Tempting Pumpkin and Pepita Empanadas feature spiced pumpkin butter in a flaky cream cheese pastry, topped with toasted pepitas. These tasty little hand pies may just become your new favorite sweet treat!
These are one of my family’s favorite recipes at certain times of the year. They are a perfect Cinco de Mayo dessert along with a side of Classic Mexican Polvorones cookies.
Jump to RecipeDouble duty recipes that are as delicious as they are practical.
I believe in having a number of “go-to” recipes in my kitchen quiver. These are recipes that can be used in multiple ways. For example, the dough that I use in these Tempting Pumpkin and Pepita Empanadas is the same dough used in several of my pie recipes, including my Easy as 1-2-3 Cranberry Custard Pie. It’s rich and flaky and the cream cheese helps to cut the sweetness of any pie filling. It’s also my favorite dough for making sweet empanadas.
These Tempting Pumpkin and Pepita Empanadas are one of my favorites to prepare when I need a quick, portable dessert. Because I usually have a disk of dough in the freezer and a jar of pumpkin butter in the cupboard, they come together quickly.
Which pumpkin butter is best for these Tempting Pumpkin and Pepita Empanadas?
Well that’s a loaded question. The truth is, there are a number of delicious pumpkin butters in the world and any one of them will work well with this recipe. I tend to like ones that allow the flavor of the pumpkin to come through, with a hint of cinnamon. Choose your favorite.
Homemade pumpkin butter is wonderful, but you might also have a favorite from a local farm market vendor. Truthfully, a good store bought pumpkin butter will do just fine as well.
I often use the pumpkin butter from Horrocks Farm Market where I live whenever I make these Tempting Pumpkin and Pepita Empanadas. If you live in central Michigan, you may already know the place. Horrocks is a sprawling in-door market teeming with every imaginable type of produce, flowers, a full deli, soup and salad section, cheeses, bulk food items, a beer garden, wine section, food carts and live music, popcorn, gelato and so much more! And it’ always packed. If you find yourself in mid-Michigan, it’s worth checking it out.
For these Tempting Pumpkin and Pepita Empanadas, I like to use the Horrocks brand pumpkin butter. It has bright, citrus notes that balance nicely with the pastry. And while I’m there, it’s easy for me to pick up the toasted and salted pepitas from the bulk food section that top off these little two-bite treats.
Tip of the day: How to cube cream cheese.
The high fat content of both the the cream cheese and butter called for in this recipe gives the pastry it’s delicate, flaky texture. Cubing cold butter is easy, but the cream cheese can be a bit tricky – and messy to cut. That is, unless you know how to get around that.
After measuring out the flour for this recipe, roll the brick of cream cheese in the flour before cutting. The flour will coat the cheese and make it much easier to cut. And because you aren’t adding extra flour to the recipe, your dough won’t become too tough or dry.
Preparing and finishing these tempting treats
If you’re looking for some sweet empanada filling ideas, allow me to share a few of my favorites. When I want a variety of fillings, I will often include a few stuffed with pineapple preserves a try. If you are really feeling adventurous try using sweet red bean paste for a fun fusion twist.
When I prepare a variety of these sweet treats for a gathering, I like to sprinkle the tops with different sugars – yellow sprinkles for pineapple, orange for pumpkin and red for the red bean paste. It’s just a fun, colorful and easy way to help people identify their favorites.
Finally, this dough is very delicate and can become soft when handling the cut circles – especially on a warm day. If this happens, simply return the circles or unbaked empanadas to the refrigerator for a few minutes until the dough is easier to handle.
When sealing the pastry rounds with the egg wash, don’t get the edges too wet. You just need enough to form a good seal around the dough. It’s also important not to overfill the rounds. If the filling spills out during the folding and sealing step of the recipe, the edges will not properly adhere and filling will run out while baking. Use the specified amount in the recipe and your filling will stay in place.
Tempting Pumpkin and Pepita Empanadas
Course: DessertDifficulty: Intermediate2
empanadas30
minutes20
minutesEach disk of pastry yields 18 – 20 empanadas.
Ingredients
- For the empanada dough
Prepare the pie crust dough recipe according to the instructions found in the Salted Mixed Nut Pie recipe.
Divide the dough into two equal disks. Wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper and place in the refrigerator to rest for a minimum of 4 hours. The dough can be prepared up to two days in advance.
- For the filling
Pumpkin Butter (approximately 3/4 cup per disk of dough). You can also use pineapple preserves or sweet red bean paste.
- For sealing and decorating the empanadas
1 egg beaten (for the egg wash).
1/2 cup of toasted, salted pepitas.
Decorating sugar.
Directions
- For the Empanada Dough
- Prepare the pie crust dough recipe according to the instructions found in the Salted Mixed Nut Pie recipe.
- Making the Empanadas
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
- Generously dust your work area with A.P. Flour.
- Roll one disk of dough to approximately 1/8 inch thickness (approximately 12 inches in diameter). Check the bottom of the dough disk to ensure it does not stick.
- Use a 3 1/2 inch circle cutter to cut pastry rounds. Each disk of dough will yield between 18 – 20 circles. Bring together any dough scraps into a ball. You can re-roll and cut once more. Brush off any excess flour from the circles.
- Arrange the circles 2-inches apart on the baking sheet. Leave enough room for the empanadas to expand as they bake.
- Brush the edges of rounds lightly with the egg wash.
- Add approximately 1 tsp. of pumpkin butter in the center of the pastry round.
- Gently fold the pastry in half to form a half-moon-shaped hand pie.
- Using a fork, press down on the edges of the pastry to seal.
- Brush the tops of the empanadas with egg wash. Sprinkle with pepitas and decorating sugar.
- Bake at 350 degree F. for 18 – 20 minutes. The empanadas will be light golden brown.
- Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving. The filling will be extremely hot even when the pastry is cool enough to handle, so be patient!
Notes
- NOTE: This dough is very delicate and can become soft when handling the cut circles – especially on a warm day. If this happens, simply return the circles or unbaked empanadas to the refrigerator for a few minutes until the dough is easier to handle.
