Jam-Stuffed ‘Empanada’ Sugar Cookies

Yum

These spiced sugar cookies are stuffed with the jam of your choice and are baked to perfection. They can be served with or without glaze for a little extra sweetness and cut into whatever shape you like, making them perfect for holidays like Christmas or Valentine’s Day!

About This Recipe & Why You Should Make Empanada Cookies

One of my favorite things to do when making food is looking up recipes and then messing with them so much that I’ve made something totally different. Last year, I created these cookies as an experiment with leftover Christmas cookie dough and some jam because #whynot. First, I spiced the cookie dough (to me, regular vanilla cookies taste like the flavor equivalent of waiting in line at the DMV), then took my discarded bits of cookie dough, rolled them in a really flat circle and decided it obviously needed to be stuffed with something. I found some raspberry jam in my fridge that seemed like a good choice.

Placing the jam in the center, I folded the cookie in half and used a fork to seal the edges (like an empanada, hence their name, though they use different dough vs. authentic empanadas). I totally expected that the jam would explode out of the cookie and I would have a burnt sugary mess on my cookie sheet, but when it came out of the oven minutes later, still intact, I was shocked! I broke the cookie open, took a bite and decided that the world needed to know about these, so here we are.

These cookies are great because they:

• Are simple to make, but look fancy (my favorite combination in a recipe)
• Can be customized by adding whatever jam you’d like (strawberry, raspberry, orange, you name it!) and cutting them into whatever shape you’d like (circle, heart or star!)
• Are reminiscent of a Pop-tart but in cookie form, and who doesn’t like Pop-tarts?

What Ingredients Do I Need to Make Empanada Cookies?

To make these cookies, you’ll need:

• Butter (softened — you can do this quickly by cutting sticks into smaller pieces and putting them in the microwave for 20-30 seconds at a time until softened)
• White Sugar
• Eggs
• Vanilla extract
• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Water
• Jam of your choice (I prefer strawberry or other berry jams, but this would also go well with pumpkin or apple)
• Icing (if topping with icing)
• Milk or Water (if topping with icing)

In addition to these ingredients it would be helpful to have these items handy too:

• Mixing bowls (one small-sized, one medium sized, one large sized)
• Stand mixer or hand mixer (optional, but it makes life easier)
• Baking mat or very clean countertop for rolling and cutting cookies
• Plastic wrap (or damp paper towels to keep unused balls of dough moist)
• Rolling pin
• Cookie cutters (circle for the classic empanada shape)
• A fork (for sealing the edges of the cookies)
• A spoon (for glaze)
• 1 large baking sheet
• Parchment paper (or sub for more butter or nonstick spray)

How to Make Empanada Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 365 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
2. Mix flour: Place 3 cups of flower a medium-large-sized bowl, add 1 teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, whisk thoroughly to combine.
3. Beat together ingredients. In your stand mixer or other large bowl, combine 1 cup softened butter and 1 cup of sugar and beat with a stand mixer or a hand mixer until light and fluffy. If you don’t have either, mix my hand with a whisk. Add 1 egg, 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla, 1 ½ teaspoon baking power, ¼ teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons of water and beat until fully combined. Using the slow setting, add in flour mixing until dough is fully formed without over-mixing.
4. Cut cookies. Divide dough into 3 sections (covering unused sections with plastic wrap to keep moist) and use a rolling pin to roll dough to ⅙th of an inch thick. Use 4″ diameter round cookie cutter* to cut out as many circular cookies as possible. Remove excess dough around cookies and place them aside on a separate floured surface or plate. Repeat this process until all dough has been cut.
   • If using another shape, such as a heart, cut out two cookies per once completed cookie.
5. Fill cookies. Taking cookies one by one, roll out until cookie is about 2.5 to 3 inches in diameter, and spoon 2 teaspoon of the jam of your choice in the center of the cookie. Fold cookie in half ensuring that there is at least 3 centimeters of space around the edge of the cookie without jam. Use a fork to crimp edges to seal all the way around the cookie. Repeat until all cookies have been prepared, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes.
6. Make glaze (if using). While cookies bake, in a small bowl, combine ½ cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk, ¼ teaspoon vanilla and 1 teaspoon of jam and stir together to form a glaze.
   • If adding color to icing, add 1 teaspoon of jam to icing mixture and stir
7. Cool and glaze cookies. Once cookies are baked, allow to cool for 15-30 minutes. Once baked, using the back of a small spoon, spread glaze onto each cookie, allow glaze to harden for 20-30 minutes

Pro Tips for Making This Recipe

• Ensure dough is kept moist at all times to prevent cracks from forming. Cracks in the dough will lead to leaky cookies.
  • If dough does start to dry out and crack add water to dough, 1 teaspoon at a time, work water into dough with hands and roll out again.
• Be extremely gentle with the fork when crimping edges of cookies. Dough will be very delicate, so the best technique is to gently press the fork down, and then instead of pulling it back up, gently glide the fork backwards out of the grooves created without lifting the fork.