Let’s talk empanadas, a wonderful delicacy, whether savory or sweet, that is a part of Mexican culture and cuisine and an age-old tradition.
Empanadas are believed to have originated in the Iberian Peninsula with references made to them in medieval cookbooks dating from the 13th century. In fact, the name “empanada” comes from the Galician verb empanar, which means “to wrap or coat in bread.”
The first empanadas were savory with aged cheese or preserved fish used for fillings, reflecting the limited ingredients available in the Middle Ages. It wasn’t until the 16th Century that empanadas reached Latin America, brought to Mexico by the conquistadors. Naturally, the Mexicans adapted them using local ingredients and spices to make them their own. A notable exception became the “turco” that originated in Nuevo Leon, inspired by Turks who traveled here in the 1840s and introduced pork fat to the dough (as Emeril says, “Pork fat rules!”), which transformed empanadas into a savory pastry. Turcos are filled with meats and cheeses and are known for their sweet, rich flavor due to the pork fat in the dough. In Guerrero, on the other hand, you might find empanadas filled with seafood or fish while in Oaxaca, you might find them stuffed with mole or other sauces.
Now let’s talk “sweet” empanadas, so popular in Mexico. They may be filled with cinnamon-spiced apples, or pumpkin and cream-cheese (like our recipe) and other goodies, but what separates them from their savory counterpart is the dough. The dough of a sweet empanada contains sugar, butter or lard (adding richness and flavor), and flavorings like cinnamon, vanilla, chocolate or even almond flour. This results in a softer and more tender product that’s often flaky, like pastry. The savory version, however, focuses on three factors: Flour; salt; and fat (usually lard), resulting in a firmer and sturdier crust, which means it can be baked or fried without becoming overly soft.
Since the holidays are approaching, I thought it might be fun to incorporate the holiday dessert foods we think of like pumpkin and cheesecake into one Mexican delicacy that would make an amazing dessert for any holiday dinner or occasion! So, let’s get baking!
Pumpkin Cheesecake Empanadas
Filling:
- 1 Cup (250 g) pumpkin puree* (puré de calabaza). Make your own. It’s easy and you’ll never taste anything like it!
- 5-8 lbs. (2.25 kg – 3.6 kg) pumpkin (roughly two small pumpkins)
- Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Wash pumpkin. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the stems off the pumpkins and cut in half, lengthwise. Scrape the seeds from inside the pumpkins. Place pumpkin halves, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake for about 35-45 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender when pierced with a fork. Scoop the cooked pumpkin out of the shells and put in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Add a tablespoon or two of water, if needed.
- 1/4 Cup (50 g) brown sugar (azúcar moreno)
- 1 tsp. (4.2 g) vanilla extract* (extracto de vanilla) *
- Mexican brands noted for intense flavor: Villa Vainilla; Vainilla Totonac’s; Molina Vainilla
- 1 1/2 tsp. (2.8 g) pumpkin-pie spice
- 4 tsp. (10.4 g) ground cinnamon (canela); *2 tsp. (5.62 g) ground ginger; *1 tsp. (2.1 g) ground cloves (clavo molido); *1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg (nuez moscada molida). Mix together and store in an air-tight container.
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, ground (canela)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350F/175C
- Spray baking dish with cooking spray
- In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin, condensed milk, sugar, cream-cheese and eggs until well combined, reaching a light and fluffy texture (about 3 minutes).
- Add vanilla, pumpkin-pie spice and cinnamon and beat until incorporated.
- Pour batter into baking dish.
- Bake mixture until set, about 25 minutes.
- Cool on racks.
- Cover and refrigerate for about an hour until completely cool or overnight.
Empanada Dough:
- Preheat oven to 400F/204C
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
Ingredients:
- 2 /12 Cups (325 g) all-purpose flour
- Use only American flour, available online.
- 1/2 tsp. (3 g) salt (sal)
- 1/4 tsp. (1.2 g) baking powder (polvo de hornear)
- 1/2 tsp. (0.69 g) ground cinnamon (canela)
- 1/2 Cup (115 g) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (mantequilla sin sal)
- 1/2 Cup (95.5 g) shortening*
- Use Inca Manteca brand, found in Mexico.
- 3/4 Cup (171 g) ice water (agua)
- Cinnamon-sugar* for sprinkling empanadas.
- To make cinnamon-sugar: Add 1/4 Cup (99.4 g) cinnamon (canela) to 1 Cup (200 g) sugar (azúcar estándar). Store in air-tight container.
Egg-wash for Crust:
1 large egg, beaten with 1 tsp. (4.9 g) water
Directions:
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder.
- Add butter and shortening.
- Working quickly and using your fingers, combine mixture until it resembles coarse meal.
- Add water. Flour your hands and mix together.
- Knead once or twice to fully combine. (The less kneading the better.)
- Divide dough in half.
- Cover each half with plastic wrap and refrigerate 15 minutes. (Dough can be refrigerated up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before using.)
- Divide each piece of dough into 8 pieces.
- Take one piece of dough from refrigerator and using a floured rolling pin on a floured surface, roll the piece into an 1/8-inch-thick oval. (Leave the rest of the pieces in the refrigerator. Roll one at a time.)
* Using a medium sized cookie scoop, place 2-3 scoops of pumpkin-cheesecake filling into center of the dough. Fold dough over to enclose filling and seal edges with a fork. Using a spatula, transfer the empanada to a parchment-lined cookie sheet. - Coat each empanada with egg-wash and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes.
- Let cool and serve with or without icing.
Icing:
- 2 Cups (230 g) powdered sugar
- 1-2 Tbs. (15.3 g to 30.6 g) milk
Mix until blended. Add more milk as needed to reach desired consistency. Drizzle over empanadas.
Disfruta!
Deborah McCoy is the one-time author of mainstream, bridal-reference books who has turned her attention to food, particularly sweets, desserts and fruits. She is the founder of CakeChatter™ on FaceBook and X (Twitter), and the author of four baking books for “Dough Punchers” via CakeChatter (available @amazon.com). She is also the president of The American Academy of Wedding Professionals™ (aa-wp.com).
