PUMPKIN EMPANADAS PIE CRUST RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, whisk the flour, 1/3 cup of sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and baking powder together. Cut the shortening into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs; stir the water in, about 2 tablespoons at a time, just until you can gather the dough together. Knead the dough a few times in the bowl, then scrape it out onto a floured surface. Cut the dough in quarters, and cut each quarter into thirds to make 12 equal portions. Roll the portions into balls. Cover the dough balls with a cloth, and allow to rest while you make the filling.
• Mix the pumpkin, 2 eggs, 1 cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves together until smooth. On a floured surface, roll each dough ball out into a thin circle about 6 inches across; spoon about 1/3 cup of filling into the center of the dough circle. Fold the dough over the filling to make a half-moon shaped pie, and crimp the edges of the crust together with a fork, leaving little fork lines in the dough. Gently lay the empanadas onto the prepared baking sheets. Brush the top of each pie with beaten egg.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the filling is hot and the crusts are shiny and browned, about 20 minutes.

Steps:

• "1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. 2. Meanwhile, put the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, the salt, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg in a mixing bowl. With a wire whisk or a spoon, stir until thoroughly combined. (if you want to reduce the sugar content you can use less sugar or use splenda granules) 3. With a little all-purpose flour, lightly dust a flat, smooth work surface. Unroll a round of the pie pastry and turn it to coat both sides lightly with the flour. With a 4-inch-diameter cutter or something with a 4-inch-diameter rim, cut out 4 circles from the 4 quadrants of the circle, and set aside. Gather up the scraps and set aside. Repeat with the other 3 rounds of pastry. (if you only have a 5 inch cutter its ok, you're just going to have a few less empanandas) 4. Gather together all the pastry scraps. With your hands, knead them briefly, and then form into a ball. Lightly dust a rolling pin and the ball with some flour. Roll out the ball into a circle the same thickness as the previous dough (a little thicker isn't going to hurt anything). Re-knead and cut the dough scraps until you get about 2 dozen circles. 5. Take one circle of dough and put 1 level tablespoon of the filling on its center. Fold the circle of dough in half over the filling to enclose it, aligning the edges of the half-circle of dough. With the tines of a fork, press down all along the joined edges to seal the empanada. Place the empanada on a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough and filling. (if you ended up using a bigger diameter cutter, just put in enough filing so that it can close, even the real bakery ones have a little that squeezes out, so don't stress) 6. In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 2 tablespoons of cinnamon and the granulated sugar. Put the milk, cream, or evaporated milk in another small bowl. 7. Dip your fingertip in the milk and use your fingertip or brush to moisten the top surface of each empanada. Then sprinkle the empanadas with the cinnamon-sugar mixture, im usually generous, but about 1/2 tsp is good per empanada. 8. Put 1 baking sheet in the preheated oven. Bake the empanadas until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes, checking to make sure they don't burn. Halfway through the baking time, rotate the baking sheet 180 degrees for more even baking. 9. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and leave the empanadas to cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, bake the second batch. Enjoy the empanadas hot or cold. Store cooled empanadas in an airtight container in the refrigerator. "