Before we discuss this recipe for beet infused dulce de leche apple empenadas (handpie), let me recap this day in a short paragraph. So it’s halloween 2017, normally I’m not into halloween because I never understood celebrating all things evil. I honestly thought it was a stupid made up day. As Ive gootten older and wiser, with a whole home, whole husband, and whole daughter I’ve gotten used to doing something for halloween. The first halloween I actually passed out candy was in 2014, I didnt know then I was pregnant, I would find out two weeks later. Off course the three halloweens have been with Ava, her first hallween she was still a baby, the 2nd and third halloween she partistipated. Last year I was a witch and she was a fairy, we passed out candy to the many kids who rang our door bell, she was so excited to see all the children in their costumes though scary. This year we decided to forgo passing out candy, instead we went to a kid’s halloween party at my BFF’s house for her nice and nephew. Ava had a great time dressed as a monarch butterfly, she danced and brought home a a big bag of candy.
Before going to the party I sat with a craving for some sort of sweets, I looked in my fridge thats full of apples and and also quiet a few beets and decided to try and make some sort of pie, you can always have pie right? no special occasion needed for pie, and apples because it’s still fall last I checked. I love making pie crust because it fun, complicated and yet easy at the same time, it only takes a little to mess it up, but I do love to get my hands dirty. Ive always loved empenadas, in fact when I used to eat taco bell I used to get some from there, that was way back in the day. I eat so differently now as I’ve become more consumed with eating organic and natural lol, I stay away from fast food in general, I tend to make my own food and baked goods. Adding beets to the dough was a great idea, the raw dough had a beautiful pink color, which become a lighter shade of pink as it was baked, I also added some dulce de leche that I had left over to from an apple slab pie to add a layer and the sweet aroma of lavender extract. These were so good, I grabbed one on my way to the party and had to call my husband to and tell him to try it right away, so I encourage to make these asap, they are that good, you barely taste the beets, I know that a lot of people do not like beets. What you waiting for? Go try this already and comment.
Thank you,
This African
| Prep Time | 20-25 min |
| Cook Time | 40 min |
| Passive Time | 40 min |
| Servings |
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- 2 cups all purpose flour I used King Arthur Ap Flour
- 1.5 sticks unsalted butter
- 7 tbsp pure beet juice
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp sea salt fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup ice
- 6 tbsp dulce de leche you want thick and warm
- 3 small apples (diced) use golden delicious
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Lavender extract
- 1 tsp sugar
- pinch sea salt
Ingredients
pie crust
Filling
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- It is always a good idea to start with having all of you ingredients at hand, it makes everything so much easier.
- Cut butter into small pieces and place in the freezer for about 5 minutes, while you prepare the rest of the dough ingredients.
- add ice to beet juice in a small cup and let sit.
- In a food processor or blender add flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and pulse to mix.
- Next add butter in 3 increments and pulse 2-3 times each time, you want to crumle butter into very small pieces.
- Next add beet juice 2 tbsp at a time and pulse until mixture becomes a majority pink. You will see little speaks of white.
- Now pour mixture onto a flour surface.
- Using the palm of your hand push dough away from you to bring together. Makes dough easier to form. Form dough into a large round disk. Cover with plastic and refridgerate for 20 minutes.
- While dough is cooling dice the apples.
- Next mix apples, salt, corn starch, cinnamon, sugar, lavender extract together. Then toss with dulche de leche and set aside.
- Remove dough disk from the fridge and roll on a floured surface. You want the dough to be thin but not too thin.
- Using a small round mold or small tart pan like I did to cut the shape.
- Fill dough with some apple mixure fold over and seall edges using your fingers, then use for to further seal. Place on plate and repeat with the rest. Do not overfill, dulche de leche will leak out. Place in fridge for 20 min.
- Sprinkle the top with sugar in the raw.
- Preheat oven to 350. Place empanadas on parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 40 min, more if needed. Oven temps vary. Cool and enjoy.
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