Fall Treat Recipe: Pumpkin Empanada

24 Oct, 2012

This dessert treat includes a recipe for pastry dough that has been passed down several generations

Growing up we always knew the fall and winter meant lots of sweet and tasty treats we call empanadas. These pastry pockets are filled with whatever jam or preserves are in season or whatever you were lucky enough to preserve over the summer. This particular recipe calls for my favorite filling—pumpkin. I prefer to use canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling because making it from scratch is too watery. Adding the freshest spices, makes a big difference. So go fresh with your spices whenever possible.

Pumpkin Empanada

Pumpkin Filling Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed firmly
1 cup organic pumpkin, NOT pie filling
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar until it dissolves with the butter. Stir in the pumpkin and the spices. Continue to stir over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Make sure the filling is not too watery; otherwise let it cook for a couple more minutes.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool for about 15 minutes. Put the filling in the refrigerator to help it set for 30 minutes or overnight.
You can make the Empanada Dough while the filling is cooling off. This dough is a classic family recipe used by my grandmother, my mother and now my sister and me. We love this dough because it makes just enough to bake 2 dozen sweet empanadas.

Empanada Dough ingredients:

3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup shortening
2 eggs
½ cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar

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