These are my husband’s favorite Mexican fall/holiday dessert. He enjoys one with coffee and my Nana makes the best empanadas! She is also more likely to make them in the fall/winter months. This is my take on her recipe, and I have made it a little easier, in that you don’t have to make the dough. Yep, I used store bought pie crust!
The filling is simple and made with canned pumpkin and has all that pumpkin pie flavor. We have just made it a hand-pie, so you can eat this on-the-go. I am only kind of kidding. But hand-pies, empanadas, are very true to our culture and we have them at all different holidays during the year. They are typical for breakfast, served with coffee or anytime you want a slightly sweet boost to your day.
Pumpkin Empanadas
Ingredients
- 2 store-bought pie crusts
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground clove
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon of water
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan, heat butter over medium-high heat until melted.
- Add sugar and let dissolve in the butter.
- Add pumpkin, flaxseed, cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, clove and salt, whisking to combine.
- Let cook over medium-low heat until the mixture is thickened slightly and almost pulls away from the side of the pan.
- Set aside to cool.
- Prepare two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll out pie crusts on a floured surface.
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Using a knife, cut out 6 inch rounds. (I used the lid of a storage container and traced around it with a knife).
- Mix egg and water together for egg wash.
- Place crust rounds on cookie sheets.
- Spoon some filling onto one side of each round.
- Fold over dough and press lightly or pinch/curl to make a design while sealing (you can also just use a fork).
- Once they are all sealed, brush lightly with egg wash.
- Vent each empanada by poking with a fork.
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
- Serve and enjoy.
