Flaky pastries are my absolute favorite way to begin any day, and while I don’t indulge in them frequently, every once in awhile I allow myself a special treat. My kids are big fans of turnovers – sweet fruit baked up in layers of puff pastry and then eaten out of hand, slightly warm. We often save turnovers for the fall, using apples or pears, but I made some end-of-summer triangles with strawberries, sneaking an apple in for extra sweetness (which helped me cut down on the sugar). The turnovers were a big hit, and although my entire kitchen counter and floor were covered in flaky puff pastry shards after breakfast ensued, they were worth the extra clean up.

• 1 cup strawberries, diced into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup grated Gala apple (about 2 small apples)
• 2-4 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch salt
• 1 pound puff pastry (store bought or homemade)

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

Put the strawberries, grated apple, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl, and toss to combine. Let the mixture sit while you prepare the pastry.

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.

Divide the fruit mixture evenly between the squares of dough. Brush the edges of each square lightly with water.

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.

A few notes: I used only 2 tablespoons of sugar here; my strawberries were very sweet and didn’t need any extra sugar. Start by adding only 2 tablespoons, and then taste the fruit to see if more sugar is needed. The turnovers may leak a bit in the oven – this is normal, and nothing to worry about. Use a brand of puff pastry that uses butter instead of oil if possible.