Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Slightly sweet and floral from the honey, a little tangy from the cream cheese, and earthy from the walnuts. The cinnamon on top takes it to a new level! Texture: The pastry is buttery, flaky, and light with crunches of walnuts throughout the filling. Ease: Everything is simple and doable, it just takes time to make the different recipe components and assemble the empanadas. Pros: Fun sweet twist on this classic Spanish / Latin food. Cons: Long prep time due to assembly, but that can be done ahead of time. Would I make this again? Yes!This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
[dimt_slider showThumbs=true lightBox=false showNav=false]
Even different Spanish and Latin American countries have their own twist on empanadas!
My partner The California Walnut Board recently challenged me to come up with a recipe surrounding the theme of Walnuts Around the World.
At first I struggled thinking of a sweet idea that had any worldly flair. Then I remembered one of my all time favorite foods can be made sweet or savory: empanadas!
I grew up loving empanadas as a special treat. My dad is Dominican, and you can bet that everywhere we’ve lived in the United States he’s somehow found Latino families who will make his favorite treats to remind him of home.
In fact, our family friends own an empanada themed restaurant right here in the Phoenix area called Republica Empanada. So needless to say, we love empanadas.
Which is why it made perfect sense to create my own sweet dessert version of empanadas for this challenge! I landed on these Honey Walnut Empanadas which are majorly delish!
I filled these with honey and walnuts, and a little cream cheese. The pastry itself is surprisingly easy to make, but is super rich, buttery, and flaky. The cinnamon sugar coating is a must for an extra burst of flavor and crunchy texture.
If you make and enjoy these Honey Walnut Empanadas, snap a picture and share it on Instagram, tagging #handletheheat!
Honey Walnut Empanadas
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 sticks (170 grams) unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons fine salt
- 2 3/4 cups (350 grams) flour
For the filling:
- 8 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (84 grams) honey
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (50 grams) chopped California walnuts
For coating:
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Make the dough:
- Heat the water and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until butter has melted. Add in the sugar, salt, and flour. Remove from heat and stir with a wooden spoon until a wet and oily dough comes together. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Make the filling:
- In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese and honey until well combined. Add the egg and beat until combined. Stir in the flour and walnuts. Mixture will be runny.
Assemble and bake:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out 5-inch circles. Roll each circle slightly to further flatten before sealing the corners to prevent the filling from running out while assembling.
- Pour about 1 1/2 tablespoons of filling inside each pocket. Press the edges firmly to seal. Crimp with the back of a fork.
- Make ahead: At this point the unbaked empanadas can be covered and refrigerated for 1 day. They can also be frozen and baked straight from the freezer, just add about 3 minutes to the baking time.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg with 1 teaspoon water. In another small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Brush the empanadas with egg wash then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.
- Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Can’t wait to try these!
Let us know what you think when you do! 🙂
For the filling, try sustituting almond meal and upping the quatity a little.
I also used an Apricot and Almond flavoured cream cheese.
All in all – pretty happy with the outcome.