Fruit Paste and Cream Cheese Hand Pies
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on Nov 11, 2014, Updated Sep 15, 2020
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It’s baking season and I’m excited to announce that I am collaborating with Crisco to share recipes and tips.
Have you even been in the middle of baking and have a question? Luckily, I have my mom a phone call away when I doubt my baking confidence, but she doesn’t always have an answer. Fortunately, there is Crisco to the rescue and anyone can call the pie and baking hotline. From how to keep meringues from weeping to salvaging epic cookie fails – live baking experts can be reached. Call 1-877-367-7438 and you can even hear some of my recorded tips to make empanadas and sopes en Español. I’ve made my fair share of both and hope you have the opportunity to listen in.
If you like empanadas and sopes then please stay tuned because a video will be uploaded next month where my Latin Twist co-author and amiga, Vianney and I host a fiesta and share how to make both. This will be our very first video project together, but hopefully not our last. We had a blast hosting a fiesta in my home and are very excited to share the final video with you. My mom even makes a special guest appearance.
Just like my mom makes empanadas with Crisco, so do I. The recipe for this dough for these mini empanadas (hand pies) is absolutely delicious. It is similar to pie dough, perfectly tender, but not overly flaky. With this dough recipe you can shape them in a variety of ways and fill them with just about anything.
These hand pies are the perfect size – so tiny they fit in the palm of your hand. They can be sweet or savory and these are a little bit of both. These hand pies are layered with bright ate de membrillo (quince paste), ate de guayaba (guava paste), and a layer of thick cream cheese. Fruit paste is similar to fruit leather and is usually available at Latin markets or in the Hispanic ingredients section of larger grocery stores. My grandma used to have a membrillo tree and made homemade jam and so the flavor of these empanadas brought back so many lovely memories. This sweet and tart jam is so delicious and tastes great, especially paired with cheese.
Traditionally, empanadas are folded into little half-moons, but these are cut out into circular shapes. Have fun making hand pies (empanadas) into all sorts of shapes and with all sorts of fillings.
Crisco Pie Baking Hotline is now open for calls, with extended hours through the holiday season. Don’t you think it’s pretty neat that they have have experts ready to help you with your baking questions? Will you be making empanadas this holiday season?
Empanadas de Ate y Queso Crema (Fruit Paste and Cream Cheese Hand Pies)
Ingredients
Filling:
- Guava or quince paste
- 1 package cream cheese, 8-ounce
Empanada Dough:
- 1/2 cup Crisco vegetable shortening
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup condensed milk
Glaze:
- Canned condensed milk
- Raw sugar, optional
Instructions
Make Empanada Dough:
- In a stand mixer cream the shortening and then combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and milk and add to dough mixture until you have a soft dough. Remove dough from mixer and add flour to dough if sticky. Split the dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 20 to 30 minutes.
Assemble and Bake Empanadas:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Roll out dough on floured surface until thin and cut with 3-inch round cookie cutter. Wet the bottom edge of the circles with condensed milk to help seal the two halves.
- Slice guava or quince paste and 1 teaspoon cream cheese and place in the center of the rounds and top with another dough round. Crimp the edges with a fork by pressing the two rounds together.
- Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Brush each hand pie with condensed milk and sprinkle with raw sugar. Puncture each hand pie with a fork to allow steam to escape while baking.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Disclosure: A special thanks to Crisco for sponsoring this post.
These are so yummy. loved them
I have made dessert empanadas for years. My family loves them. I keep them unbaked and in the freezer. When a sweet need comes it is only about a half of an hour and we have a fresh, homemade dessert. I even had a batch in the freezer when we moved and they made it. Now we are enjoying empanadas made from our own fruit on our own farm. Yeah!
I love these pastries with guava paste and cheese… oh so good!
I have heard about a turkey hotline but this Crisco hotline is new to me and I love the idea! I wonder if they have suggestions for baking at altitude? That is an area in which I learn something nearly every time I try to repeat a recipe here. Sometimes it is hard to have the same result twice! Beautiful pies and great use of the fruit paste.
That’s a GREAT question Holly! If you ever call and ask let me know. That would be pretty awesome!