Coconut Pineapple Turnovers with Caramel Sauce

Name: Coconut Pineapple Turnovers with Caramel Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 28 min
Ingredients: 1 17.3-oz package frozen puff pastry, (thawed (two sheets)); 1 20-oz can crushed pineapple in juice, (drained well); 3/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes; Milk (for brushing, your preferred kind); 8 tsp salted caramel sauce, (for drizzling)

Mar 2, 2018 · 48 Comments

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Coconut pineapple turnovers are made SO easy with puff pastry. Just three ingredients form these simple pastries that are complemented beautifully with a drizzle of homemade salted caramel sauce.

We’ve reached the time of year when I start pushing the envelope as far as my outerwear is concerned. A few daffodils have bloomed, and when it’s bright and beautifully sunny outside I’ll think I don’t need a coat. Until I go outside and get hit by a blast of thirty-something degree air, which has me running back in the house immediately.

Can it be spring already??

Besides dreaming about putting the coats up in storage for the year, I’ve been pining for spring-y and summery flavors. Not that I ever really stop thinking about fruit like peaches and watermelon, ice cream, and grilled everything, but once the calendar turned to March that feeling became harder to ignore.

So in that vein, I went through the recipe archives here to find a recipe that was in need of a photo refresh (whoo boy are there ever) that could satisfy some of my bright flavor cravings. I settled on these coconut pineapple turnovers because, hello, pineapple and coconut are quintessentially warm and tropical flavors. Perfect.

Recipe ingredients

I don’t know if you can get simpler then this. Just three ingredients are all you need to make the turnover part of these pineapple turnovers.

The backbone of this recipe is frozen puff pastry. Sure you can make turnovers from scratch scratch, but puff pastry produces reliably light, flaky, and simple turnovers. If that wasn’t enough, the filling is comprised of just two ingredients – crushed pineapple and flaked sweetened coconut.

Be sure when you drain the pineapple that you remove as much excess liquid as you can. I’m partial to using crushed pineapple in its own juice versus in syrup as we don’t need gloppy. I’ll pour as much of the crushed pineapple as can fit in a strainer and press on it using the back of a spoon to allow for as much of the juice to drain out as possible. Excess liquid won’t be a good thing to add to turnover filling.

Easy recipe steps

First thaw the frozen puff pastry according to package directions. Then roll it out and slice into approximately twelve-inch squares. Each sheet will produce four squares.

Stir together the crushed pineapple and flaked coconut and arrange the mixture onto one diagonal half of each square, leaving at least a half-inch border area free. Dip your finger in water and run it along each free edge, then fold the other half of the pastry over top and press to seal. Go back over the sealed edge and crimp with a fork to help them stay together.

After a quick milk (or egg) wash, they bake for about twenty minutes, during which time they’ll puff up beautifully. Brushing the tops of the turnovers with milk helps the tops become golden when baked. You can use an egg wash or your favorite egg wash alternative, but I usually don’t want to ‘waste’ an egg for just a small use like this.

Serving suggestion

While these pineapple turnovers are great served warm or at room temperature, something that really takes them over the top is a drizzle of warmed caramel sauce.

Store-bought will do, but I’m partial to this homemade salted caramel sauce. It’s balanced and a total treat. It feels a little dangerous to know how to make this at home.

Related recipes

For another kitchen assist from puff pastry, these puff pastry apple turnovers also couldn’t be easier. Plus this post lists different ways to either make or buy the apple filling.

If you’re a big coconut fan, these chewy toasted coconut cookies are a family favorite. Is coconut toasting away in the oven the best smell, or what?

Recipe notes

Squeeze out as much of the excess liquid from the crushed pineapple so the filling isn’t too watery.
While I’m partial to homemade caramel sauce (recipe linked in the recipe card below), you can certainly use store-bought for a time-saving step.

Pineapple turnovers on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet drizzled with caramel sauce with a spoon resting in the background sitting in a small pool of caramel sauce

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5 from 2 votes