheat, pop in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes and enjoy over and over again!

P.S: Developing dessert recipes is very intimidating to me, but I can confidently say that these are my favorite things I’ve baked for this site!

Ginger Pear Turnovers

Makes: 6 turnovers
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups of diced pears (about 2 pears)
1 inch ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 egg
4 tbsp water
1 puff pastry sheet, thawed
Granulated sugar for garnishing

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In two separate small bowls: combine the cornstarch and 1 tbsp of water to form a cornstarch slurry. Whisk the egg and remaining 3 tbsp of water together for the egg wash. Set both aside.
Make the filling: melt the butter over medium heat and stir in pears, ginger and raisins until coated. Add both sugars and stir until combined and a caramel-colored sauce begins to form, about four minutes. Mix in the cinnamon, ground ginger, allspice, nutmeg and vanilla until it evenly covers the mixture. Add the cornstarch slurry and cook for an additional two minutes. Remove from heat.

4. Lightly flour your work surface. Roll out the sheet of puff pastry to form a rectangle. Cut the pastry into 6 (about 5 inch) squares.

5. Scoop about 1/4 of the pear filling into the center of each pastry square. Brush the edges of the square with the egg wash mixture and fold the pastry in half over the filling to form a triangle. Crimp the edges with a fork to seal. Using a sharp knife, cut a small slit on top of each pastry and sprinkle with granulated sugar before baking.

6. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the turnovers are a golden brown. Let the pastries cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before serving.