Puff Pastry Cherry Turnovers

My mother-in-law, Mary Margaret, was kind enough to pick some fresh cherries for me from her neighbor’s yard.  I’ve never baked with cherries before and was excited to do so.  When I started the process, I remembered that fresh cherries have pits.  Yikes.  Remember to remove the pits the cherries before using this recipe!

INGREDIENTS

2 cups fresh cherries, pits removed
¾ cups sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
¼ tsp almond extract
Puff pastry
2Tbsp raw sugar, to sprinkle
2 eggs, beaten

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• De-seed cherries.  In a saucepan, add the cherries, sugar, cornstarch and almond extract.  Stir and bring to a boil then, let sit.
• Roll out your puff pastry and cut into four even squares.
• Spread the egg wash on the edges of each pastry square and add ¼ cup of the mixture to each square in the center.
• Close each pastry to form a triangle and seal with your fingertips. 
• Brush each pastry with egg wash and sprinkle raw sugar on top. 
• Place on parchment paper and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.