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Lara Jean's Cherry Turnovers (vegan!)

In the movie To All The Boys I've Loved Before (PS I Still Love You), the amazing Lara Jean Covey makes cherry turnovers for her boyfriend on Valentines Day. This easy vegan version has a perfectly crispy and buttery crust, and sweet cherry filling, and they are just as beautiful as LJ's. These mini pies are good for parties and make the perfect Valentines gifts, or to just enjoy on your own!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Chilling time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 10 turnovers

Ingredients

For The Dough:

  • 2 cups (280 grams) all purpose flour
  • ¾ cup (170 grams) cold vegan butter (I use earth balance)
  • 1 tbsp (12 grams) sugar
  • ½ tsp (2 grams) salt
  • 4-5 tbsp (60-70 ml) ice cold water

For The Cherry Filling

  • 1 ½ cup (240 grams) frozen pitted dark sweet cherries (heaping)
  • ½ cup (110 grams) sugar
  • Juice of ½ lemon (~40 grams)
  • 2 tbsp (20 grams) cornstarch
  • 3 tbsp (45 ml) non-dairy milk, plus more for brushing

Instructions

For The Dough:

  • Mix together flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl or food processor.
  • Cut butter into small cubes/ chunks and use a pastry cutter, your hands, or the food processor to mix in. Break up the butter until the mixture has pea sized or smaller crumbs, and then add in the ice cold water and mix until a dough forms.
  • Shape into a ball, cover, and leave in the fridge or freezer for at least 30 minutes, up to a few hours.

For The Cherry Filling:

  • While the dough is chilling, place the cherries and sugar in a saucepan over medium/high heat. The cherries can be pretty large, just be sure there aren't any pits.
  • While that's heating up, mix together the cornstarch and milk in a small bowl with a fork until completely smooth. Set aside, and add lemon juice to cherries.
  • Stir for a while until the the mixture starts to simmer and the cherries cook down, and then mix the cornstarch slurry one more time before slowly adding it.
  • Stir well as it thickens, about 1-2 minutes, and then take off the heat, cover, and put in the fridge until completely or almost completely cooled.

Assembly:

  • Preheat oven to 350° F or 180° C and roll out cold pie dough on a well floured surface until ¼ cm (or whatever looks right for you) thick.
  • Cut out an even number of 4½ by 3 inch rectangles, making sure every one has a pair, and add about 1 tbsp filling onto half of them. Cut 3 slits into the other half.
  • Brush around the filling with extra non-dairy milk, so that they come out neat after baking, and place slitted half on top. Seal with a fork, and then use a knife to trim the edges. (See reel on my instagram!)
  • Place on a lined baking sheet, brush well with non-dairy milk, and bake for 30-35 minutes.
  • Enjoy, and happy Valentines day!!