Chocolate-Banana Empanadas

Submitted by Witch Doctor

"These are almost like my Grandmother's fried pies. If you want to try something a little different - add a little peanut butter to the filling. Tastes like Reese's Pieces!"

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 40mins
• Ingredients: 12
• Yields: 20 Empanadas

ingredients

• 4 large ripe bananas
• 29.58 ml sugar
• 4.92 ml cinnamon
• 113.39 g semisweet chocolate, broken in chunks
• confectioners' sugar, for dusting

• For the Empanada Dough

• 354.88 ml all-purpose flour
• 236.59 ml masa harina
• 4.92 ml baking powder
• 4.92 ml salt
• 118.29 ml unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
• butter, for greasing the pans

directions

1. Mash the bananas, sugar, and cinnamon together in a mixing bowl until creamy, but not completely smooth – you should still have pieces of banana chunks. Spoon a generous tablespoon of the banana filling on the empanada pastry circles and stick a piece of chocolate on top. Form and bake the empanadas as directed in the recipe. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve hot.

2. For the Empanada Dough:

3. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, masa harina, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the melted butter. Gradually add 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of water, working it in with your hands to incorporate; the dough should be easy to handle and not sticky. Form the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic, and chill for 30 minutes.
4. Lightly flour your rolling pin and counter. Divide the dough in 1/2 so it will be easier to work with and roll it out to 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 4-inch cookie or biscuit cutter, cut out 10 circles of dough; repeat with the other 1/2.
5. Spoon 2 generous tablespoons of filling into the center of each pastry circle, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Brush the edges with the egg wash and then fold the dough over in 1/2 to enclose the filling and form a semi-circle. Tightly seal the edges by crimping with the tines of a fork. Chill at least 30 minutes before baking.
6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the empanadas on a buttered baking sheet and brush the tops with additional egg wash. Using a fork, prick a few holes in the top of the empanadas for steam to escape. Bake for 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.