Instructions

For the Simple Puff Pastry:

1. Toss the butter cubes with the flour in a big bowl and use your thumbs to break the butter in half. You want to leave it in BIG pieces. This is how you get the lift and layers! This should only take 30 seconds.
2. Add the cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Toss with the flour/butter after each addition. At the 5th tablespoon, start scrunching the dough together to see how it holds a ball. Add small amounts of water until all flour is incorporated.
3. If you have time, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill before continuing to work with it. It’s also good to chill the dough in between folds.
4. Roll the dough into a long rectangle about the length of your rolling pin. Thenproceed to make five folds. Start with one single or simple fold, where the dough is folded like a letter to put in an envelope.
5. Turn the dough to be a long rectangle again, roll out and then do a double or book fold. Fold the ends of the dough to meet in the middle, and then fold again on top of itself.
6. Roll the dough out again into a long rectangle and repeat this fold to complete the five folds needed for the puff pastry. Chill.

For the Apple Compote:

1. In a small saucepan, place all the ingredients. Cover and cook 15-20 minutes on low heat. Stir occasionally and add more water as needed. For the last 5 minutes, remove the lid so some of the water evaporates.
2. Puree half of the mixture. You can do this with a small blender, an immersion blender, or by simply using a fork or potato masher. Return to the heat and cook stirring for about 5 minutes, to evaporate some of the liquid and make the compote more of a paste.
3. Transfer to a container and cool complete, either in the freezer for 10-15 minutes or in the fridge for 30 minutes.

To Assemble:

1. Find a bowl or small plate to use as your “cookie cutter”about 5.5 inches (14 cm) in diameter. Remember, you can do these any size you’d like, just the cooking temp will need to be adjusted.
2. Roll out the puff pastry on a floured surface to about 3-4mm thickness (not too thin!). Use your cutter as a guide to show you how wide and how long. You may need to reroll the dough for additional chaussons, and that’s ok!
3. Place your cutter on top of the dough and use a butter knife or the dull side of a paring knife to cut around the edge.
4. Set the circles of dough on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet.
5. Place a mounded tablespoon of apple compote in the center of each circle of dough (avoid adding a lot of liquid, use a strainer if needed). Brush water on the exposed dough around the compote and then fold over the dough, kinda like a ravioli. Press around the edges to close.
6. Turn over each chaussons, this helps them bake better. Then beat together an egg in a small bowl and brush this on top and on the folded back side, avoiding putting any egg on the cut edges. Chill either in the freezer or fridge for 10-20 minutes.
7. Apply another layer of egg wash and then score the top how you’d like. Make a hole in the back folded area to release steam then bake.

Standard oven: 400F/200C for 10 minutes, then 375F/190C for 20 minutes

Convection: 375F/190C for 10 minutes, then 355F/180C for 20 minutes