Pineapple empanadas

These pineapple empanadas are deliciously tasty treats, with a bright, sweet-tart fruity filling wrapped in crisp pastry. They're easier to make than you might think, packed with flavor and addictively good.

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Often when you think of empanadas you think of savory hand pies. The fillings can vary, though often have ground meat as the base and they are usually big enough to call a good-sized snack or light meal. 

However not all empanadas are savory - you can get sweet ones too, like pumpkin empanadas, that are almost like little bites of pumpkin pie, and these tasty pinapple ones, too. And they are well worth a try.

Where are empanadas from?

These days many associate empanadas with Latin America, in particular Mexico, but they're actually originally from Spain. Most agree that the first empanada was empanada gallega, Galician pie, which has records of it dating to the 7th century. It's typically made as a larger pie, then cut into pieces, with a savory vegetable and, usually, tuna filling. 

Empanadas evolved in Spain to include smaller handheld versions and they took them with them as they reached Latin America. They evolved again over time across the continent, with different fillings becoming popular in different places. The dough, too, varies with the typically wheat flour dough changed to a corn masa dough in some Mexican versions, for example.

In general, the empanadas that you find in Latin America are the handheld versions that are half moon shaped. They're great as a grab-and-go snack and a popular street food. And while savory are probably the more common, you find sweet ones like these in a number of countries too.

Pineapples in Latin America

Pineapples are native to South America, most likely from the region of South Brazil down through Paraguay. They have been cultivated for centuries and have long been grown across the continent as far north as Mexico.

These days, pineapples grow in many tropical and sub-tropical climates around the world. Costa Rica and the Phillipines are roughly tied as the largest producers, both for domestic use and shipped around the world.

Since pineapple is a long established favorite fruit in Latin America, it's no surprise that it appears in one of the most popular sweet empanadas, empanada de piña. You'll find versions of these in Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala and elsewhere.

The filling and dough can vary, some being more regional styles, others down to the cooks. A simpler pineapple jam is more common in Costa Rican versions, and the dough there is sometimes a bit more dense.

Mexican versions often add a little spice, especially cinnamon, in some form or another and the pastry tends to be flakier. Here I'm sharing a Mexican-style empanada with a delicious homemade filling.

Making the pineapple filling

While some use ready-made jam or pineapple preserves for the filling, I prefer homemade for these. Making your own is generally lower in sugar which is that bit healthier but also allows the pineapple flavor to come through more.

The filling is easy to make and can be made ahead, too. While you can use frozen or canned pineapple, I recommend fresh pineapple if at all possible for a couple reasons. First, it generally has the best flavor, and second, it breaks down better as it cooks. Canned in particular can tend to hold together much more which is great for some things, but less so here.

Once you chop the pineapple, you simply warm it in a pot with the sugar and lemon, as you would to make a jam. The difference here is that you don't cook it down quite as much. Instead you add a corn starch slurry after it has partly thickened to help it thicken up a little more, more quickly.

The empanada dough

While the dough becomes a little more flaky once baked, it's a pretty forgiving dough to work with. It will stretch and I've never known to have issues with it cracking as you fold it over the filling. As an added bonus, it's really easy to make. 

You can mix everything by hand but you can also simply blend the ingredients in a food processor. After a few pulses, it will start to come together in clumps at which point you stop. Then, bring the dough together in a ball, wrap and chill it before using. 

You can get away with using the dough right away, but it's worth having the dough rest and chill even just a short time. It helps the gluten relax and the fat to firm a little. This makes the dough a little easier to work with and gives a flakier texture.

Are these baked or fried?

Some empanadas are typically fried, while others are baked. Some can be made either way. These pineapple empanadas are typically baked which I imagine is partly as the filling can be a little softer and more delicate. You risk losing the filling if they were fried.

Even when baking, you can find that the empanadas open up a little and some filling tries to escape. However at least when baking, you can encourage the filling back inside and not lose it. That's why you use a lined baking sheet! The filling will firm up as it cools, so once you ease it back in, you'd hardly know it tried to escape.

Forming, filling and baking the empanadas

You can make these smaller more two-bite sized or larger snack size as you prefer. They'll be delicious either way - a lot more depends how you want to serve them. Here I made relatively small empanadas but don't feel tied to that.

As you add the filling to the pastry, make sure you leave some space around the edges to seal up the dough. You can either crimp the edges or press them together with your fingers or a fork.

Once sealed, carefully transfer to your lined baking sheet, brush with egg wash then bake. The egg wash help them become golden brown as they cook. If you like, you can add a little cinnamon sugar at this point to add a little extra spice flavor. 

Once they're gently brown and the pastry is cooked, remove them from the oven. While it may be tempting to dive right in, wait a few minutes as the filling will be REALLY hot. But once it has cooled a little, feel free to enjoy them warm, or allow them to cool to room temperature. 

Pineapple empanadas, empanadas de piña, are such a delicious sweet treat that make a wonderful snack, or you could have a larger one (or a couple small ones) as dessert. The sweet-tart filling is packed with flavor and pairs perfectly with that hint of cinnamon and the crisp pastry. A delicious tropical treat. 

Try these other sweet, fruity snacks:

• Coconut mango scones
• Homemade fig Newtons
• Apple snack cake
• Plus get more snack recipes, both sweet and savory, and Mexican recipes in the archives.

I'd recommend using a Silicone Baking Mat on top of a Half Baking Sheet to make these. (affiliate links)

See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store. 

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