It seems every culture has their own version of dough stuffed with a delicious filling. Calzones, potstickers, samosas, pasties…
Even different Spanish and Latin American countries have their own twist on empanadas!
My partner The California Walnut Board recently challenged me to come up with a recipe surrounding the theme of Walnuts Around the World.
At first I struggled thinking of a sweet idea that had any worldly flair. Then I remembered one of my all time favorite foods can be made sweet or savory: empanadas!
I grew up loving empanadas as a special treat. My dad is Dominican, and you can bet that everywhere we’ve lived in the United States he’s somehow found Latino families who will make his favorite treats to remind him of home.
In fact, our family friends own an empanada themed restaurant right here in the Phoenix area called Republica Empanada. So needless to say, we love empanadas.
Which is why it made perfect sense to create my own sweet dessert version of empanadas for this challenge! I landed on these Honey Walnut Empanadas which are majorly delish!
I filled these with honey and walnuts, and a little cream cheese. The pastry itself is surprisingly easy to make, but is super rich, buttery, and flaky. The cinnamon sugar coating is a must for an extra burst of flavor and crunchy texture.
The unbaked assembled empanadas can be frozen and baked straight from the freezer, just add about 3 minutes to the baking time.
If you make and enjoy these Honey Walnut Empanadas, snap a picture and share it on Instagram, tagging #handletheheat!
For the dough:
-
1
cup
water
-
1 1/2
sticks (170 grams) unsalted butter
-
2
tablespoons
granulated sugar
-
2
teaspoons
fine salt
-
2 3/4
cups
(350 grams) flour
For the filling:
-
8
ounces
(227 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature
-
1/4
cup
(84 grams) honey
-
1
large egg
-
2
tablespoons
all-purpose flour
-
1/2
cup
(50 grams) chopped California walnuts
For coating:
-
1
large egg
-
2
tablespoons
granulated sugar
-
1
teaspoon
ground cinnamon
Make the dough:
-
Heat the water and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until butter has melted. Add in the sugar, salt, and flour. Remove from heat and stir with a wooden spoon until a wet and oily dough comes together. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Make the filling:
-
In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese and honey until well combined. Add the egg and beat until combined. Stir in the flour and walnuts. Mixture will be runny.
Assemble and bake:
-
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
-
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out 5-inch circles. Roll each circle slightly to further flatten before sealing the corners to prevent the filling from running out while assembling.
-
Pour about 1 1/2 tablespoons of filling inside each pocket. Press the edges firmly to seal. Crimp with the back of a fork.
-
Make ahead: At this point the unbaked empanadas can be covered and refrigerated for 1 day. They can also be frozen and baked straight from the freezer, just add about 3 minutes to the baking time.
-
In a small bowl, beat the egg with 1 teaspoon water. In another small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Brush the empanadas with egg wash then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.
-
Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Hi Tessa,
I didn’t know you were half Dominican! How cool!
As I grew up in Uruguay and my husband is Colombian, empanadas are a staple in my house. I love your sweet twist!
You may also have a look at the Slavic kitchen for further inspiration. They have a lot of dumplings, etc. with a simple, elastic dough, which is either fried, baked, boiled or steamed and filled with lots of fillings, many of them sweet.
Hi Jenny, that’s awesome! I’ll have to check that out, thanks for the recommendation 🙂
Honey and walnuts are a match made in heaven! These sound amazing.
I am really looking forward to making these when I have haevos rancheros going on at brunch time. The idea of making ahead and enjoying my family at mealtime is a bonus for me. Thank you for thinking outside the box!
Yay! Perfect 🙂
I have a South American heritage and love making empanadas. Because this mixture is “runny”, do you hold the empanada in your hand when filling? Looking forward to making this recipe!
I sealed the edges so nothing would run out, then held it upright while filling, sealing immediately after. Hope that helps!
Hi Tessa
these looks soooo yummy!!! I just love your stuff. A big FIVE Dholl.
Thanks.
I just love your stuff
Can this pastry dough and baking method be used to make savory empanadas?
Yep! Check out this post for more info: https://www.handletheheat.com/how-to-make-empanadas/
I am looking forward to trying the pastry dough with my family’s savory empanada recipe! My MIL grew up in Panama and made a savory empanadas for Thanksgiving and Christmas to be served as an appetizer with champagne. Before she passed away, she taught me how to make them. The pie dough has been the bane of my existence every holiday since. I’m always looking for a better way to make it. I’ve found some pie dough recipes that are a bit easier to work with, but still are very frustrating when making 100 empanadas. I assume leave out the sugar for savory?
Yep! I actually have a whole post on making empanadas, sweet or savory, right here: https://www.handletheheat.com/how-to-make-empanadas/
I love walnuts in sweets! These are gorgeous!
Thanks, Liz!
are you sure this is 2 teaspoons of SALT in the dough? i want to make these but that seems like a lot of salt
Yes, otherwise the pastry tends to be a little bland in my experience. If you’re sensitive to salt then feel free to reduce the amount 🙂
Oh boy, I would love these! They look amazing!
Gorgeous recipe! Thanks Tessa!
the problem with sites like this is when someone asks a question, such as the one asking about the quantity of salt in this dough, and no one responds. I’m sure this can get out of hand after you get a bit of a following but still, if you’re going to ask ppl to respond to your recipes, then they deserve a response. That’s my gripe for the day. I’ll be nicer tomorrow 🙂 .