Chocolate Empanadas
Delicate Argentine pastries with chocolate dough and sweet dulce de leche filling, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. Crispy on the outside and melting on the inside — the perfect dessert to enjoy with coffee.
Ingredients
- 400 g Sweetened condensed milk
- 250 g All-purpose flour
- 25 g Cocoa powder
- pinch Salt
- 125 g Butter
- 1 pcs Egg
- 3 tbsp Milk
- 30 g Butter
- 30 g Sugar
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
Instructions
- Prepare the filling (dulce de leche): place a can of sweetened condensed milk in a large pot and cover completely with water. Simmer over medium heat for 2.5 hours, periodically adding water to keep the can fully submerged. Allow to cool before opening.
- Prepare the dough: mix flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add cold butter in small pieces and rub with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg and work it into the dough. If the dough is too dry, add milk one tablespoon at a time. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a thin layer. Cut circles with a 12 cm diameter (you can use a cookie cutter or a small saucer). Place 2–3 teaspoons of dulce de leche in the center of each circle. Moisten the edges with milk using your finger. Fold each circle in half to form a half-moon shape and press the edges with a fork. You can create a decorative pattern by folding the edges inward by half a centimeter at one-centimeter intervals.
- Place the prepared empanadas on the baking sheet, brush with egg yolk, and bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes until golden brown.
- Toward the end of baking, melt the remaining butter and mix sugar with cinnamon in a bowl. Remove the empanadas from the oven and immediately brush with hot butter, then sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Serve warm or at room temperature. If eating them hot, be careful — the filling is very hot!