Apple Pockets (Apfeltaschen) Recipe – Chef Dennis

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apple pockets Apfeltaschen

Fresh Apples baked with a yeast dough to make these tender sweet apple pockets aka Apfeltaschen. Your family will love these delicious apple pockets.

Total Time: 40 minutes
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How to make Apple Pockets aka Apfeltashen-

I am an expat German living in Northeast Ohio and blogging mostly about authentic German food and my own original recipes inspired by German food. Having grown up in the border region with France in a very cosmopolitan city, even for its size, I am also drawn to all sorts of ethnic recipes.

I have been baking ever since I could hold a spoon, and it is my great passion in life. I have somehow always baked. I love to explore and experiment, to create and yes, eat what I have created. I am not just a consummate baker, I like to cook as well, especially seasonally.

Apple Pockets (Apfeltaschen)

apples

Apples are among the most versatile fruit I know. I just love apples. LOVE apples. Pies, tortes, apple sauce, apple pancakes… the list goes on and on. They have just enough sweetness to not require very much more sugar, and their tartness (provided you use a baking apple) single-handedly enhances any pastry they are added to.

apple pockets Apfeltaschen

Apple pockets (Apfeltaschen) are consequently one of my favorite pastries, and the best thing is that they are a non-messy affair when you’re eating them, which makes them an ideal snack for kids, young and old.

The first round of these mysteriously disappeared over the course of the evening, before I had a chance to even photograph a single one coming out of the oven, much less GLAZE them. (Can I just say, “TSOS” = “teenage son over shoulder”?) I normally put out little signs that say things like, “Please don’t eat.” all the way to “Eat this and be PUNISHED!”, but this time I neglected to do that and was promptly punished myself – with an empty plate.

Apples with Craisins for apple pockets Apfeltaschen

There was nothing else left to do but to make another batch, but these are so easy and quick, it was not really that bad. The recipe came out of one of my favorite recipe books, “Backen Macht Freude” by Dr. Oetker (the US English edition is called “German Baking Today”).

The recipes are easy to follow, accessible and accompanied by helpful photographs. The only substitution I made was to use craisins instead of the raisins that the recipe calls for, as nobody in my family really likes raisins that much.

pastry dough for apple pockets Apfeltaschen

It’s just a few steps and you’ll be enjoying these delicious treats. If you enjoyed this recipe you might also like my quick and easy scones.

apple pockets Apfeltaschen

If you’ve tried this Apple Pockets /Apfeltaschen recipe or any other recipe on askchefdennis.com please don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know where you found it in the comments below, I love hearing from you!

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5 from 1 vote
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Apple Pockets

Fresh Apples baked with a yeast dough to make these tender sweet apple pockets aka Apfeltaschen. Your family will love these delicious apple pockets.

Author: Chef Dennis Littley
Nutrition Facts
Apple Pockets
Amount Per Serving
Calories 305 Calories from Fat 90
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10g 15%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Cholesterol 47mg 16%
Sodium 96mg 4%
Potassium 182mg 5%
Total Carbohydrates 49g 16%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Sugars 21g
Protein 5g 10%
Vitamin A 7%
Vitamin C 3.3%
Calcium 4.1%
Iron 8.8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: German
Keyword: apple pockets, apple turnovers
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 40 mins
Servings: 8
Calories: 305 kcal
apple pockets Apfeltaschen
Ingredients
For the dough
  • 7 oz milk
  • 3 1/2 tbsp butter
  • 1 2/3 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 tbsp instant yeast
  • 3 1/2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 large egg beaten
For the filling
  • 2 1/4 cups apples a good baking apple like McIntosh
  • 3 1/2 tbsp raisins
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 1 1/2 tbsp butter
For topping
  • milk enough to brush pastries
  • sliced almonds to sprinkle on top of pastries
For the glaze
  • 7 tbsp powdered sugar sifted
  • 1 tablespoon * lemon juice
  • 3/4 tbsp butter
Instructions
For the dough

  1. warm up the milk and melt the butter in it. Set aside and let cool to 140 F or less.

  2. Mix the flour and yeast in the bowl of a mixer, slowly add the milk mixture and other ingredients and first mix with a paddle until the mass looks lumpy, then knead with a hook until they form a smooth dough.
  3. Place into a covered container and let rise until double.
For the filling
  1. peel and core the apples and cut them in to small pieces.
  2. In a pot, sauté the apples with the other ingredients until the apple juices are drawn out. Let cool completely.

  3. Preheat your oven to 395 F

  4. Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch (6 mm) and cut out circles of about 5 inch 

  5. Roll out the individual circles a little thinner, brush the rims with milk and place a spoonful of the apple mixture in the middle.
  6. Fold in half and use a fork to seal them shut.
  7. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sliced almonds.
  8. Bake the pockets for about 20 minutes or until golden brown, place on a cooling rack.
For the glaze
  1. mix the lemon juice into the powdered sugar.
  2. Melt the butter and whisk into the mixture.
  3. Immediately glaze warm pockets with the mixture and let them cool completely.
Recipe Notes

*Denotes real spoons

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About Chef Dennis

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Chef Dennis is a semi-retired Chef, writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer and creator of A Culinary Journey with Chef Dennis aka Ask Chef Dennis®. Chef Dennis worked professionally in White Table Cloth Restaurants for 40 years and has been developing easy to make, restaurant-style recipes since 2009. The second phase of his reinvention from chef to blogger has earned him a place at the Worlds Dinner Table. Join him on his Culinary Journey enjoying his easy to make Restaurant Style recipes and travel adventures. For more details, check out his About page.

Comments

  1. Shirley says

    Hello, I went to Germany for two weeks in 1981 and fell in love with the country. I came home and took two semesters of German, but you know how that goes. If you don’t use it, you lose it. It comes back to me a little when I look at recipes. In the train stations there were little wagons that sold apfeltaschen and I had one every time I went to another location on the train. I have craved them ever since. Your recipe looks interesting, but the ones I crave do not have raisins in them. I’ll try your recipe without them. I’ve been married and divorced twice to two German gentlemen. I learned to make a few dishes from my first husband’s mother and am looking forward to learning more from you. Thank you

    Reply

    • Chef D says

      hi Kim, that was 10 ml and I converted the recipe as closely as possible. It’s always best to use a scale when baking though and most have either metric or US weights.

      Reply

  6. Liz says

    Oh, these look fabulous!!! I can SO relate to having food disappear thanks to my sons 🙂 Great guest post, Dennis!

    Reply

  7. tasteofbeirut says

    This is my favorite way to enjoy apples! while the French make it with puff pastry (chaussons) I prefer this version with a pastry that can be enjoyed like a little calzone. Yummy.

    Reply

  8. Amalia says

    These look perfect! I love apples myself, they are so wonderful to cook and bake with. I would be like your son, eat at any chance I got 🙂 Awesome post, I hope to bake more German cuisine because these pockets look amazing!

    Reply

  12. Daisy@Nevertoosweet says

    Congratulations for making Top 9 on Foodbuzz today 😉 Thanks for sharing with us Chef Dennis ~ Hello Sofie nice meeting you too ~ These look so yummy!

    Reply

  13. grace gambuti says

    Hi, this looks great but living in the USA I find I need USA measurements in order to follow your recipes.

    Thank you In Advance.
    Grace

    Reply

  16. mangiabella says

    these apple pockets are simply beautiful. A lovely guest post. I sure have missed visiting your blog over the last month friend. Our household was literally plagued with colds and viruses that continued to make rounds again and again for weeks and weeks and weeks and pretty much took me out of the game for the month of February…I’m just coming up for air now. Slowly but surely getting back into the saddle again. Man it’s tough with 3 little babies and all that sickness…So much going on as I’ve been reading through your posts, all 26 that i’ve missed LOL….between the neighborhood watch, google+, pinterest, etc. Your thoughts, input and guidance are such treasures. I have been resisting google + and still can’t seem to be consistent with twitter 🙁 but pinterest I have loved combing through….your wisdom and guidance here are so appreciated. Dennis, what can I say, your presence in the blogosphere is like a lighthouse, a beacon of light. have a wonderful weekend

    Reply

  19. Dionne Baldwin says

    My dear friend I am sending you hugs with this. I absolutely detest those kinds of weeks. It seems as though every thing that falls apart challenges my resolve to be strong.

    I am so excited to have “met” Sofie! These apple pockets look crazy good. Apples are my absolute favorite in dessert. I fell in love with apple pies when I was little and I have been hooked ever since. I have GOT to have some of these!

    Reply

  21. Tina@flourtrader says

    Sorry the week has been so hectic for you Chef! The bright side, however, is that next week is bound to be better and at least you made it through this one.
    Glad to see Sofie here guest posting! Poor thing that the crowd is waiting for her to forget to put her do not eat sign up, so they can consider her delicious creations as fair game to eat. I guess it would be hard to comply, she does have some delicious things coming out of her kitchen. This one is no different-yum!
    Here’s hoping that you both get some time to kick back and relax this weekend. Call it Chef’s day of peace if you have to!

    Reply

  22. Elin says

    Chef Dennis….you truly deserve a great weekend for sharing with us this wonderful guest Sofie. Her Apple pockets would be great tea treats for us 🙂

    Sofie…thanks for sharing this german apple pockets with us. It looks delicious and no wonder you had to bake a second batch 🙂 I have bookmarked this and shall make it for our tea break …mmmm can’t wait to try it out…imagine eating this with a cup of strong expresso coffee !

    Thank you and have a great weekend to the both of you 🙂
    Elin

    Reply

  24. Sofie Dittmann @thegermanfoodie says

    Germans go strictly by weight, and when I list spoons, those are always real spoons. I decided at some point to keep it the way the original recipe listed things. For one thing, it stays closer to the authentic original, and the other reason is that I am on a crusade to convert y’all to using scales.

    Why? B/c a) it’s more precise, b) easier to scale, and c) you don’t have to switch utensils all the time – just zero out your scale w/ the bowl on top and keep adding. You can buy scales for under $30 at, for example, amazon.com (that’s where I got both of mine).

    Sorry if that discourages people, but it’s the way I roll. 🙂 At some point I will probably take the time to convert everything, the way “German Baking Today” did, but at this point I don’t have the time/resources… 🙂

    Reply

  28. Vivian says

    Hi,

    I followed Sofie over here and now, Dennis, I have ANOTHER site to explore! How much fun is that?!

    (Hmmm…this didn’t seem to upload the first time so I will give it another go. If I duplicate…my apologies.)

    Reply

  29. Anita at Hungry Couple says

    Great to see Sofie over here. My father was German so I’m familiar with a lot of those goodies…and my daddy taught me to love them 🙂 Thanks for the recipe, Sofie!

    And I love guest post Fridays, Dennis, not just for the great variety but for your humor in introducing them. It was nearly 70 degrees in NY, too. Spring is almost here!

    Reply

  31. Kiri W. says

    It’s my fellow Ohioan expat German! 🙂 great to see Sofie here, and mmm, one of my favorite childhood treats. Wonderful post!

    Reply

  32. Jessica | Oh Cake says

    What an awesome recipe. I love apples and these little hand pies look hard to resist. I can definitely understand why you had empty plates – I would have had empty plates in my house, too! 🙂

    Reply

  33. Maureen says

    Had to laugh at Obi Wan 🙂 I will remember that bit about breathing in the morning.

    I love Sofie! Her food is always inspiring and delicious.

    Reply

  34. The Mom Chef ~ Taking on Magazines One Recipe at a Time says

    Hi Chef! It’s been a while. I’m sorry that life’s so tough. We’ve got the same thing going there. Thanks for introducing me to Sofie. Sofie, I love these pies. My daughter (who has the same name) would adore them. Thank you for sharing your recipe with us!

    Reply

  36. Suzi says

    Hi Chef, I have been to Sofi’s site and she has some truly wonderful things going on and this is no exception. I love pockets of goodness. Wonderful guest post Sofi and thanks for sharing her with us Dennis. You are the Man. Enjoy you weekend both of you.

    Reply

  37. Kim Bee says

    Dennis- I hope all is well. Life sure can be a giant pain in the rump some days. I am crossing my fingers you have the most wonderful weekend. You deserve it.

    Sofie- These are wonderful. I think my kids would go crazy for this. I also put notes on everything. I also use my microwave as a holding station for food that needs to be photographed so they know never to touch anything inside. Sad but true.

    Reply

  38. Mary says

    Hi Sofie! These are just lovely and they sound delicious. It’s nice to meet you here!

    Chef Dennis, I’m wishing you a fabulous Friday and an absolutely peaceful and relaxing weekend!

    Reply

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