Empanadas don’t have to be savory—dessert empanadas are a lot of fun to make, and everyone loves them. These apple cinnamon empanadas (with a touch of caramel dulce de leche) also make excellent breakfast pastries.
Ingredients
For the Pastry:
- 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
- 8 ounces cream cheese, chilled and cut into pieces
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Filling:
- 4 to 5 firm green apples, such as Granny Smith
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 to 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons dulce de leche, optional
For Baking:
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 cup sugar, for sprinkling, as needed
Methods
Make the Pastry Dough
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Gather the ingredients.
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Add the flour, salt, and sugar to the bowl of a food processor and pulse briefly.
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Add the chilled butter and cream cheese pieces to the bowl and pulse several times, just until mixture starts to come together.
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Add the vanilla and pulse twice more briefly.
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Turn dough mixture out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Bring the dough together into a disk, wrap with the plastic, and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Make the Filling
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Gather the ingredients.
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Peel and core the apples and then cut them into small cubes.
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Add apples to a saucepan with the butter, sugar, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Stir apples over medium heat, cooking until they are just tender.
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In a small bowl, mix a tablespoon or two of water into the cornstarch until smooth.
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Add cornstarch mixture to the apples and cook, stirring, until mixture starts to thicken.
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Remove apples from heat and stir in the dulce de leche, if using, until well mixed.
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Chill apple mixture for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Shape and Bake
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Gather the ingredients.
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To shape the empanadas, roll out dough (in 2 or 3 batches) on a floured surface to about 1/4- to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut circles of dough about 5 to 6 inches in diameter.
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Wet the edge of a dough circle slightly, all around the perimeter. Place one scant tablespoon of filling in the middle of the dough.
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Fold the circle in half, enclosing the filling, and pinch the edges together firmly to seal, flattening and extending them slightly as you pinch them.
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Fold and crimp the flattened edge over itself decoratively. Repeat with remaining empanadas.
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Chill empanadas for about 1 hour for best results (or 15 minutes in the freezer).
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Preheat oven to 350 F.
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Mix egg yolk with a little bit of water and brush over empanadas. Sprinkle empanadas with sugar.
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Bake empanadas until puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes.
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These are best eaten warm and can be reheated in a low oven.
Tip
- Chilling the formed empanadas overnight before baking will help prevent the filling from escaping.