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Empanada Recipes

Easy Empanada Recipes

Empanadas are just as versatile as enchiladas, but there’s one thing empanadas have over enchiladas: they can be dessert! Empanadas are filled pockets of dough that are either baked or fried. The following is a basic recipe for empanada dough. Later I will give you ideas for sweet or savory fillings. There are many more empanada recipes on Mex Adventure, so feel free to browse around!

• 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup ice water
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

Sift the flour and salt in a large bowl and blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender or 2 butter knives, in an x motion until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Beat the egg, water, and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork. Add this to flour mixture, and stir with fork until just incorporated, but don’t overdo it. Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and gather together, and then knead gently with heel of your hand once or twice, just enough to bring dough together. Form dough into a flat rectangle and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour.

When you are ready to fill your empanadas, have your filling ready and cut triangles from this dough. Some sweet fillings can be apples and cinnamon, pineapple, and cream cheese with brown sugar. Savory fillings can be chicken and cheese, beef and raisins, chicken and chilies…the list goes on! Make sure not to over fill the dough and fold it up. If you’re going to bake them, brush them with beaten egg white, if you’re going to fry them, be sure your oil is hot enough. There are many easy empanada recipes on the site, so feel free to browse around- Mexican empanada recipes are a great recipe to have when you have the time to make something extra special!