Gluten Free Cherry Empanadas

This is a recipe for cherry empanadas, something I learned to make in Home-Ec in middle school. My sister and I made them all the time growing up with cherry or apple filling. Since I have a fabulous gluten free pie crust recipe, I thought I would try it on empanadas and see if the dough held together enough to do a little manipulating. With a few little tricks it worked perfectly! Look how golden and flaky they look! And the taste is delish. I couldn't believe how flaky and buttery the crust was! There is no evidence of "Gluten Free" at this party.

So, here are the ingredients for this very basic pie dough. The recipe makes enough for 2 crusts. I usually make 2 single crust pies and freeze one shell for another time. Today, I made the empanadas with one and froze a pie shell with the other batch. I'll post pics later on making a pie.

Again, I highly recommend sifting your GF flour. Add the sugar.

Beat the egg before adding. There really isn't a particular order in which to add the ingredients. It will all be mashed together with a pastry blender (by hand).

Next comes the apple cider vinegar. I've noticed that a lot of GF recipes call for this ingredient so I would recommend buying a good-sized bottle. (Another of these commonly called for is buttermilk powder).

Then you will add a stick of cold butter. I like to chop it to small squares first so it is easier on my hands to work it into the dough.

Lastly you will add the cold water, tablespoon by tablespoon until the desired dough consistency is achieved. (Kind of crumbly, not smooth).

Here I am blending the dough with my trusty pastry blender. It keeps you from over mixing, like an electric blender would do.

It is now time to tip some of the dough onto the wax paper. This is the correct consistency. Very crumbly. It will easily roll into a smooth ball at this point. TIP: I have found that the easiest way to work with GF dough is to roll it between 2 pieces of wax paper so that you can lift it in the paper, move it to where you need it and remove the wax. No breakage that way.

Ok, so here is a small ball of dough ready to be rolled between 2 pieces of wax paper.

After removing the top sheet, put a spoonful of filling (I'm obsessed with cherry) onto the center of the dough. Don't get too carried away otherwise it will squirt out the sides.

Then you just fold it in half and seal the edges with a fork.

Before baking I will brush the dough with an egg yolk/cream mixture to get that golden and crispy color. I then sprinkle a little sugar on each one for no real reason, but that I think you should. Ok, it is to make it sparkly.

Ok, here is the recipe for these little gems, and any other pie you could think of. I use it for quiches, 2-crust fruit pies, pumpkin pie, and now empanadas!

350 for 12-15 minutes

2 cups Better Batter

1 egg, beaten

1 t. salt

2 T. sugar

1 T. apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter

4-5 T. cold water

Egg yolk/milk or cream for brushing on before baking

sprinkle of sugar and or cinnamon sugar

1. Blend together with a pastry blender until crumbly. Adding only enough water to moisten.

2. Turn out golf ball sized amounts of dough onto wax paper. Flatten into disks with your hands and then roll between 2 pieces of wax paper.

3. Spoon filling into middle of each circle and fold in half, sealing edges with a fork.

4. Place on ungreased baking sheet and poke a tiny hole in each one for breathing.

5. Brush on egg/milk mixture and sprinkle with sugar.

6. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden.

These are great little desserts to bring to a Mexican food potluck. Add a little cinnamon to the top for a different kick. You will seriously enjoy this recipe for basic pie dough because it is so versatile! Happy baking!