Toddler Treat: How to Make Empanadas

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By: Cheryl Tallman.

Street food is popular throughout the cities of Mexico. Food vendors sell tacos, tamales, and empanadas. Empanadas are small pastries stuffed with sweet or savory fillings. In Mexico, sweet fillings in empanadas are the most popular. We cut our empanadas pastry into 4 ½-inch circles to make a smaller empanada that is perfect for tiny hands to enjoy.

How to Make Empanadas:

Banana & Chocolate Filling:

a. 1 banana, diced
b. ¼ cup chocolate chips
c. Juice of ¼ lemon
d Sprinkle of cinnamon
e.. Powdered sugar

Combine banana, chocolate chips, lemon juice, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside

Cheese & Olive Filling:

a. 2 ounces Colby-jack cheese, diced
b. 1 Tbsp. small green olives stuffed with pimentos, sliced
c. 1 Tsp. cilantro, chopped

Combine cheese, olives and cilantro in a small bowl. Set aside.

Empanadas:

a. Empanada filling (recipes above)
b. 1 sheet of puff pastry

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out puff pastry into a thin layer on a lightly floured surface. Using a 4-5 inch circle cookie cutter, cut pastry into 8 rounds.

Place about 1 Tablespoon of empanada mixture in the middle of one of the pastry rounds. Brush the edges with water and fold in half. Press edges with a fork to seal the edges. Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the pastry rounds and filling.

Bake the empanadas for 15-20 minutes or until they are golden brown.

Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Dust the Banana & Chocolate Empanadas with powdered sugar when slightly cooled.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Cheryl Tallman is the co-founder of Fresh Baby, creators of the award-winning So Easy Baby Food Kit, and author of the So Easy Baby Food and the new book So Easy Toddler Food: Survival Tips and Simple Recipes for the Toddler Years. Visit Cheryl online at www.FreshBaby.com for more delicious tips.