Pineapple-Apricot Empanaditas
Pineapple-apricot empanaditas: flaky cream cheese pastry folded around a fresh pineapple-apricot jam spiked with Triple Sec, baked golden and sugar-dusted. Sweet little hand pies for any party.
YIELD
24 servingsPREP
6 hrsCOOK
1 hrsREADY
7 hrsThese dainty dessert empanaditas, little sweet hand pies, wrap a tropical fruit filling in the flakiest, most tender pastry around. The dough is the kind of cream cheese pastry that practically shatters: equal richness from butter and cream cheese, no water needed, just blitzed into a soft, workable dough.
The filling is made from scratch. Fresh pineapple is simmered down with apricot preserves, sugar, and a splash of Triple Sec until thick and jammy, then partially pureed so some texture remains. A little bread crumb stirred in soaks up excess moisture, so the filling won’t leak and turn the pastry soggy.
This is a project recipe with plenty of make-ahead chilling: the dough, the filling, even the cut rounds can be prepped a day or two in advance, then assembled and baked.
Egg-washed and sugar-dusted, they bake up puffed, crisp, and golden, lovely with coffee or on a party tray.
Chef Tips
- Keep the cream cheese dough cold; chill it the full time so it rolls cleanly and bakes flaky rather than greasy.
- Cook the filling until quite thick and stir in the bread crumbs, since a wet filling leaks and makes soggy pastry.
- Seal and crimp the edges firmly so the filling stays put during baking.
- Rotate the baking sheets partway through so the empanaditas brown evenly.
Variations
- Swap the apricot preserves for peach or mango.
- Use orange liqueur, rum, or leave out the alcohol entirely.
- Brush with a little more egg and sprinkle coarse sugar for extra sparkle.
Ingredients
Directions
With a serrated knife, remove the top from the pineapple. Quarter the pineapple vertically and trim away the tough core from each quarter. Cut the pineapple flesh away from the rind. Chop the pineapple; there should be about 2 ¾ cups. In a medium saucepan, combine the pineapple, apricot jam, sugar, and Triple Sec. Set over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, stirring often, until thick, about 40 minutes. Cool to room temperature, and in a food processor partially purée the pineapple mixture. Some texture should remain. Stir in the bread crumbs. (Filling can be prepared up to 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
In the work bowl of a food processor, combine the flour and salt and pulse briefly to blend. Add the butter and cream cheese and process until a soft dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and divide it in half. Gather each half into a ball, kneading briefly if necessary until smooth, and flatten each ball into a 5-inch disk. Wrap the disks of dough separately in plastic and refrigerate for at least 5 hours. (The dough can be prepared up to 2 days ahead.)
Let the discs of dough stand at room temperature until softened slightly. Dust one disc of dough with flour and on a well-floured surface roll it out to about ⅛ inch thick. Using a 3½-inch circular cutter, form the dough into about 12 rounds. Lay the rounds in a single layer on a plate or cookie sheet, wrap in plastic, and return them to the refrigerator. Repeat with remaining dough. (The rounds of dough can be prepared 1 day ahead.)
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 375℉ (190℃). Lightly butter two large baking sheet pans.
Let the rounds of cream cheese pastry soften at room temperature just until flexible. Making one at a time, spread a heaping teaspoon of pineapple filling across the center of each round, leaving a border. Fold the round in half, then pinch the edges of the empanadita to seal and crimp it decoratively. Repeat with the remaining pastry rounds and filling, transferring the completed empanaditas to the baking sheets and spacing them well apart. Brush each empanadita with the egg wash and sprinkle it lightly with sugar. Bake the emapanaditas, changing the position of the sheets on the racks from top to bottom and from front to back at the halfway point, until they are puffed, crisp, and golden, about 20 minutes. Cool them on a rack before serving. (The empanaditas can be prepared up to 1 day ahead and stored, airtight, at room temperature.)
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