Empanadas de Cajeta

5 from 32 votes

Empanadas de Cajeta will be your new dessert obsession! Imagine a flaky crust filled with gooey, rich Mexican caramel. It's the perfect way to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Prep Time45

Cook Time15

Total Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: empanadas

Calories: 265kcal

Author: Maggie Unzueta

Ingredients

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (plus more for shaping and rolling)
1 teaspoon salt
⅔ cup unsalted butter chilled and cubed (or vegetable shortening)
½ cup ice cold water
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Also Need:

13 oz cajeta (or dulce de leche)
1 large egg (for egg wash)
splash of water (for egg wash)
½ cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon freshly ground, preferrd
1 stick butter melted (for coating)

Instructions

For the Dough:

In a large bowl, add the flour.
Using your hands or a pastry cutter, cut the butter (or shortening) into the flour until you have fine crumbles.
Add the salt, cinnamon, and water.
Add the water, little by little until the dough comes together. It should not be sticky.
Cover directly with plastic wrap and let dough rest for 1 hour.
Divide the dough into 12-14 small dough balls.
Cover and set aside while you preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

To Assemble:

On a lightly(very light) floured surface, roll out the dough ball to about 4 inches in diameter.
Spoon out about 1 full tablespoon of dulce de leche.
Use a second spoon to help you place the caramel onto the empanada disk.
Whisk an egg with a splash of water to create the egg wash.
Brush a light coat of egg white around one half of the inside edge of empanada.
Fold over to form empanada. Gently press to remove any air and press around the edges.
Pick up empanada and fold and pinch around the edges to seal. Or use a fork to seal the edges.
Brush with egg wash.
Place onto parchment lined baking sheets.
Freeze empanadas for 30 minutes or refrigerate for 1 hour. This will help keep caramel from leaking out too much.
Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let sit for 2 minutes.
Melt butter and brush on the top of empanadas.
Mix sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
Gently dredge and roll empanadas in the cinnamon and sugar mix.
Serve and enjoy!

Notes

The cajeta will harden and stiffen. Don't worry - if you need it to be soft again, just gently reheat it with boiling water.

Brush melted butter all over the empanadas, then dredge in the sugar coating so it sticks better.

Freezing Instructions - Flash freeze the empanadas - Place an entire baking sheet with assembled uncooked empanadas. Cover with plastic wrap. Place it in the freezer. Once frozen solid (give it a minimum 2 hours), remove from freezer and wrap each empanada individually in plastic wrap. Place the empanadas in a freezer bag, removing as much air as possible. Store in the freezer for up to 4 months. Bake frozen (do not thaw) for 15 minutes at 375 degrees F.

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