Recipe yields a dozen empanadas
• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup shortening
• 6 tablespoons cold water
Filling:
• 3 cups fresh or thawed cherries, pitted
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 3/4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Glaze:
• 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
Prepare the dough
Begin by mixing the flour and salt together, then mix in the shortening with your hands until all of the dry ingredients are blended with the shortening and the dough has a crumbly texture. Add the cold water and continue mixing with your hands until the dough is smooth and consistent. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Prepare the filling
While you are waiting on the dough, place the pitted cherries in a saucepan and mash lightly to extract the juice from the cherries. Seperate the juice from the cherries and place in a seperate bowl. Mix the cornstarch into the juice and blend until the cornstarch is fully dissolved into the cherry juice. Add the juice mixture back into the saucepan with the cherries. Let stand for 15 to 20 minutes.
Place the saucepan with the filling on high heat and being to a boil while stirring constantly. Once boiling, turn the heat down to about half and continue stirring for 2 minutes or until the filling is thickened. Remove from the heat and mix in the cinnamon. Let cool.
Assemble the empanadas
Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out fairly thin on a clean, lightly floured surface. Cut out the empanadas in circles 4.5" to 5" in diameter. To get a circle that large, I used a plastic container lid, but you can use any round object that size. The dough should yield about 12 empanadas. Place a small spoonful of filling in the middle of each circlular empanadas. Be careful not to overfill the empanadas as they will break open when they are heated. Wet the edges of the empanadas lightly with water and fold them over to create pockets in a half-circle shape. Seal the edges with a fork and poke the empanada pockets with the fork once.
Bake the empanadas
Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the assembled empanadas on the baking sheet. Pre-heat the over to 375 degrees and bake for 30 - 35 minutes until golden brown on top.
Prepare the glaze
While the empanadas are baking, mix the powdered sugar, vanilla and milk together with a spoon. When the empanadas are fresh out of the oven, drizzle the glaze over the top of the empanadas. Let cool.
The empanadas are best served when the outer crust has cooled, but the inner filling is still warm.
