Pumpkin Empanadas Recipe
Ingredients:
3 Cups of All Purpose Flour
¼ Teaspoon of Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon of Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon of Cinnamon Powder
½ Teaspoon of Salt
Grated Zest of 1 Lemon or Lime
1 Cup of Sugar
12 Tablespoons of Butter, Softened
1 Egg
3 ounces of Cream Cheese, Softened
2 Tablespoons of Buttermilk
1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
Cooked Pumpkin
| This recipe makes about 15 empandas.
Directions:
First, in a bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and grated zest.
In a separate bowl, cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until just blended. Add the cream cheese, buttermilk, and vanilla extract, and blend until well incorporated.
Add the dry ingredients into your creamed mixture and mix well until the dough holds shape. (for this step you can go ahead and use your hands, it makes it much easier )
Form the dough into a circle and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until it is easy to handle.
Split the dough in half and work with one half at a time. Flour your work surface and roll out each half to 1/8 inch thickness. With a cutter (5 or 6 in.), cut out circles from the dough and transfer them to a parchment lined baking sheet. Chill these in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes.
Wait 3-5 minutes until the dough circles are pliable. Then fill half of each circle with 1-2 tablespoons of cooked pumpkin. Do not spread all the way to the ends, leave some space around the edges for sealing your empanadas.
Brush a bit of cold water around the edge of half of each circle. Fold into a half moon shape and gently press the edges together. Crimp the edge of each empanada with a fork.
Brush the tops of the empanadas with cold water and sprinkle sugar over them.
Bake at 375 F degrees for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let them cool slightly before serving.
Enjoy!
