Easy Pumpkin Empanadas Recipe

A Pumpkin Empanada Recipe as Delicious as Classic Pumpkin Pie

© Norman Kolpas

Dec 22, 2007

Pumpkin pie empanadas have all the delicious flavor and texture of an old-fashioned pumpkin pie recipe, but they take only about 30 minutes to make, start to finish. Better still, the filling doesn't contain any eggs or condensed milk, so they're actually low fat. Imagine that: a low-fat pumpkin pie!

Make them as Halloween party treats, Thanksgiving dessert options, home-baked Christmas cookies, or at any time of year.

The word "empanada," by the way, literally means "breaded" in Spanish, but it actually refers to pastry-enclosed turnovers of both sweet and savory fillings. The pastry in this easy recipe is the store-bought kind: premade pie crust pastry, ready to roll out in use, sold two rounds to the box in the refrigerated case of your supermarket.

Tips for success:

• Cutting out the dough. To cut out the individual rounds of empanada dough from the larger rounds of pie pastry, use a circular cutter or inverted glass bowl that's 4 inches in diameter.
• Filling the turnovers. Don't overfill the turnovers, or the pumpkin mixture may ooze out. That's not a disaster, but it doesn't look quite as good.
• Baking time and temperature. Oven temperatures may vary from their settings. So, start checking the turnovers at the early side of the baking time range. Keep baking until they're nicely browned—even longer than the recipe time, if necessary.
• Storing the empanadas. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3 days. If you'd like them warm, put one on a microwave-proof plate and heat on the setting for bread or rolls, about 20 seconds.

Pumpkin Pie Empanadas

Makes 2 dozen

• 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• 2 (15-ounce) packages refrigerated pie pastry (4 rounds, ready to unroll and use)
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk, cream, or evaporated milk

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Meanwhile, put the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, the salt, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg in a mixing bowl. With a wire whisk or a spoon, stir until thoroughly combined.
3. With a little all-purpose flour, lightly dust a flat, smooth work surface. Unroll a round of the pie pastry and turn it to coat both sides lightly with the flour. With a 4-inch-diameter cutter or an inverted glass bowl with a 4-inch-diameter rim, cut out 4 circles from the 4 quadrants of the circle, and set aside. Gather up the scraps and set aside. Repeat with the other 3 rounds of pastry.
4. Gather together all the pastry scraps. With your hands, knead them briefly, and then form into a ball. Lightly dust a rolling pin and the ball with some flour. Roll out the ball into a circle the same diameter as the other cut-out circles of dough. Cut it to get 7 more circles. Finally, take the last of the scraps and gently pat them out to get one last circle, for a total of 2 dozen circles.
5. Take one circle of dough and put 1 level tablespoon of the filling on its center. Fold the circle of dough in half over the filling to enclose it, aligning the edges of the half-circle of dough. With the tines of a fork, press down all along the joined edges to seal the empanada. Place the empanada on a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough and filling. You'll need 2 standard baking sheets to hold all 24 empanadas.
6. In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 2 tablespoons of cinnamon and the granulated sugar. Put the milk, cream, or evaporated milk in another small bowl.
7. Dip your fingertip in the milk and use your fingertip to moisten lightly the top surface of each empanada. Then, with a teaspoon, scoop up a little cinnamon sugar and, holding the spoon over each empanada, lightly tap the spoon to dust the empanadas with cinnamon sugar.
8. Put one baking sheet in the preheated oven. Bake the empanadas until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes, checking to make sure they don't burn. Halfway through the baking time, rotate the baking sheet 180 degrees for more even baking.
9. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and leave the empanadas to cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, bake the second batch. Enjoy the empanadas hot or cold. Store cooled empanadas in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Pumpkin Pie Empanadas

Step 2: Pumpkin Pie Filling Ingredients

Step 3: Cutting the Pie Dough

Step 5: Sealing the Empanada's Edges

Step 7: Dusting with Cinnamon Sugar

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