Mexican Style Sweet Empanadas~ Pineapple Apple- Toasted Coconut

You know the term “If it’s not broken, why fix it”? For many years I enjoyed the luxury of my Mom’s homemade Mexican style empanadas. Filled with pumpkin, pineapple and cajeta (dulce de leche). I know the dough recipe had few ingredients and that it had the texture of a more dense version of pie dough. By the time I wanted to learn her recipe, I had married and moved a thousand miles away. Mom had recipes written down, but finding them was a different task all together. My first attempts at re-creating her version was not the best. Then for many years I was preparing empanadas with a recipe my tia from Mexico shared with us. One of the main ingredients was beer?  And why not beer? Beer is great for baking breads, why not an empanada. At first I strictly used that recipe for savory empanadas. Then one day I just went for it and prepared a batch of beer dough and filled it with freshly sliced fruit, dark chocolate chips and dulce de leche caramel. Wow! For a few years I became an expert at that recipe filling it with all kinds of fillings, both sweet and savory. I think that it works for both as I  only use a light beer in the dough recipe so it’s not too strong once  baked.

By 2009, I had lost both of my parents and with that the hopes of having my Mom show me how she prepared her recipe hands on.  In 2011 I was blessed with a return trip to Monterrey, Mexico to visit family. And fortunate for me, I am blessed to still have my Mom’s sisters, three of which live in Monterrey and can bake like nobody’s business! Lol! While I was there I stayed with my tia Miné and we spent many hours cooking together. It was because of those times, that I am no longer afraid to cook using my pressure cooker, ha, ha, ha! I love it! My tia prepared a batch of sweet empanadas with that dough, that dough recipe that I so longed for and wanted to learn all about it. And I did. I came home from Mexico, just off the plane, jet lagged and all and no sooner got back into my kitchen and prepared some empanadas with what I had learned. My tia’s measurements, much like my Mom’s were never quite exact, old school cooking at it’s best! So, as I went along, I experimented with the recipe now and them. I was always happy with the results after baking the empanadas, but the dough itself just was not that easy to work with when filling and sealing.

Finally, just a few weeks ago, I experimenting one more time. This is it! I love the results of this dough. You still have to be gentle when handling it, but it works much better. I had less cracks while it was baking and they stayed intact. I make it sound like all the other tries simply fell apart, lol! They didn’t, but they just did not look as nice as my tia’s empanadas. They were beautiful even before I baked them.

Pineapple, Apple and Toasted Coconut Filling

Sweet Baked Empanadas-Pineapple Apple Empanadas

This a a mixed fruit empanada with a little coconut! Experimenting with the family empanada dough recipe. I enjoyed this version!

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Course: Desserrt

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Resting Time For Dough: 30 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 53 minutes

Servings: 24 empanadas

Ingredients

Pineapple Apple Filling

• 4 c pineapple, finely diced
• 2 c green apple, peeled, diced
• 3/4 c shredded toasted coconut
• 1 c brown sugar or grated piloncillo
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp apple pie spice
• 2 tbsps cornstarch
• 1/4 c water

Dough

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon anise seeds
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 cup fine sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup shortening
• 1 large egg beaten

Cinnamon Sugar

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Instructions

Filling

• Add all of the ingredients to a skillet, minus the cornstarch and water. Heat to medium. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and continue cooking for a good 40 to 50 minutes. Taste for sugar along the way.
• Once it has broken down and reduced, whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Cook for 5 more minutes.  You know your filling is thick enough when you can run a spatula down the center of pan and it stays on either side of pan without running back to the middle. Remove from heat and let cool.
• This recipe is enough for about 40 small empanadas more or less. Freeze leftover filling in a heavy freezer bag.

Dough

• In a small sauce pan, heat the 1 cup of water with anise seeds and cinnamon stick. Bring up to a boil, then remove from heat and let steep.
• Sift the flour with sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in 1 cup shortening and work in with hands or pastry cutter until you have small crumbles. Set aside.
• To the flour mixture, mix in the egg until well incorporated. Strain the anise cinnamon tea. Gradually mix in the tea a little at a time until dough forms. You may not end up using all of the tea. If it seems too dry, add a little more water as you knead dough for 5 minutes.
• When ready, roll 24 dough balls. Place in bowl or on a plate, cover and let set for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with foil or parchment paper. Line a tortilla press with a plastic bag, cut down to size.
• Before pressing dough ball, knead it for about 30 seconds and shape it back into a flat disc. Press one disc at a time to a 3 1/2 to 4 in circle. The edges will look slightly jagged. Fill with  about 2 tablespoons of filling. Fold over, pinch edge and fold over. Do not over fill.  Do this all the way over the opening to seal.
• Bake for 30 minutes, then place under broiler to brown the tops a little. Just about 1 minute. Remove from oven and let cool for 35-45 seconds. While they are still warm, gently dredge through cinnamon/sugar mix.

Tried this recipe?Mention @pinaenlacocina or tag #pinaenlacocina!

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