These Dutch appleflaps are a delicious sweet pastry perfect for eating on their own or with tea or coffee. You can buy them in most bakeries in the Netherlands but it’s also fun to make them at home — especially because you can make them vegan and sugar-free! They are really easy to make when you want something quick and pleasant with no fuss and are best enjoyed just after they come out of the oven, when you can bite into the flaky pastry and discover the crunchy sweet caramel base. The rice syrup that is added during the baking melts and creates a crisp caramel layer on the outside, which goes really well with the sweet tender filling. All in all, it is a very pleasant experience without too much fuss and effort. –Alexander Gershberg
Vegan Dutch Apple Turnovers
Alexander Gershberg's easy vegan recipe for Dutch appelflappen (turnovers) with maple syrup and raisins.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 drop shoyu
- 2 apples cored and diced
- 2 tbsp raisins
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp kuzu arrowroot or cornstarch
- 12 x 12 cm (4 ¾ in) squares store-bought vegan puff pastry
- ¼ cup rice syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) fan-forced. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Heat the maple syrup and shoyu in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the apple, raisins and lemon zest and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the kuzu (or arrowroot or cornstarch) and 200 ml of water and whisk thoroughly. Add the mixture to the apple and stir for 1 to 2 minutes, until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat.
- Spoon 3 tbsp of the apple mixture in the centre of each pastry square, then fold each square into a triangle, pressing the edges together well to enclose the filling. Transfer the turnovers to the prepared tray and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
- Remove the tray from the oven and brush each turnover with about 1 tsp of rice syrup, then continue to bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.
