Sweet Bourekas with Blueberries, Apples and Honey Tahini
A sweet twist on a popular Mediterranean treat, these sweet bourekas are filled with tender apples, juicy blueberries and drizzled with a creamy honey tahini glaze. These little pastries are fast, easy and perfectly sweet.
What are Bourekas?
Bourekas are a Turkish pastry or hand pie that is filled with cheese and other ingredients. Most common are Turkish Spinach and Feta Borek.
Bourekas can also be made with all sorts of fillings and vegetables, such as eggplant borek and in all different shapes, such as this round borek that is stuffed with wilted greens, feta and mozzarella.
Sweet Bourekas
Inspired by making a normally sweet challah into a savory rosemary challah, I wanted to do the opposite with these bourekas. Since bourekas are normally made savory, I thought a nice sweet twist would be fun.
These sweet bourekas are filled with tender apples, juicy blueberries and drizzled with a sweet honey tahini glaze.
Another twist on a classic, tahini is often made into a creamy savory tahini sauce but is delicious with a sweeter twist and glazes over the pastries beautifully.
Ingredients
- Puff Pastry: For these easy bourekas, store bought puff pastry is used. The pastry is thawed and slightly rolled out for a thinner dough. Bourekas are also made using phyllo, but puff pastry makes this recipe a breeze.
- Apples: The type of apples is based on personal preference, whether you prefer a sweeter or more tart apple. A crisp pink lady apple has some sweetness and holds up to the baking. Granny smith, on the other hand are more tart if you prefer a less sweet apple.
- Blueberries: Fresh or frozen blueberries work for this recipe. You can also substitute other berries such as strawberries, blackberries or raspberries.
- Cinnamon: Just a touch for warmth and flavor. Cinnamon is a great pairing with apples, blueberries and tahini.
- Vanilla: A teaspoons worth to pair with the flavors of the apples and cinnamon.
- Sugar: If you have, use coarser sugar to sprinkle on top of the pastries.
- Tahini: A sesame seed paste that is often found in the peanut butter aisle of most grocery stores.
- Honey: Adds sweetness to the sweet tahini sauce.
A Few Cooking Tips
- You can thaw puff pastry in the fridge for up to a day and at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
- Don’t fill the pastries too full or they might not seal and then open up during baking.
- As you whisk the water with the tahini pate, it will start off very thick, just keep whisking and add a bit more warm water as needed until the tahini is a smooth, pourable consistency.
- If you have leftover honey sauce tahini, it will thicken up as it sits in the fridge. Just whisk with a bit more warm water and the consistency will come back.
- These can be made ahead, cooled and frozen for later use. When ready to re-heat, place in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven until warmed through.
Sweet Bourekas with Apples, Blueberries and Honey Tahini
These sweet bourekas are filled with sweet apples and blueberries and drizzled with a creamy and sweet honey tahini sauce. A sweet twist on a popular Mediterranean treat. These little pastries are fast, easy and perfectly sweet.
Servings: 18 bourekas/pastries
Calories: 223kcal
Cost: $10
Equipment
Silpat
Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped and peeled apples cut into about 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
- 4 tablespoons sugar + more sugar for sprinkling on top
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla paste
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 sheets puff pastry thawed
- Flour for rolling out pastry
- 1 egg + water whisked for egg wash
Tahini Glaze
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4-1/2 cup warm water + more as needed for consitency
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Make the filling: In a bowl, add the cubed apples, blueberries, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and lemon zest and juice. Toss everything together and let sit while you prepare the puff pastry.
- Prep the Puff Pastry: Unfold puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and roll out a bit so the pastry is a bit thinner.
- Cut each pastry sheet into 9 even squares (18 total for both sheets).
- Fill Pastries: Add a heaping tablespoon of fruit filling to the center of each pastry square. Bring the edges of the pastry together, forming a triangle shape. Use your fingers or a fork to crimp all along the edges so the seam is in tact.
- Brush with Egg Wash: Brush egg wash on top of the folded pastry and sprinkle with sugar on top. Use a knife to cut little slits on the top of each pastry.
- Bake Bourekas: Place bourekas on parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and puffed up.
- Once done, remove from the oven and allow to cool a bit while you make tahini glaze.
- Make the tahini glaze: To a bowl,add the tahini, honey and 1/4 cup of warm water. Use a fork or whisk to whisk everything together until it is smooth and pourable. As the tahini sits, it will get firmer so you can add a bit more warm water and continue mixing until desired consistency.
- To serve, drizzle honey tahini over the bourekas and serve warm.
Notes
- You can thaw puff pastry in the fridge for up to a day and at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
- Don’t overfill the pastries too full or they might not seal and then open up during baking.
- As you whisk the water with the tahini pate, it will start off very thick, just keep whisking and add a bit more water as needed until the tahini is a smooth, pourable consistency.
- If you have leftover honey sauce tahini, it will thicken up as it site in the fridge. Just whisk with a bit more warm water and the consistency will come back.
- These can be made ahead, cooled and frozen for later use. WHen ready to re-heat, place in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven until warmed through.
Nutrition
Calories: 223kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 74mg | Potassium: 74mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 30IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg
This recipe was originally published in September, 2016 and republished in June, 2022 with added nutritional information and helpful tips.
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