Halloween Empanadas
Halloween empanadas are the perfect treat for the fall season. Besides their eye-catching look, they are incredibly delicious, flaky, and crunchy. The best part is - you can choose any filling you want!
Equipment
- blender
- Cookie cutters
- Baking sheet
Ingredients
Empanada Dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 6 oz butter (unsalted)
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp water (or more until you reach the right consistency)
- 1 tsp powdered orange food coloring
Pumpkin Puree
- 2 cups pumpkin (cubed)
- 1 cup sugar (or more; to taste)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp cloves
- 1 cup water (add gradually)
Blueberry Filling
- ½ cup blueberry jam
Icing
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp milk
Instructions
Making the Pumpkin Puree
- Slice open the pumpkin, cut it into wedges, clean, and peel each. Cut them into bite-size cubes and place them into a large pot.
- Sprinkle with a generous amount of sugar to caramelize and splash of water. Add water regularly to simmer lightly on the bottom.
- It is done when you can press it with a fork and it mashes, just like a potato.
- Add spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Also, stir in some honey. I always recommend doing a taste test and seeing if you want it more sugary.
- Leave it in the chunks or puree it with a blender.
Preparing the Dough
- Add flour and a sprinkle of salt, and pulsate it for a few seconds, just to make sure it’s loose.
- Add butter cubes and pulsate it a few times, until you have a crumbly texture.
- Add an egg to the dough and pulsate a few times more.
- It is almost ready now, but you’re going to need a splash of water to assemble the dough into a perfect, soft, and spreadable ball. It should be soft enough to roll out but not tear apart.
- Dust the countertop surface with flour and knead the dough a bit. It should be very soft, but not sticky, like play-dough. I separated it into two equal pieces and massaged the powdered orange color into one.
Shaping the Empanadas
- Roll out the dough balls into thin sheets and cut with cookie cutters. Arrange them on the baking paper, so they are easier to move around.
Filling the Empanadas
- Put a teaspoon (or more) of pumpkin puree filling on top of pumpkin shapes. Remember to place the filling on the half of the batch only, as you’ll need another half for folding.
- Cover each piece and secure them with a fork. I advise you to refrigerate the empanadas straight on the cookie sheet for at least half an hour before baking, as the crust won’t crack that way.
Baking
- Heat your oven to 380 °F (190 °C) and bake empanadas for about 20 minutes. This depends on how big your empanadas are, though. But, you’ll know they are done when the top turns golden.
- Take them out of the oven and let them sit at room temperature to chill a bit.
Serving
- Mix powdered sugar and milk into a paste-like consistency and ice the empanadas.