Empanadas are delicious little pies which can be filled with all kinds of sweet or savory fillings. This recipe is for pumpkin empanadas. The dough encloses a wonderful filling of spiced pumpkin puree.
This makes a lovely dessert or you can enjoy it as a sweet treat when hunger hits and it’s something with sugar you’re craving. If you want to save time or you just don’t want to make your own dough, you can use store-bought pastry dough instead. You just have to cut it into circles and then proceed with the recipe.
If you do prefer homemade, then you can also roast and mash your own pumpkins rather than using pumpkin puree. It’s important that you use 100% pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling which is already sweetened and spiced. These empanadas taste so good, it’s hard to stop eating them!
Why You’ll Love the Recipe
These sweet pastries are so delicious. The golden brown pastry holds a sweet, spiced pumpkin filling which everyone loves.
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How to Serve Them
Pair one (or two!) of these sweet treats with your favorite drink. They’re good as a snack or for dessert.
Can You Make Them Ahead?
Yes, you can. If you like them warm instead of room temperature, just warm them up in the oven.
Storage Instructions
Keep these refrigerated for a few days or freeze for a few months.
Variations and Substitutions
You can mix a few drops of vanilla extract with powdered sugar and a little water or milk and pour it over the empanadas if you want to add a glaze.
These sweet pumpkin empanadas are so delicious. They’re simple to make and you’re going to love how amazing they taste.
Pumpkin Empanadas
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 Tbsp. Brown sugar
- 1 C. All-purpose flour
- 4 Tbsp. Cold butter cut into chunks
- ½ C. Whole wheat pastry flour
- ¼ C. Cold milk
- ¼ tsp. Salt
- 1 Egg separated
- 1 tsp. Baking powder
For the filling:
- 1 tsp. Cinnamon
- 1 C. Pumpkin puree
- ¼ tsp. Nutmeg
- ¼ C. Brown sugar
- ⅛ tsp. Allspice
Instructions
- Place the all purpose flour, whole wheat pastry flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt into a food processor, and blend to combine.
- Add the egg yolk and all but 1 Tbsp of the egg white to the food processor along with the butter and milk, and pulse until a crumbly dough has formed.
- Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Roll the chilled dough out thinly onto a lightly floured surface.
- Cut the dough into 2 ¾ inch circles with a cookie cutter.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Place a bit of filling on one side of each circle of dough.
- Fold the dough over the filling, folding it to pinch it closed around the edges.
- Layer the empanadas on a parchment lined baking sheet, and poke the top of each one with the tines of a fork in the center.
- Brush the empanadas with the egg white, and bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through
