Homemade Arby’s Cherry Turnovers: Flaky Pastry Perfection

The first time I bit into an Arby’s cherry turnover, the contrast between the flaky, buttery pastry and the sweet-tart cherry filling was irresistible. These hand-held treats are surprisingly simple to recreate at home with just a few ingredients. Thanks to store-bought puff pastry, you can enjoy bakery-quality turnovers fresh from your oven in less than an hour. Perfect for breakfast, dessert, or any time you’re craving something sweet!

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Easy Cherry Turnovers

The secret to these turnovers lies in using high-quality ingredients and employing proper techniques. Using frozen puff pastry allows you to achieve those signature flaky layers without hours of work, while a good-quality cherry pie filling ensures a perfect balance of sweetness and fruit flavor. The simple powdered sugar glaze adds just the right finishing touch of sweetness, setting these apart from ordinary pastries.

Cherry Turnovers With Puff Pastry

Many turnover recipes start with puff pastry. Yes, you can make homemade puff pastry; it just takes a bit of time to do so. If you want to try your hand at making your puff pastry from scratch, Martha Stewart has a nice recipe for homemade puff pastry.

However, like many of us, it’s easier and far less time-consuming to take a stroll down the frozen food aisle and grab some frozen puff pastry for your puff pastry turnovers. I like Trader Joe’s and Pepperidge Farm, and sometimes my local store will have another brand. Any of them will work well.

7 Steps for Working With Frozen Puff Pastry

1. Defrosting Your Puff Pastry: Read the box for defrosting directions and follow them implicitly. You can ruin your puff pastry by leaving it out on the counter for an extended period – you may end up with a hunk of dough that is difficult to work with.
2. Unfolding Your Puff Pastry: Frozen puff pastry comes neatly folded in a package. You need to unfold the pastry to use it, but don’t do this too early. If the pastry begins to crack when you are unfolding it, wait a few minutes before proceeding.
3.  Flattening Your Puff Pastry: The next step is to roll out your pastry. Before doing so, lightly flour your work surface and your rolling pin. This will help to roll the pastry out smoothly with no sticking or pulling.
4. Be Careful With Your Rolling Pin: Puff pastry requires some delicacy. Avoid overexertion when rolling or using excessive force. If you do, you’ll roll out some of the flakiness, and your pastry won’t puff as much.
5. Cut With Care: Use a sharp-edged paring knife, pizza cutter, or cookie cutter, depending on what you are using the pastry for. 
6. Keep Your Pastry Chilled: After cutting your puff pastry shapes, refrigerate them to keep them cold, which will help your pastry puff. As soon as you’ve assembled one, please return it to the fridge while working on the next one. 
7. Do not assemble your turnovers ahead of time (unless you are freezing them – see below), as they will tend to turn out soggy.

Recipe Ingredients

For the Turnovers

• Frozen puff pastry – Creates the flaky, buttery layers that make turnovers special
• Cherry pie filling – Provides the sweet-tart filling (choose quality brands like Solo, Musselman’s, or Comstock)
• Egg – Creates a golden brown crust when brushed on the pastry
• Milk – Adds richness to the glaze

For the Glaze

• Powdered sugar – Forms the sweet base of the simple icing
• Milk – Thins the icing to drizzling consistency

Equipment Needed

• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Sharp knife or pizza cutter
• Small bowl for egg wash
• Pastry brush
• Mixing bowl for glaze
• Fork for crimping edges

How to Make Cherry Turnovers

1. Defrost puff pastry and lay out the pastry sheet on a baking sheet.
2. Cut the pastry into 4-inch squares.
   

   

3. Place a couple of tablespoons of pie filling into the center of each square.
   

   

4. Brush egg wash on the edge of the puff pastry except for 1 inch in the center of each of the sides.
5. Fold the pastry squares to make triangles.
6. Gently press the edges together.
7. Brush egg wash on the top of the turnovers.
   

   

8. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.
9. Combine milk and powdered sugar in a small bowl.
10. Drizzle the icing over the turnovers.

Easy Homemade Arby’s-Style Cherry Turnovers

Buttery puff pastry filled with sweet cherry filling and topped with a simple vanilla glaze for a bakery-worthy treat you can make at home.

4.43 from 7 votes

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Arby’s Recipes, Cherry Turnovers

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 6

Calories: 649kcal

Author: Stephanie Manley

Ingredients

• 1 package puff pastry, defrosted
• 1 21-ounce can cherry pie filling
• 1 egg white lightly beaten with a teaspoon of water
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Lay out the puff pastry sheets on an ungreased baking sheet, and cut the dough into 4 x 4-inch squares.
• Place about 2 tablespoons of pie filling into the center of each square. Ideally, there will be about 5 to 6 cherries in each turnover. Do not overfill, as the filling may leak out while baking.
• Brush egg wash on all the inside edges of the puff pastry, except for 1 inch in the center of each of the sides. This will allow the puff pastry to vent while cooking.
• Fold the turnover in half diagonally to make a triangle. Gently press the edges together. Don’t press too hard, or the edges won’t puff as they should.
• Brush the top of each turnover with egg wash and bake for 25 to 27 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove the turnovers from the oven and allow them to cool slightly.
• Make the icing by combining the milk and the powdered sugar in a small bowl. Drizzle the icing over the turnovers.

Video

Notes

Store cherry turnovers in an airtight container.

These are best eaten within 1 or 2 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 649kcal | Carbohydrates: 84g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 233mg | Potassium: 172mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 215IU | Vitamin C: 3.5mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 2.3mg

Variations on Cherry Turnover Recipes

If cherries are not your favorite, you can make turnovers with your favorite fruit pie fillings. Here are some other ideas for great turnovers:

• Add a little dollop of softened cream cheese to each turnover before you add the cherry filling. 
• A little cinnamon goes well with apples and pears. You can also use apple pie spice, nutmeg, a pinch of cloves, or a tiny bit of allspice. Even a smidge of ginger tastes great.
• Drizzle some caramel over the filling or add a few raisins.
• Add a splash of bourbon.
• Fill with lemon cream or lemon curd
• Try blueberries and lemon curd
• Sliced bananas with nut butter makes a wonderful turnover.
• Add nuts–roughly chopped pecans, walnuts, or pistachios.
• Mix in chocolate pieces or caramel bits. 

Variations on Icing for Turnovers

• Top your turnovers with chocolate syrup. 
• Give the icing a little pop with some vanilla and perhaps a little cream cheese.
• Drizzle some caramel over the top.
• Tip: Try deep-frying a turnover – it’s insanely delicious! It only takes a minute or two in 350°F oil until the pastry is golden brown on both sides.

Storing Leftover Puff Pastry Turnovers

Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in the oven or toaster oven at 375 F for 5-10 minutes until crispy and warm.

• Freezing Unbaked Turnovers: Assemble the turnovers but do not brush with egg wash. Arrange them in one layer on a sheet pan and freeze. When frozen, place them in freezer-friendly resealable bags. Frozen turnovers are best used within 3 months. 
• Baking Frozen UncookedTurnovers: Do not thaw. Brush with egg wash and bake frozen at 400 F per the recipe instructions until the filling is bubbling. You may need to allow an extra 5-10 minutes of baking time. If the turnovers start to brown too quickly, loosely cover with foil.
• Freezing Baked Turnovers: Allow the turnovers to cool completely, then wrap in aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. 
• Baking Frozen Cooked Turnovers: Do not thaw. Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes, or until warm and crispy. They may not turn out as flaky as when freshly baked.

If you have some puff pastry leftover, one way to use it up is to add it to soup as in this copycat chicken pot pie recipe. 

More Arby’s Copycat Recipes

• Arby’s Sauce
• Chocolate Turnovers
• Horsey Sauce
• Pecan Chicken Salad
• Arby’s Beef and Cheddar

Favorite Dessert Recipes

• Banana Split Cake
• Cherry Cream Cheese Pie
• Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake
• Chocolate Pudding Pie
• Coconut Custard Pie
• Jello Poke Cake
• Kozy Shack Pudding
• Toll House Pie Recipe

Check out my easy dessert recipes and the best fast food recipes here on CopyKat!