CHOCOLATE-BANANA EMPANADAS

Chocolate-Banana Empanadas image

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!

Provided by Witch Doctor

Categories Dessert

Time 2h40m

Yield 20 Empanadas

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

4 large ripe bananas
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken in chunks
confectioners' sugar, for dusting
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup masa harina
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
butter, for greasing the pans

Steps:

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.
For the Empanada Dough:.
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.
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.
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.
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.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 157.2, Fat 8.2, SaturatedFat 4.9, Cholesterol 22.8, Sodium 140.7, Carbohydrate 20.8, Fiber 2, Sugar 4.7, Protein 2.9