Apple Empanadas Dessert (Baked or Fried)
These Apple Empanadas are made with homemade empanada dough, a classic apple pie filling, and an icing sugar glaze. They’re a surprisingly easy dessert to make either baked or fried, with simple ingredients and a super delicious end result, reminiscent of the popular McDonald’s Apple Pie.
If you grew up enjoying the McDonalds apple pie dessert, this is the recipe for you!
It’s a surprisingly simple recipe to make from scratch with an easy homemade dough and a classic apple pie filling.
For more dessert empanadas, check out my favorite guava cheese empanadas and these easy pumpkin empanadas.
Instructions
Important: sealing the empanadas tightly is especially important if you plan to fry them to prevent filling from leaking out and splattering dangerously.
To fry the apple empanadas heat a few cups of oil in a frying pan and fry empanadas on each side until golden brown and crispy on the outside.
Baking vs. Frying Your Empanadas
You can either bake or fry these once you’ve got them filled and sealed (pictured above: left=fried, right=baked).
Check out the recipe card for detailed instructions on each method.
I find that the frying method is more reminiscent of the McDonalds apple dessert (also sometimes called a Baked Apple Pie), if that’s what you’re after.
Homemade vs. Store Bought Dough
When it comes to empanada dough, there are so many different ways to make it that it’s quite versatile.
You can use my recipe to make it from scratch or buy a pre-made empanada dough.
Enjoy,
Apple Empanadas Dessert (Baked or Fried)
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 90 minutes
- Yield: 16-32 empanadas
- Category: Dessert, Snack, Breakfast
- Method: Baked, Fried
- Cuisine: Puerto Rican, American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These Apple Empanadas are made with homemade empanada dough, a classic apple pie filling, and an icing sugar glaze. They’re a surprisingly easy dessert to make either baked or fried, with simple ingredients and a super delicious end result, reminiscent of the popular McDonald’s Apple Pie.
Ingredients
- 16-32 empanada dough discs (can be homemade or store bought)
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- a pinch of salt
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 3-4 Granny Smith apples, cut into small bite sized cubes
- 1 tsp cornstarch + 1 tsp water, whisked together to make a slurry
- 1 egg + 1 tbsp water for the egg wash
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp milk (can be any kind of plant based milk too)
Instructions
- Make the empanada dough. See this recipe for directions.
- Make the apple pie filling. In a saucepan combine butter, cinnamon, salt, and brown sugar over medium low heat. Cook until the butter and sugar becomes liquid and bubbly.
- Add the apples to the pan and toss gently to coat with the caramel sauce. Cook for a few minutes before adding the cornstarch slurry and tossing again to coat.
- Fill the empanadas. Once the filling begins to thicken and the apples begin to soften, remove from heat and set aside to cool. Once cool, add a tablespoon or two of the filling into the center of the empanada discs.
- Seal the empanadas. Add a dab of water around the border of the circle of dough and fold half of the circle over the other. Use a fork to crimp the edges shut.
- Bake or fry. If baking, preheat the oven to 400 °F. Brush with a mixture of egg and water. Bake the empanadas for 20 minutes or until light golden brown. (See note for instructions on how to fry).
- Add the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar and milk. Add more powdered sugar if it’s too thin, and more milk if it’s too thick. Drizzle over the empanadas and enjoy!
Notes
Frying Instructions: Heat a few cups of oil in a frying pan to around 350°F and fry empanadas on each side until golden brown and crispy on the outside.