Baked Apple Empanadas made easy with premade pie crusts and a simple apple filling.
Empanadas are essentially the Latin American version of a hand pie. Similarly they can be filled with Sweet or Savory flavor combinations. Like my Sweet Potato Empanadas.
I was able to get together with a foodie friend, Belqui and her Food Blog is Belqui's Twist. Be sure to check out her Delicious Empanada Recipe!
We had so much fun making this YouTube video on Dessert Empanadas. Watch the episode and see what filling option Belqui uses for her empanadas!
Ingredients
- Pie Crust
- Apples
- Brown Sugar
- Cinnamon
- Lemon
- Egg
Apples- I used a combination of Honeycrisp and Granny Smith apples. I like the flavor you get from combining sweet and tart apples. Peel and dice the apples and place them in a skillet.
Add lemon juice, brown sugar, and cinnamon to the apples. Cook over medium- low heat for 15-20 minutes.
You want to cook the apples until all the liquid evaporates and the apples have softened. The consistency should be soft and sticky. Allow the filling to cool before assembling the apple empanadas.
You can also make this filling ahead of time and store in the fridge for a couple of days.
Pie Dough- I'm using refrigerated pie crusts as the dough. Follow the package directions on how to thaw the dough.
Try this savory option for mini quiche cups using pie dough.
How To Fold The Empanadas
Unfold the pie crust and using a glass or small bowl, 3 in diameter, cut circles in the pie crust. They should be close together, and once you run out of room, remove the cut circles. Roll the leftover dough back into a ball and roll it out flat to repeat the process.
You should get about 9 discs from 1 standard pie crust. Now roll out each disc till it almost doubles in size, 6 in. You want the dough to be as thin as possible since it will puff up during baking.
Now fill each rolled out dough disc with 2 heaping tablespoons of the apple filling. Enough to fill the middle, but leaving some room on the sides.
Once the filling is added fold the bottom over to meet the top and either crimp the edges with a fork or make a seal by folding the edges over. It doesn't have to be perfect! Just needs to be sealed.
Once all your apple empanadas are filled and sealed, place them in the refrigerator to chill while the oven preheats. Preheat the oven to 375° Fahrenheit.
Once the oven is preheated, use a knife to cut small slits on the top of each apple empanada. This allows some venting during the baking process.
The last step is to brush the empanadas with an egg wash to create a nice golden crust on the outside. Simple whisk 1 whole egg until smooth. Then brush over the tops of each empanada.
Bake at 375°F for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the empanadas from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes. The filling will be very hot out of the oven.
The apple empanadas can be served warm or allow them to rest and serve at room temperature. My favorite way to eat them is with a hot cup of coffee.
Try my recipe for a gluten free Pineapple Loaf.
Easy Baked Apple Empanadas
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
- 1 Pie Crust Refrigerated or Frozen and thawed according to package directions
- 3 Honeycrisp Apples peeled and diced
- 2 Granny Smith Apples peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- ¼ cup Brown Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 Egg whisked for egg wash
Instructions
- Peel and dice apples into small even pieces. Place apples in a skillet over medium heat, and add lemon juice, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to medium-low.
- Continue cooking, stirring periodically until liquid evaporates and apples have softened. You don't want the apple filling to have a lot of moisture. Remove from heat and allow to cool. You can also make this a day in advance and store it in the refrigerator.
- Thaw pie crust according to package directions.
- Use a cup or small bowl that is 3 in diameter. Unroll the pie crust and use the cup to cut out circles in the crust. Make them close together to use up all the space. Then roll the scraps back together into a ball and roll out again and repeat the process until you use all the dough.
- Take one dough disc and roll it out again to double in size, about 6 in diameter. Then take 2 heaping tablespoons of apple filling and place it in the center of the disc. Fold the dough over and seal the edges with a fork or create a seal by folding the edges over. Place on a baking sheet.
- Once all the empanadas are filled. Place them in the refirgerator while the oven pre-heats. Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit
- Remove empanadas from the refrigerator. Take a knife and make 2 small slits across the top of each one for venting.
- Beat one egg until smooth and use a pastry brush to brush the tops of each empanada with the egg wash.
- Bake empanadas for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. The filling will be hot out of the oven. Serve warm or allow to cool to room temperature and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only and depends on ingredients and amounts used. Thai Caliente makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
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