These delicious Apple Cinnamon Bourekas, look great and are so easy to make! Little, fluffy hand pies from the middle east, with a delectable spiced apple filling – what’s not to love!

bourekas

Hi! My name is Tory Avey. I am so thrilled to be guest posting for Jaden here at Steamy Kitchen! I met Jaden at the BlogHer conference in San Diego this past summer and we became fast friends. Jaden and her website are an inspiration to many of us in the food blogging community. It’s a treat to be able to share one of my recipes with you!

Why These Apple Cinnamon Bourekas Are So Good

  • A delicious Middle Eastern treat.
  • Perfectly crisp.
  • A warming sweet treat perfect for fall and winter.
  • Fun to make, get the family involved!

Ingredients 

  • Baking apples
  • Brown sugar
  • Vanilla 
  • Cinnamon
  • Salt
  • Filo dough
  • Unsalted butter
  • Sugar

How To Make These Apple Cinnamon Bourekas – Step By Step

2 hours before you begin, take your filo dough out of the freezer and let it defrost. You can also let it defrost overnight in the refrigerator, if you prefer.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Cut the cored, peeled apples into very thin slices.

apples on filo

Place the slices in a mixing bowl along with the brown sugar, vanilla, ½ tsp of cinnamon, and salt. Toss all ingredients with a spoon till the apple slices are evenly coated. Let them macerate for a few minutes so the apples become juicy and the sugar begins to dissolve.

bowl of apples

Lightly dampen a kitchen towel (don’t soak it!), and keep it with you as you work with the filo dough. Unroll your dough. Filo sheets come in different sizes, so you may need to cut your sheets to size get the size you need. For each boureka, you want to create a double layer of filo dough that is about 4 inches wide and 14 inches long.

Folding a smaller filo sheet (8×14) in half lengthwise is the easiest way to form this double layer.

long sheet of filo

If your filo sheets are larger, use scissors to cut the sheet in half lengthwise to make two rectangular pieces.

two sheets of filo for bourekas

Then, fold each piece in half lengthwise to create the double layer of filo you need.

filo for bourekas

Keep the unused filo sheets under the damp towel as you work to keep them from drying out. Filo is very delicate and prone to ripping, so if you’ve never worked with it before, be patient… rips will happen. It takes some time to get a feel for it.

Use a pastry brush to pain a thin layer of melted butter onto the surface of the double layer filo rectangle.

brushing filo

Place a few slices of the apple filling in the lower left corner of the filo rectangle, following the left edge of the filo and fanning downward in a triangular shape.

filling in filo

Fold the lower left corner of the rectangle up and over the apple filling to form a triangle of dough.

filo on table

Take the upper left and corner and fold it up and over, maintaining the triangular shape.

filo

Continue folding the filo in the same way you would fold a flag, till the entire strip is used up and a neat triangle pastry is formed.

folded filo

Place the folded boureka on an ungreased baking sheet.

baking tray with unbaked bourekas

Repeat process until all the filling is used up. You should end up with around 14-15 bourekas. You may need two baking sheets to fit all of the bourekas.

Brush each boureka with another thin layer of melted butter. Don’t brush it on too heavy, or the bourekas will become very greasy. Just a light layer will do it.

brushing bourekas

In a small bowl, mix together 2 tbsp of sugar and ½ tsp of cinnamon. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the top of the buttered bourekas.

unbaked bourekas

Place the bourekas on the middle rack of your preheated oven. Let them bake for 20-25 minutes till filo turns golden brown and the filling begins to bubble out in places. Serve warm.

What Is A Boureka?

I’d like to introduce you to the boureka—a delicious Middle Eastern hand pie. These baked, stuffed pastries are popular in Israel and throughout the Middle East. They originated in Asia as a deep-fried filled dumpling known as a burga. When the Turks of central Asia moved to what is now the country of Turkey, they brought their stuffed burga dumplings with them. Over time, the dumpling evolved into a variety of stuffed, layered pastries known as börek. Sephardic Jews who settled in Turkey adopted the pastry, merging it with their version of the same dish (empanada) and adapting it to make it kosher. Börek + empanada = boureka. The boureka was born!

Sweet Bourekas

Today bourekas are usually made savory, with fillings like meat or cheese. Recently, I wondered what it might be like to stuff them with sweet pie-like fillings. The experiment paid off; I ended up with Apple Cinnamon Bourekas, a delicate, flaky dessert just perfect for winter. With the holidays approaching, these sweet little baked bourekas are a seasonal treat. They’d make a great addition to a holiday buffet. Now that you know the history behind the dish, perhaps you’ll enjoy them even more!

Get Friends And Family Involved!

Middle Eastern cooking brings friends and family together, and these bourekas are no exception! Make a big batch by making a little production line, have your team fill and fold the bourekas, only a quick bake and they’ll be ready to eat!

Top Tips For These Bourekas

  • Golden delicious, Fuji or Gravensteins are great for this.
  • You just need a thin coating of butter on the bourekas, not too thick or they’ll be too greasy.
  • Use a preheated oven.
  • Get friends and family involved for a big batch!

Check Out These Other Sweet Treats

Have you tried these Apple Cinnamon Bourekas? Feel free to leave a star rating and I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

Apple Cinnamon Bourekas

Jaden Hair
Prep Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Cook Time 7 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 22 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine middle eastern
Servings 15 servings
Calories 182 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb. baking apples Golden Delicious, Gravenstein or Fuji, cored and peeled
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp cinnamon divided
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 package filo dough
  • ½ cup unsalted butter melted
  • 2 tbsp sugar

Instructions
 

  • 2 hours before you begin, take your filo dough out of the freezer and let it defrost. You can also let it defrost overnight in the refrigerator, if you prefer.
  • Preheat your oven to 325F. Cut the cored, peeled apples into very thin slices.
  • Place the slices in a mixing bowl along with the brown sugar, vanilla, ½ tsp of cinnamon, and salt. Toss all ingredients with a spoon till the apple slices are evenly coated. Let them macerate for a few minutes so the apples become juicy and the sugar begins to dissolve.
  • Lightly dampen a kitchen towel (don’t soak it!), and keep it with you as you work with the filo dough. Unroll your dough. Filo sheets come in different sizes, so you may need to cut your sheets to size get the size you need. For each boureka, you want to create a double layer of filo dough that is about 4 inches wide and 14 inches long.
  • Folding a smaller filo sheet (8x14) in half lengthwise is the easiest way to form this double layer.
  • If your filo sheets are larger, use scissors to cut the sheet in half lengthwise to make two rectangular pieces.
  • Then, fold each piece in half lengthwise to create the double layer of filo you need.
  • Keep the unused filo sheets under the damp towel as you work to keep them from drying out. Filo is very delicate and prone to ripping, so if you’ve never worked with it before, be patient… rips will happen. It takes some time to get a feel for it.
  • Use a pastry brush to pain a thin layer of melted butter onto the surface of the double layer filo rectangle.
  • Place a few slices of the apple filling in the lower left corner of the filo rectangle, following the left edge of the filo and fanning downward in a triangular shape.
  • Fold the lower left corner of the rectangle up and over the apple filling to form a triangle of dough.
  • Take the upper left and corner and fold it up and over, maintaining the triangular shape.
  • Continue folding the filo in the same way you would fold a flag, till the entire strip is used up and a neat triangle pastry is formed.
  • Place the folded boureka on an ungreased baking sheet.
  • Repeat process until all the filling is used up. You should end up with around 14-15 bourekas. You may need two baking sheets to fit all of the bourekas.
  • Brush each boureka with another thin layer of melted butter. Don’t brush it on too heavy, or the bourekas will become very greasy. Just a light layer will do it.
  • In a small bowl, mix together 2 tbsp of sugar and ½ tsp of cinnamon. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the top of the buttered bourekas.
  • Place the bourekas on the middle rack of your preheated oven. Let them bake for 20-25 minutes till filo turns golden brown and the filling begins to bubble out in places. Serve warm.

Nutrition

Calories: 182kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 168mgPotassium: 60mgFiber: 1gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 205IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 11mgIron: 1mg
Keyword apple popovers, apple turnovers, bourekas
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!