Butterscotch Pear Turnovers – diced pears, butterscotch sauce, and a pinch of cinnamon are stuffed into puff pastry to make a delicious breakfast treat that might as well be dessert, too!
Pears really don’t get the respect they deserve. They have all the flavor of their cousin, the apple, but have a softer, juicier and, in my opinion, more delightful texture. Since pears are also at their peak this time of year, I decided to make a bigger effort to bake with them more.
My first pear recipe of the season is this one for Butterscotch Pear Turnovers. Butterscotch also suffers from under-utilization, falling second to the similar but still pretty different, caramel sauce. Butterscotch has a richer flavor from the extra butter. I also think it’s more addictive than caramel. Caramel is really sweet and is hard to eat lots of. Butterscotch, however, is rich and goes down so smooth.
Therefore, to sweeten up the filling for these turnovers, I turned to butterscotch sauce and a couple of fall spices to make these turnovers just what you needed in your life.
Turnovers are some of the easiest pastries you can make, for the following reasons:
- The puff pastry is purchased already made
- The filling can be as simple or complicated as you want it to be
- They’re ready in under an hour
This turnover is especially easy because the filling is only three ingredients: diced pears, butterscotch sauce, and spices. I bought my butterscotch sauce from the grocery store but you can easily make it yourself.
Let’s talk about the process for making these turnovers.
How to make these turnovers
First, we make the filling. I used Bosc pears because their texture is a little more firm than other pears. Bosc pears are characterized by their brown skin and thin neck. If you don’t have Bosc pears available, simply use whichever firm pears you can find. The pears are diced and tossed with butterscotch sauce to sweeten them up and a few spices to tame that sweetness a little.
Next, a sheet of the thawed puff pastry is rolled into a square and then cut into 4 smaller squares. Add the filling to the center of each square and seal them shut. Repeat this with the second sheet of puff pastry. Finally, the turnovers are brushed with egg wash and covered with coarse sugar to give the turnovers a crispy topping as they bake.
Tips & Tricks
- Do not overfill the turnovers with pears or else they will split open while baking and the filling will ooze out.
- Make sure to keep the turnovers baking until they turn brown all over. If you remove too soon, the centers won’t crisp up and they will get soggy.
- Speaking of soggy, you must cut 3 slits in the center of each pastry to help the steam escape while baking. This ensures that the pastry gets crispy and not soggy.
- Another tip for baking a crispy pastry is keeping the pastry super cold. This ensures the butter in the pastry does not melt and produces steam as it bakes. The steam creates air and causes the pastry to puff up.
- For an incredible dessert, drizzle some butterscotch over the finished pastries and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Butterscotch Pear Turnovers
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 Bosc pears
- ½ cup butterscotch sauce
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry thawed, but cold
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon water
- ¼ cup coarse sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a large baking sheet by lining with parchment paper. Set aside. Peel, core, and dice pears. Add to a medium bowl with butterscotch sauce and ground cinnamon. Toss with a spoon to combine. Set aside.
- Unwrap one sheet of puff pastry and roll out into a 10x10 square. Cut into 4 even squares. Add 2 tablespoons of pear filling to the center of each square. Brush the edges of each square with water and fold one corner over the center to form a sealed triangle. Pinch the edges of the triangle shut and seal with a fork. Place sealed turnovers on the prepared baking sheet and place in the refrigerator while you repeat the process with the other sheet of puff pastry.
- Create egg wash by beating 1 large egg with 1 teaspoon of water. Brush each turnover with egg wash. Sprinkle each turnover with coarse sugar. Cut 3 small slits in the center of each turnover to help the steam release while baking. Chill the pastries in the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Bake turnovers in preheated oven for 23-25 minutes or until the centers of the pastry have browned. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before eating.
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Salted Caramel Apple Pie Dip with Pie Crust Chips
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Your baked pear turnovers look amazing! I love pears and would love to try this tasty-looking treat.
Woah, that is one sensational looking turnovers. I love the filling , I love the look of this turn overs, and I love to have a couple of these for myself right now! Definitely going to try this recipe.
The combination of pear and butterscotch is absolutely delightful and irresistible. Its a must try!
One of my favorite ways to make turnovers. And I am saying it because I have a very similar way to make them. Love the pear season because, in my opinion, pears are the best when it comes to making the turnovers like these. Delicious!
Yum! Turnovers are the best! I can eat this all the time. Your Butterscotch Pear Turnovers look soooo delicious and really tasty! Can’t wait to try them.
Can I please have one!? They look amazing! I usually make my turnovers with apples, but I definitely need to try to use pears too. Great recipe!
Oh my gosh! This sounds so good! Pears and butterscotch are a match made in heaven, I’d have these for breakfast, dessert and all the time!
I love this time when everyone is getting super creative with pears. Their flavor is so unique and definitely something I am very happy to go back over and over again! Delicious turnovers!
Turnovers and hand pies are among my favorite to make and to eat! I like the idea that when short in time, using a pre-made puff pastry is a great option!
OMG, I love butterscotch! These look delicious!
These look so great! I want to make them ASAP.
WOW! Talk about yum! I would love to eat this with a hot cup of coffee right now lol. Thanks for sharing! I’ll have to try out the recipe.
These looks so yummy and are a perfect dessert for the fall! Definitely going to be trying
I love the combination of pear and butterscotch! Amazing flavor!
Amazing combinations. I love it. Awesome presentation too.
I love desserts that can also be served for breakfast or brunch. They are a simple yet delicious way to enjoy them multiple times a day.
Looooove butterscotch!!! This sounds so good!
YUM! Love the flavor combination! Pears are so yummy this time of year.
I love turnover! The tips are so helpful too!
Is it breakfast already?!! I can’t wait to have this Butterscotch Pear Turnovers. I really love turnovers and this recipe of yours is just so perfect especially adding the cinnamon. Thank you for sharing.
That sounds really good. Butterscotch and pear is an interesting flavor combo I’ve never tried before. Tis the season for lots of tasty baking, though, so I’m all over it.