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

Units Scale

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)

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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. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 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

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.

Important: sealing the empanadas tightly is especially important if you plan to fry them to prevent filling from leaking out and splattering dangerously.