Five years ago I planted an apple tree in our front yard. It was a gift from my father-in-law; he knew I loved to bake and wanted to give my family something we would enjoy and use. But four autumns passed without a single apple growing in its branches, and I gave up on it.

I wrote off this tree too soon, however, because this year brought fruit: 10 lovely reds hanging above our heads. I wanted to make something special with them and decided on a pie. But there were a few apples leftover, and so they went into turnovers one morning for breakfast. Apples and cinnamon covered in flaky, golden brown puff pastry is the perfect way to start a day!

I used Gala apples here, but if you use a tarter apple (such as a Granny Smith), you may need a bit more sugar. I would suggest starting at ¾ cup. Store bought puff pastry is fine, but look for one that is made with real butter verses palm or soybean oil. (Homemade puff pastry is a lot of work, but worth the effort!)

• 1 1/2 pounds apples (3-4), peeled and grated
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar, plus more for sprinkling (see note)
• 1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• Good-sized pinch of salt
• 1 pound puff pastry (store bought or homemade)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, with the oven rack in the middle position. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Put the grated apple, sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, and salt in a medium bowl, and toss to combine. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes, and then put it into a strainer set over a bowl. Let the apple-cinnamon juice drain, and set the juice aside for later. Put the strained apples back in their original bowl.

Gently flour your work surface, and roll each piece of the pastry dough into a 10-inch square. Cut each square into four 5-inch squares, for a total of 8 squares.

Place 2 tablespoons of the grated apple mixture into the center of each square of dough, and then brush the edges of each square with some of the reserved juice.

Fold each square of dough to make a triangle, and crimp the edges with a fork to seal. Move the triangles to the prepared baking sheets, and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Brush the tops of the turnovers with more of the apple juice and generously sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake the turnovers until golden brown (20-25 minutes), rotating the pan halfway through. Move the turnovers off the baking sheet to a wire rack and cool slightly. Serve warm.

Enjoy as a warm, tasty breakfast treat or and after-dinner dessert!