Sweet Chilean Empanadas from our partner!

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We use whatever delicious jam or sauce we have handy. Cranberry sauce, dulce de leche, apple compote, apricot jam. Just make sure it's not too runny so you can close the empanadas without too much mess. The traditional pear filling recipe is below if you want to try it out! 

Prep time: 1 hr Cook time: 20-30 minutes Yield: 24 small empandas Ingredients (Dough): 

• 2 c flour 
• 1 t baking soda 
• 1/2 t salt 
• 1/2 c butter, cold 
• 1 egg 
• 1/4 c squash puree (or pumpkin puree) 
• 1/4 c heavy cream 
• 2 T sugar 
• 1 T water and 1 egg whisked for brushing 
• sugar to sprinkle 

Instructions: 

1. Cut your butter into small cubes. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and butter into a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium until the mixture has the texture of coarse sand. (This can also be done by hand in a bowl, using your fingers or two forks to cut up the butter) 

2. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until a dough forms. It should just start to pull away from the bowl, and lightly stick to your fingers if touched. If it seems too wet add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time. Preheat oven to 375 F. 

3. Cut the dough in half. Place half in the refrigerator. Roll the remaining dough on a floured work surface. This version of the dough is fairly wet, so make sure you use plenty of flour to keep from sticking to the work surface or rolling pin. Roll the dough out to about an 1/8" thickness. Cut 5" circles from the dough using a cookie cutter or cup. You can make this smaller or bigger to your liking. 

4. Using your filling of choice (cranberry sauce shown above), place a mounded teaspoon of filling in the middle of the dough circle. Brush the edge lightly with water egg mixture. Fold in half and close the edge with a fork or just by pressing tightly with your fingers. Repeat until you have used all remaining dough. 

5. Place your empanadas on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush the tops with the egg water mixture and sprinkle with sugar. Cook for 18 to 25 minutes or until empanadas are golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack. Serve at room temperature. 

• 250 g of dried pears (or fruit of choice) 
• 1/2 c sugar 
• 1/2 t cinnamon 
• pinch of nutmeg 

Place pears in a small sauce pan. Pour over enough boiling water just to cover the fruit. Let stand for 15 minutes. Place over medium heat, add the sugar, and continue stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, add cinnamon and nutmeg, and puree with a hand mixer or blender to smooth. Place back on medium heat and stir consistently. You want the mixture to boil slightly and cook down until you can see the bottom of the pot when you stir. Allow to cool completely before using in empanadas.