Empanaditas

Empanaditas are the bite-sized cousins of empanadas, and these little pastry pockets are stuffed with a classic picadillo filling that hits sweet, salty, and savory all at once. Ground beef simmers with chopped raisins for sweetness, green olives for briny punch, cottage cheese for creaminess, and chopped hard-boiled egg for richness.

The filling is a study in contrasts that works beautifully together. The raisins plump up during cooking and burst with sweetness against the salty olives and savory beef. Cottage cheese might seem unusual, but it melts into the filling and adds a mild, creamy tang.

Homemade pastry rounds get filled, folded into half-moons, sealed with a fork, and brushed with an egg yolk wash before baking. That wash gives them a deep golden, glossy finish that shatters into flaky layers.

Kitchen Tips

• Chop the raisins and olives fine so they distribute evenly in each small empanadita. Big chunks make the filling lumpy and hard to seal
• Use only 2 teaspoons of filling per round. Overfilling makes them impossible to seal without bursting
• Press the edges firmly with a fork. The seal needs to hold during baking or the filling leaks out
• Let the filling cool before assembling. Warm filling softens the pastry and makes it tear

Variations

• Add a pinch of cumin and smoked paprika to the filling for a smokier, spicier version
• Use puff pastry sheets instead of pie dough for an even flakier shell
• Swap the beef for shredded chicken or pork for a lighter filling