baked-apple-empanadas

My grandmas home in El Paso was a small three bedroom home with lots of fruit trees in the backyard—apple, apricot, peach, and membrillo (quince) just to name a few.

When apples were in season my grandma would sit for hours peeling piles of apples to make warm apple pies and empanadas. She would make apple preserves by slow cooking the apples with sugar, but my mom has taught me a simplified filling to avoid cooking the apples first.

Watch this video below to see how simple these empanadas are to make.

These apple empanadas are a great alternative to a traditional whole apple pie making them perfect for the holidays. Whether you choose to make them for Thanksgiving or take them to a holiday party they are guaranteed to be a hit. For an authentic Mexican experience, serve these little treats with café de olla or Mexican hot chocolate.

crisco-baking-sticks

My grandma made her dough using lard, but my mom and I now use Crisco® All-Vegetable Shortening Sticks. Using Crisco® shortening yields a higher, lighter-textured baked good and the sticks come in a no-mess, measurable package. These flaky pastry empanadas are baked (not fried) and filled with tart warm apples, with a coating of sugar and cinnamon that lends an irresistible crunch to the crust. These empanadas are delicious and not overly sweet which is what I love about them, but if you are looking for a sweet apple filling feel free to add sugar to the filling mixture.

empanadas-de-manzana

I’m teaming up with Crisco®, as a Crisco Creator, to help inspire home cooks with new recipe ideas and cooking and baking tips. Visit Crisco.com or search #CriscoCreators on social media to find more great recipes! If you need help with your holiday baking this year, the Crisco Pie & Baking Hotline is a great one-stop resource. Just call 1-877-367-7438 for real-time expert advice and tips for all your baking needs.

Empanadas de Manzana (Apple Empanadas)

3.90 (10 ratings)
These flaky pastry empanadas are baked (not fried) and filled with tart warm apples, with a coating of sugar and cinnamon that lends an irresistible crunch to the crust.  Such a great alternative to apple pie!
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Yield: 24 empanadas
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients

Apple Filling:

Empanada Dough:

  • 3 cups Pillsbury BEST™ All-Purpose Flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
  • ½ cup Crisco® Baking Sticks All-Vegetable Shortening
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup milk
  • Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray

Glaze:

  • Canned evaporated milk or egg white
  • Cinnamon-sugar mixture, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon mixed with 1/4 cup sugar

Instructions 

Make Apple Filling:

  • Combine all apple filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Make Empanada Dough:

  • In a stand mixer mix the first 5 dry ingredients. Add in the shortening. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and milk and combine with dry ingredients. Continue to combine until you have a soft dough. Split the dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Assemble and bake empanadas:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Divide empanada dough into 24 pieces. On a floured surface, roll out the dough pieces into small round circles. Place a small dollop of apple filling on one half of each of the rolled out circles. Wet the edges of the circles with water to help seal the two halves. Fold over the dough and seal off the edges with a fork by pressing down along the edges. This also makes for a pretty pattern when baked.
  • Brush each empanada with some canned evaporated milk or egg whites, sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Puncture the top of each empanada with a fork to allow steam to escape while baking.
  • Spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray; place the empanadas on the cookie sheet and bake for 13 to 20 minutes on middle rack in the oven. If after 15 minutes you notice the bottoms of the empanadas starting to brown, move the cookie sheet to the top rack and continue to bake for the last 5 minutes, until golden brown.

Notes

 These empanadas are delicious and not overly sweet which is what I love about them, but if you are looking for a sweet apple filling feel free to add sugar to the filling mixture.
Calories: 138.48kcal, Carbohydrates: 19.08g, Protein: 2.46g, Fat: 5.93g, Saturated Fat: 1.86g, Cholesterol: 16.64mg, Sodium: 84.96mg, Potassium: 91.2mg, Fiber: 1.03g, Sugar: 5.72g, Vitamin A: 69.14IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 32.77mg, Iron: 0.88mg
Author: Yvette Marquez
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Mexican

As a participant of a Crisco® Ambassador Program, I’ve received compensation for my time and product samples for review purposes. Opinions are my own.