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Last Updated on April 28, 2021 by Chenée Lewis
Summer is my favorite season, so warmer temperatures always get me excited for barbecues, gardening, road trips, and everything else that summertime brings! And another element of spring and summer that brings me so much joy is strawberry season. I just love those juicy, super-sweet berries during the warmer months. They’re perfect for baking but also so good on their own! This strawberry turnovers recipe is one of my new favorites, a chance to highlight the sweetness of those springtime berries that couldn’t be easier!
To make these easy strawberry turnovers, we’ll be making a quick strawberry filling and wrapping it in store-bought puff pastry. It’s a method similar to my peach turnovers recipe, with a fun added twist! We’ll also be adding a drizzle of simple vanilla icing and some freeze-dried strawberries to add bright strawberry flavor and color to our strawberry turnovers. These are guaranteed to be a hit at your spring and summer gatherings!
How do you make turnovers from scratch?
Well, the good news is that we’re using a package of store-bought puff pastry, so we won’t have to make our pastry from scratch! But everything else is so easy — we’ll just combine our filling ingredients in a saucepan and let it reduce and thicken. Then we’ll fold our filling into our prepared puff pastry sheets and bake! These strawberry turnovers are SO easy! So now that you’re ready to get going, let’s get into the ingredients you’ll need to make them!
Ingredients
- diced strawberries – you can use fresh or frozen strawberries. If you use frozen strawberries, let them thaw for 15 minutes or so to make it easier to dice them.
- lemon zest – the tartness of the lemon zest helps to balance out the sweetness in the filling and create the best flavor for our strawberry turnovers.
- granulated sugar – the perfect amount of sweetness to enhance the strawberries.
- cornstarch – works as a thickener to bring the filling together and minimize leaks.
- flour – we’ll use a bit of flour to dust the surface for our puff pastry.
- frozen puff pastry – store-bought puff pastry is a magic ingredient! It’s so easy to work with, so versatile, and bakes up so buttery and flaky! It’s perfect for these strawberry turnovers.
- egg – we’ll beat our egg with a little water to create an egg wash, which helps to give us a shinier, flakier finish to our puff pastry. The egg wash also helps to secure the puff pastry to itself to keep our strawberry turnovers sealed.
Then, we’ll make an easy vanilla icing to top our strawberry turnovers! Here’s what you’ll need for it:
- powdered sugar – I’d recommend measuring it out with a kitchen scale, or using the spoon-and-level method.
- milk – You can use the milk of your choice — the goal is just to thin out our icing to the right consistency.
- pure vanilla extract – be sure to use a high-quality pure vanilla extract. Or better yet, check out my post on how to make vanilla extract at home with just 2 ingredients!
- freeze-dried strawberries – this is optional, but crushed freeze-dried strawberries adds great flavor and little bits of bright color to the vanilla icing. You can find freeze-dried strawberries at Amazon and Target.
Tips and F.A.Q.
The strawberry filling is super easy for these strawberry turnovers! You’ll just need to combine all the filling ingredients in a saucepan, and simmer them to evaporate out some of the excess juices, and allow the filling to thicken. Then, once it’s thickened and cooled, it’s ready to add to your strawberry turnovers!
You can find frozen puff pastry sheets in the frozen aisle of most supermarkets, near the frozen cakes, pies, and fruit. You can also find it on Amazon.
Assemble the turnovers. Do not brush with egg wash yet. Arrange in a single layer on a sheet pan and freeze completely. Transfer to a Ziploc bag, and freeze for up to 1 month. When ready to bake (do not thaw), brush with egg wash and bake frozen at 400 degrees F. They may take an extra 3-5 minutes to bake fully. Then you can let them cool and ice them as usual.
After you cool your strawberry turnovers completely, they can be frozen. Do not put icing or other freeze-dried strawberries on them. Wrap them in aluminum foil and then place them in a heavy-duty freezer bag. They will last in the freezer for 1-2 months. Thaw your strawberry turnovers, covered, at room temperature and then toast in the oven at 350ºF for about 5-8 minutes to get the pastry nice and flaky. Let them cool a bit, then add icing.
Related Recipes
If you like these strawberry turnovers and you’re looking for more ways to use your ripe strawberries this season, I’ve got some ideas for you! You should try my French Strawberry Cake — it’s a super easy single layer cake made with buttermilk, lemon zest, and lots of fresh, ripe strawberries! It’s a bright and lovely treat for any springtime gathering.
Another fantastic strawberry recipe for you is my Vanilla Cake with Strawberries. It’s made with layers of fluffy vanilla cake, macerated strawberries, and a light homemade whipped cream frosting. Perfect for a summertime celebration!
Equipment you may need
Ingredients
- 2 cups diced strawberries - fresh or frozen
- ½ tsp lemon zest - packed
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- all-purpose flour - for dusting
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry - thawed according to package directions
- 1 large egg - beaten with 1 tbsp water
Vanilla Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar - (115g)
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp freeze-dried strawberries - crushed
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, bring strawberries, lemon zest, sugar, and cornstarch to a boil, stirring.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring, for 5-7 minutes or until mixture is thickened and reduced. Set aside to cool.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- On a lightly floured surface, open one sheet of puff pastry. Roll over pastry with a rolling pin to flatten creases and form a square shape.
- Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut the pastry lengthwise, then across, to make 4 squares.
- Spoon 2-3 tbsp of cooled strawberry filling into the center of each pastry square. Brush outer edge of pastry square with egg wash.
- Fold pastry square to make a triangle shape and press pastry together to seal. Use a fork to crimp edges together tightly.
- Repeat with second sheet of puff pastry, and transfer assembled turnovers to prepared baking sheet.
- Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Let cool about 10 minutes.
Prepare Vanilla Icing
- Whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Add 1-2 tsp additional milk if needed to thin out icing, or a bit more powdered sugar if needed to thicken it.
- Drizzle icing over slightly cooled strawberry turnovers. Sprinkle with crushed freeze-dried strawberries.
Notes
Nutrition
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