Empanadas de cajeta are sweet Mexican pies. This baked dessert are great any time of the year, especially for Cinco de Mayo! Caramel empanadas can be served hot or cold with your favorite beverage.
Vegetarian empanadas are made with soft dough and cajeta (Mexican caramel). Make these rich sweet hand pies for holidays or to try sweet Mexican tradition.
This is easy empanadas de cajeta recipe! Follow detailed step by step instructions and you will have a sweet snack for your family. You will learn how to make empanadas dough from scratch!
Empanadas dessert is a hit! We loved it, and I’m sure kids would love sweet empanadas, too.
This recipe makes around 10-12 small empanadas de cajeta. We used almost all cajeta. It is a small-batch recipe, and it disappears so fast! You can double the recipe, if you want more.
What are empanadas
There are different empanadas fillings – meat or poultry, shrimp, cheese, caramel, apples etc. Empanadas shells are made from the empanadas dough. Empanadas can be both sweet and savory!
Empanadas without meat – sweet hand pies usually are filled with jams, nutella, dulce de leche. Cajeta is a goat milk caramel that is so easy to make and delicious. You have to try authentic cajeta recipe!
It’s an easy and versatile recipe. You will love these traditional Mexican sweets. I share an easy emapanada dough from scratch to help you make these Mexican hand pies with a sweet filling.
How to make empanadas de cajeta
You will need empanadas ingredients for the dough and a sweet caramel filling.
For the empanadas dough you will need flour, sugar, salt, butter, egg and water or milk. Mix the ingredients together, form the ball.
Knead the dough on lightly floured surface. Put it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
As I already mentioned, for the sweet empanadas use our cajeta recipe. Learn how to make cajeta from scratch, which is perfect for empanadas or just as sweet dessert! It is an easy Mexican caramel made with goat milk.
Roll empanadas dough, cut the rounds with a cookie cutter or a glass. Fill the rounds with a teaspoon cajeta or other filling of your choice. Brush the edges with egg wash to make it secure.
Close the empanadas, pressing the edges with finger.
With a fork and a little bit of flour press the edges of empanadas de cajeta.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and put empanadas so that there is some space between them.
Put empanadas in the oven, preheated to 375 F / 190 C for 15-18 minutes until golden brown.
Cover them with sugar and cinnamon. Leave to cool before enjoying!
As you can see, there is no special equipment needed. You will need a rolling pin and an oven. The dough is mixed by your hands and cajeta cooks in a pot! Easy and delicious!
Homemade cinnamon sugar
I used store-bought cinnamon sugar, but you can make it at home with just two ingredients!
If you don’t have cinnamon sugar, combine 1/2 cup of granulated sugar with 2 tbsp ground cinnamon.
You can skip this step and serve sweet empanadas right from the oven! Keep calm and let them cool a little!
Why do empanadas explode?
Don’t add too much filling in them. If you make my cajeta recipe, they won’t explode, because the filling isn’t runny and won’t steam.
Make sure you seam them properly. There are several techniques, but I pressed them with a fork, so everything is beautiful and safe.
If some of the cajeta drip away, don’t worry, it will make these hand pies more delicious! Just be careful with the hot filling!
How long will empanadas keep in the fridge and freezer
I haven’t tried to freeze them, but I know the dough and cajeta filling freezes well. You can wrap them individually. Place in the freezer safe bag.
They will keep in the freezer up to 3 months. Then you can thaw them overnight or put in the oven on the low temperature.
Empanadas de cajeta will keep in the fridge up to a week.
Can empanadas be left out overnight? Yes, these empanadas de cajeta can be left for the next day, if you eat them all the next day. However, make sure the temperature in the room isn’t super hot!
Why are empanadas so good?
Empanadas de cajeta can be served with a cup of tea or coffee for brunch or breakfast. Perfect idea for a sweet party!
Crunchy pastry with a sweet delicious caramel filling. How can you skip that Mexican treat? Best dessert for Cinco de Mayo.
If you want to make sweet empanadas, use this easy emapanada dough recipe! Experiment in your kitchen with different empanadas fillings.
Can empanadas be reheated
Empanadas de cajeta are really delicious cold desserts, perfect to serve for a tea party or brunch.
However, if you like to serve them warm, preheat the oven to 300 F / 150 C. Put empanadas on the baking tray and and bake around 10 minutes.
If they aren’t thawed, the time will be longer. Be cautious of the hot cajeta filling, it may burn your mouth!
You can also fry them in a hot pan with oil until lovely golden brown.
Hope you will try dessert empanada! Tag us on social media or comment to let us know! Don’t forget to follow us on Pinterest , Instagram , TikTok and Facebook to receive up-to date simple and delicious dessert recipes like this!
If you love caramel desserts, try our Turtle Cheesecake, Banoffee Pie and Caramel Apple Trifle.
Empanadas de Cajeta
- Rolling Pin
- baking sheet with parchment paper
- big bowl
- large cookie cutter or a glass
- pastry brush
- a fork and a spoon
- 1½ cup all-purpose flour + extra
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup butter cubed, cold
- 1 egg + 1 extra egg, beaten for brushing
- 1 tbsp water or milk
- ½ cup cajeta
- 1 cup cinnamon sugar optional
- Preheat oven to 375 F / 190 C.
- Add sugar in a bowl with flour.¼ cup granulated sugar, 1½ cup all-purpose flour
- Add salt.½ tsp salt
- Mix dry ingredients with a fork.
- Add butter cubes, press into the flour mixture.½ cup butter
- Add water, continue mixing.1 tbsp water
- Add an egg, mix with a fork.1 egg
- Place the dough on a lightly floured surface, knead the dough. Wrap and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Roll the dough, about 1/4 inch or 0.6 cm thick.
- Cut the circles.
- Add a teaspoon of cajeta in the center of each circle.½ cup cajeta
- Brush the sides with extra egg.
- Fold the circles and close, pressing the edges with your fingers.
- Press the edges with a fork, dipped into flour.
- Put the empanadas on the baking sheet, brush with leftover extra egg and bake 15-18 minutes until golden brown.
- Toss in cinnamon sugar.1 cup cinnamon sugar
Delicious! And can’t emphasis enough on being extra careful when these are still hot or you may end up burning yourself from the hot filling.
Yes! I guess I mentioned it several time in the blog post, you need to be careful with hot caramel 🙂
Oh wow! These empanadas look and sound fabulous! They are a perfect hand held dessert.
Yes, these sweet hand pies are great to bake and enjoy!
These empanadas were such an amazing treat to enjoy with my family!! They were perfectly sweet and the dough was flaky and soft. The cajeta just put them over the top!
So happy to hear that!
Oh yum! These empanadas sound absolutely fantastic with the cajeta filling. I especially love all the tips to help make them perfect.
Thank you, Tara!