Floria's Pumpkin Empanadas

Recipe Type: Dessert

Prep time: 45 mins

Cook time: 8 mins

Total time: 53 minsHome

Serves: 8 to 10

Ingredients

• Filling

• 2 15oz cans of pure pumpkin

• 2 cups of brown sugar or piloncillo

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 10 cloves or 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice

• Dough

• 4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

• 1/4 teaspoon of salt

• 4 tablespoons of sugar

• 1 tablespoon of cinnamon

• 1 1/4 cups of vegetable shortening

• 1 cup of tepid water

• 
  

1. Cook the pumpkin with brown sugar/piloncillo and spices at medium heat for 15 minutes.

1. Let it thicken a bit.

1. Remove the cinnamon sticks and cloves (optional). Set aside to cool.

1. Preheat the oven at 375 degrees.

1. Mix the flour, salt and spices together in a bowl.

1. Place the flour mixture in a food processor and add the shortening.

1. Once the shortening is dispersed throughout the flour (it should look a little like corn meal), slowly add the water. (Add more or less water, as needed.)

1. The dough should be moist and mold easily.

1. Mold into a large ball and wrap in plastic.

1. Place in the refrigerator for at least a 1/2 hour.

1. Remove the dough and dust the surface of a counter or other space with a little flour.

1. Roll out a small ball of dough until it is relatively thin.

1. Cut out circles that are three to four inches in diameter.

1. Add a tablespoon or so of the pumpkin mixture and fold.

1. Use the prongs of a fork to seal the edges.

1. Bake on each side for 4 minutes.

Also, I was left with a surplus of pumpkin filling, so I made a second batch of dough in order to use all of the filling called for in Floria's recipe.

Instructions:

Filling

Dough

Notes

The empanadas are delicious as described above. I added an egg wash and dusted some sugar on them toward the end of the cooking time. This gave them a pretty color and added a little texture.