Mexican Fruit Empanadas Recipe

Most of us are familiar with savory empanadas - delicious pastries stuffed with beef and egg, chicken or vegetables. However, dessert empanadas can be equally satisfying. The following dessert empanada recipe uses fruit and cinnamon for a delicious flavor. You can substitute the fruit preserves for many different kinds of fruit and feel free to experiment with this recipe.

Caramel apple empanadas are very tasty as well. You will also find that the dough, made from butter, flour, and cream cheese, goes perfectly with the sweet filling. Empanadas can be served as they are, either for a dessert, breakfast dish, or sweet afternoon snack, or with some whipped cream, ice cream, or chocolate sauce for an indulgent treat. You can wrap the unbaked dough and freeze it if you want to make extra. In addition, the baked empanadas can be frozen too.

Dessert Empanadas Recipe

Ingredients -

3 oz cream cheese
⅓ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup softened butter
1 cup fruit preserves
1 cup sifted all purpose flour
Powdered sugar

Preparation:

Cream the butter with the cream cheese, then beat in the flour.

Shape the dough into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap or foil.

Chill it overnight or for up to a week.

Take the dough ball out of the refrigerator and leave it for half an hour to reach room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Roll the dough out thinly and cut disks with a 3 or 4 inch cookie cutter.

Put a spoonful of preserves in the middle of each one, moistening the edges with some water.

Fold the dough disks over and press the moistened edges together.

Bake for about 18 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet then roll the empanadas in powdered sugar mixed with ground cinnamon.

(Serves 4)