Tasty Pumpkin Empanadas (An Authentic Mexican Pastry)

Name: Tasty Pumpkin Empanadas (An Authentic Mexican Pastry)
Total time: 1800 s
Yield: 24 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 tbsp butter; 1 1/2 cup brown sugar; 15 oz canned pumpkin (not pie filling, I use one Libby's brand 15oz can); 2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice; 3 cup all purpose flour; 2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 cup vegetable shortening; 2 large eggs; 1/2 cup whole milk; 2 tbsp white sugar; 1/4 cup white sugar; 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

x2ez4u @cook_x2ez4u

This recipe is one of the better empanada recipes that I have tried...the crust turns out perfectly flaky, not like the rubbery crusts that you find at a panderia (Mexican bakery). My whole family loved these and they gobbled them up! Perfect Thanksgiving time treat...or anytime for that matter!

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Ingredients

30 mins

24 servings

Pumpkin Filling
4 tbspbutter
1 1/2 cupbrown sugar
15 ozcanned pumpkin (not pie filling, I use one Libby's brand 15oz can)
2 tspground cinnamon
1/2 tsppumpkin pie spice
Empanada Dough
3 cupall purpose flour
2 tspbaking powder
1/2 tspsalt
1/2 cupvegetable shortening
2 largeeggs
1/2 cupwhole milk
2 tbspwhite sugar
Sugar/Cinnamon Topping
1/4 cupwhite sugar
1/2 tspground cinnamon

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Steps

30 mins

1

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Don't let it burn.
2

Stir in brown sugar until it dissolves with the butter.
3

Stir in the pumpkin and the spices. Continue to stir over medium heat for 10min.
4

Remove the filling from heat and let cool down. After it has cooled for 15 min, put the filling in the refrigerator for 30 min before use.
5

Mix the flour, baking powder and salt
6

Cut in the shortening with the dry ingredients, I use my hands to work the shortening into the flour mixture.
7

Add the eggs, milk and sugar, use a spoon at first then continue to work the dough with your hands until all ingredients all fully incorporated and you have a nice ball of dough.
8

Split the dough in half, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and put into the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
9

Preheat the oven to 350° f
10

Take out half of the dough and split into 12-16 balls of dough (depending on how big you want the empanadas)
11

Using a floured rolling pin, roll each of the dough balls into small round circles about 4-6 inches in diameter.
12

Add a small dollop of pumpkin filling to center of dough.
13

Wet the edge of the dough circle with water and fold the dough over to seal the empanada in half. Seal the edges by using a fork to press into the edge.
14

Brush the top of each empanada with egg whites, then sprinkle the tops with the sugar/cinnamon topping.
15

Place the empanadas on a greased cookie sheet and pierce each empanada with a fork to allow steam to escape during cooking.
16

Cook empanadas for 18 minutes on middle rack in oven. If the tops aren't golden brown, you can switch the oven to broil and cook for a few more minutes until the tops are golden (make sure you don't burn em!)