Flaky Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers

Place the butter in a large saucepan and heat over medium heat until melted. Add the granulated sugar, apple cider, cornstarch, lemon juice, cinnamon, and salt and heat until the sugar has dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the apples and cook until the apples are soft but still hold their shape, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, transfer the mixture to a bowl, and let the mixture cool to room temperature.

Line a sheet with parchment paper.

Generously flour your work surface. Roll one piece of the pastry dough into a 10 in [12 cm] square. Cut into four 5 in [12 cm] squares. Repeat with the second piece of dough, for a total of eight squares. Place a scant two tablespoons of the cooled apple filling on each square. Brush the edges of each square lightly with water, fold the dough to make a triangle, and crimp the edges with a fork to seal.

Transfer the triangles to the prepared sheet pan and place in the freezer while the oven preheats.

Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 400F [200C].

Brush the tops of the hand pies lightly with water and and generously sprinkle with granulated sugar. Slide another sheet pan underneath so the pans are double stacked (this helps keep the bottoms from overbrowning). Bake the turnovers until golden brown, rotating the pan halfway through baking, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and use a spatula to transfer the pies to a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm.