Honeycrisp Apple, Cheddar and Cranberry Turnovers

So I admit it up front - baking is not a strong suit for me, it tends to be one of the few things in the kitchen that I'm intimidated by. I'm always sure that my dough won't turn out right. Fortunately our good friends at Pepperidge Farms sell frozen Puff Pastry dough - and seriously, there is something very wrong with you if you don't like puff pastry.

As the fall apple crop began arriving at the store this year I had a hankering for something baked apple. My mother-in-law Ellen, God rest her soul, made perhaps the best apple pie that I've ever had. I do believe it was her signature dish - in fact I'm certain it was because other than that pie she was not exactly a gourmet chef, but that pie was out of this world. I don't do pie crust - it scares the hell out of me. Anything that brings back over a million google hits in less than five seconds lets me know that there are far too many opinions and methods on making the perfect pie crust for me to tackle - so apple pie was out.

Noodling around on the web I found this recipe from the good folks at Pepperidge Farms http://www.puffpastry.com/recipe/60966/honeycrisp-apple-cheddar-and-cranberry-turnovers . I followed it closely and made only two minor changes - I used an extra-sharp white cheddar and for the sprinkled sugar I used turbinado (raw) sugar - I do believe Mrs. Hendo has been wondering why we have a box containing 100 packets of turbinado sugar in the cupboard - actually that would be 98 packets as I used two of them on the turnovers.

These were completely delicious - the sharp cheddar mellowed the sweetness in just the right proportion. Give these puppies a try when you have that urge for something baked apple but are too wimpy to try and replicate your mother-in-law's famous apple pie!