What My Grandma Bought Before She Passed Away

A recipe, a memory, and a reminder of love.

In the final days before my grandmother passed away, she did something that stayed with me—not because of how grand it was, but because of how ordinary and thoughtful it seemed at the time.

She went to the market.

Despite being tired, she made a quiet little trip to the corner store and bought just a few things: a bag of sugar, a small tin of cinnamon, two apples, and a pack of puff pastry from the freezer section.

When we asked her why—why she bothered when she could barely get around—she smiled and said,

“I thought we might want something sweet this weekend.”

She passed away two days later.

It wasn’t until we were going through her kitchen that I saw the ingredients again, neatly set aside on the counter as if she still planned to use them. I knew immediately what she meant to make: her famous Apple Cinnamon Pockets—crispy, warm little pastries she’d bake on cool days, usually for no reason at all other than to make the house smell like home.

So that’s what I did. I made them. For her.
And now, I’m sharing the recipe with you.

🍎 Grandma’s Apple Cinnamon Pockets

Simple. Sweet. And unforgettable.
This recipe only uses a handful of ingredients, but every bite tastes like comfort, nostalgia, and quiet love.

Ingredients:

2 medium apples, peeled, cored, and diced

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp lemon juice (optional, but helps keep apples bright)

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, toss apples with sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Set aside.

Roll out puff pastry and cut into squares (about 4×4 inches).

Spoon a bit of the apple filling onto one half of each square. Fold over into a triangle or rectangle and press edges with a fork to seal.