The Classic Dessert You Should Transform Into A Sweet Empanada

Empanadas are said to have originated in Portugal and Spain, but they're ubiquitous across Latin America, too. The classic, crescent-shaped baked pastry can be found in many different forms from the classic Spanish empanada made with flavorful canned tuna to Bolivian salteñas, which are filled with a meat-based broth, there's an empanada to fit everyone's taste — even those with a sweet tooth. That's right: Empanadas aren't just a savory snack. Make them with a sweet plantain crust, like in El Salvador, or stuff them with a sweet cream cheese, like in Cuba, and you've got yourself a perfect pocket of sugary goodness. Lorena Cantarovici, owner of Colorado's Maria Empanada, recommends filling your homemade empanadas with an apple pie filling to hit that sweet spot.

"Try the same filling as apple pie, and serve it warm, for something homey and comforting," Cantarovici said. Before you call this an apple hand pie, you should know that empanada and pie doughs are different. Empanada dough is more tender than flakey. Unlike a typical pie crust, traditional empanada dough contains lard for that extra bit of richness, which pairs oh-so-well with a sweet filling, as per Cantarovici's recommendation. Apple pie filling is super easy to throw together. It requires just butter, salt cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, a little bit of lemon juice, cornstarch, and your favorite soft apple chopped up into small cubes, making this a simple but impressive-looking pastry.

To make the filling, melt the butter with cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and brown sugar on the stove until it begins to bubble. Then, add your chopped-up apples and coat them for a few minutes, or until you've got a nice caramel-like coating. Add cornstarch and lemon juice until everything's combined, and then remove it from the stove.

You can make your own empanada dough from scratch or you can purchase it at the store pre-made. Otherwise, you can purchase a mix, like this Fabrica de Masas Baeza empanada dough mix on Amazon, to make things a little easier. Once your filling is done and your dough is all rolled out, plop a tablespoon or two of the filling onto each crescent. Then, fold the dough in half and crimp the edges with a fork to seal all that goodness inside. Coat your empanadas with an egg wash, and bake them on a lined baking sheet in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.

While apple pie filling is certainly sweet enough for those with a reasonable sweet tooth, there are other ways to upgrade this dessert empanada. Elevate the flavor a little more by turning it into a caramel apple empanada. Drizzle your favorite caramel sauce over your empanadas after they've been baked, or, for a less messy alternative, serve them with a dish of caramel sauce for dipping. If you want to hone in on the cinnamon flavor, before placing your empanadas in the oven, sprinkle them with a cinnamon-turbinado sugar mixture after coating them in an egg wash. This mix will create a sweet crust that's totally delectable.