Empanadas (Small Pies)

 

Hello everyone! Today we are going to make some delicious Empanadas. I hope you like them as much as I do!

Makes 12 large Empandas o 24 small ones
Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour


• 1/2 cup sugar


• pinch of salt


• 1 tspn baking powder


• 3/4 cup vegetable shortening


• 1/4 cup butter


• 2 eggs


• 8-10 tablespoons of Icy Cold Water


• Marmalade (about 1/2 cup) 

To garnish: (optional)

• 2 Tablespoons sugar


• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix the dry ingredients first. ( flour, baking powder, salt and sugar) after all the dry ingredients are mixed together, crumble in the butter and the vegetable shortening, blend at slow speed until you get the texture or coarse bread crumbs. Then  add in an egg yolk, (safe the egg white for later we will use it to make an egg wash), also add in about 8 to 10 tablespoons of icy cold water, blend till all the ingredients are incorporated into a soft and firm dough.(you can mix everything with a fork or an electric mixer)

Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes to an hour.

Preheat the oven to 375oF (190oC).

In a small bowl beat the remaining egg white plus 1 whole egg and 1 teaspoon of sugar, beat until everything is well beaten and set aside for a minute.
On a floured surface, roll out the dough, to a thickness of 1/4 inch. With a circular cutter, cut the dough into circles, if you don't have a circular cutter, you can use a small bowl, a cup or any other round object.

Once you have all your circles done, brush the edges with the egg mixture. Add the filling right in the middle of each circle, depending on how big your Empanada circles are, you will add between a teaspoon or a tablespoon of  the  filling right in the middle of each circle.

Fold the circle as if you were making a taco  and press/pinch the edges together with your fingers to close it up. and press each circle a second time with a fork, just to make sure all the edges are completely sealed. Brush the Empandas with the egg mixture and baked for around 20 minutes at 375oF (190oC).

As soon as you take them out of the oven, sprinkle a combination of sugar and cinnamon on top of your empanadas to make them extra sweet and extra delicious!

Enjoy by themselves or with a warm cup of coffee or milk!

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