Apple-Manchego Cheese Empanadas
Fill your home with the warm delicious smell of apple and cinnamon by making these amazingly delicious Apple-Manchego Cheese Empanadas! They are very easy to make and combines fresh apples, cinnamon, brown sugar and Manchego cheese, wrapped in a flaky puff pastry, and drizzled with a sweet Crema Mexicana glaze. Honestly, you’ll be feeling happy after making these empanadas and the reward of eating them is even more amazing!
With Easter season, there is an incredible amount of comfort food, candy and desserts, which we all love. So, I came up with the idea of making these empanadas for an Easter brunch! How could we not love apple empanadas and take every excuse not to eat them? They are so good I could eat an empanada at every meal, including dinner! Is that just me?
I’ve also bumped the flavor by adding Cacique® Manchego Cheese to the filling. I use Gala and Granny apples because they are crispy and firm and doesn’t make the empanadas soggy.
These Apple-Manchego Cheese Empanadas are the perfect addition to any Easter Brunch table, a weekend treat or an afternoon snack. Oh! Just one more thing: eat these still warm from the oven, a moment of pure delight.
WHAT YOU NEED
- 4 medium apples, peeled and chopped
- 5 ounces Cacique® Queso Manchego, shredded
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
- Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon of milk)
- For the glaze:
- ¼ cup Cacique® Crema Mexicana
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
HOW TO MAKE IT
- Heat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a saucepan, heat butter, apples, cinnamon, brown sugar and cornstarch over medium-high heat. Simmer about 5 minutes or until thickened and apples are a little bit tender. Set aside to cool slightly. Add the Cacique® Manchego Cheese and mix until well combined.
- Unroll puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Roll out slightly and cut into 4 squares. Spoon apple mixture onto center of each square. Fold each in half diagonally to form the empanada (triangle); press edges together with a fork to seal. Transfer to cookie sheet and brush with egg wash. Use toothpick to make a few vents into each empanada. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
- While the empanadas are baking, prepare the glaze by mixing together Cacique® Crema Mexicana, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle glaze over empanadas and serve.
