Growing up in the Netherlands, apples were by far the most prevalent fruit. In elementary school, kids always bring a piece of fruit to school as a snack at 10 a.m.! We learn from a young age that, to be healthy, you need to eat two pieces of fruit per day. I remember appelflappen was one of the first dishes I learned to make. In high school, we had two cooking classes per week, and obviously, the first few weeks we were mostly making easy dishes. But also dishes that everyone in the Netherlands knows and loves!

The reason I chose to add a recipe for appelflappen to this list is because every Dutch person knows it. Going to a friend’s house, where their mom had just made fresh appelflappen, was the best.

If you ask people throughout the Netherlands what appelflappen are, you might get different answers, though. In some parts of the Netherlands, appelflappen are the name for apple rounds, deep-fried in a thick batter. Kind of like a donut. But in the north, where I am from, appelflappen are made with puff pastry, and they are always triangular! People would make these in the spring, when there is an abundance of apples. Pastries like this would mostly be made and eaten on a Sunday, as this is a "special" treat you don’t eat every day. You can make appelflappen with or without raisins. Some people love putting raisins in them. I skipped this step in my own appelflappen.

Preparation:

35 minutes

Cook Time:

25 minutes

Servings:

8

Ingredients:

• 2 sheets puff pastry, thawed (1 standard box)
• 2–3 apples (Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Gala all work well), peeled, cored, and diced
• ¼ cup granulated sugar, divided
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ cup raisins (optional)
• 1 egg, beaten

Granny Smith gives you the closest match to what we'd use back home: tart and a little firm. I personally like them a little sweeter, though. Honeycrisp and Gala are perfect if you want that.

Preparation

1. If using raisins, soak them in hot water for about 5 minutes to plump up, then drain.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Peel, core, and dice the apples. Toss them in a bowl with 3 tablespoons of the sugar, the cinnamon, and the raisins.
3. Unroll the puff pastry sheets. Sprinkle lightly with flour and roll gently with a rolling pin to smooth out the fold lines. Cut each sheet into 4 squares, so you have 8 total.
4. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of filling onto one half of each square, leaving a small border around the edge.
5. Fold each square diagonally into a triangle and press the edges firmly with a fork to seal.
6. Place the turnovers on a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes. This helps the pastry puff up more evenly in the oven.
7. Brush the tops with beaten egg and sprinkle with the remaining sugar.
8. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until golden and puffed. Cool on a rack for at least 10 minutes before eating.

Tips

• Don't overfill the squares. It's tempting to pile the apples on, but too much filling means the pastry won't seal properly and everything leaks out in the oven.
• Chill the assembled turnovers before baking, even just 15 minutes. Cold pastry puffs up better than pastry that's already gone soft from working with it.