Blueberry Goat Cheese Empanadas

Blueberry Goat Cheese Empanadas – stuffed with creamy goat cheese and fresh blueberries, these are not your everyday, run of the mill empanadas.

Goat cheese and blueberries may sound like an unusual combination but the merriment of these two ingredients make these blueberry goat cheese empanadas a hit!

They’re just so delicious and impressive; A little bit sweet, a little bit savoury – not to mention the stunning flavor and colour combination they produce. What are you waiting for?! Start baking!

What is an empanada?

Empanadas are a Spanish or Latin-American pastry. Usually baked or fried, they are similar to a turnover and typically filled with savory ingredients like beef or chicken. Generally shaped in half-moons they can range in size from extra small to extra large. Empanadas are an extremely popular dish in many countries and you can find them in an extensive variety of fillings and flavors.

Ingredients

Keep scrolling down to the printable recipe card for FULL ingredient amounts and instructions or click the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the page!

For Dough

• Flour – I used a mixture of all-purpose and whole wheat flour.
• Sugar
• Salt
• Butter – Cold, unsalted.
• Egg yolks

For Filling

• Blueberries – Fresh.
• Sugar – You can substitute honey or agave.
• Flour – I used all-purpose.
• Vanilla – If you don’t have vanilla you can substitute maple syrup. Any changes in flavor will be subtle.
• Goat cheese – Crumbled.

For topping

• Egg  – For egg wash.
• Turbinado Sugar – Also known as raw sugar, optional.

Why goat cheese?

The creaminess of the goat cheese takes these empanadas to a whole new level of delicious. You won’t want to skip the goat cheese, trust me! Goat cheese provides healthy fats and is a great source of protein and calcium – for strong bones! It’s also lower in lactose so it’s easier for us to digest. Granted if you’re truly not a fan of goat cheese, you can use regular cream cheese instead.

How to make blueberry empanadas

1. Mix Dough – In a food processor combine the all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and process for another 5 seconds. Add egg yolks and 3/4 cup of cold water and process until dough is soft. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Prep – Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Cover in plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes in fridge before using. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees.
3. Mix Filling – In a bowl pour vanilla extract over blueberries and toss. Add flour and sugar over blueberries and toss.
4. Roll Out & Cut Dough – Roll out the empanada dough so that it’s about 1/8 of an inch in thickness. Cut the dough into 4 inch rounds.
5. Make Empanadas – Spoon about 1 tbsp of goat cheese and a couple tbsp of prepared blueberries onto the center of each round, then fold dough in half enclosing the filling. Press the edges together to seal, then crimp either with your fingers or fork. Transfer empanadas to the prepared baking sheet.
6. Bake & Serve – Brush each empanada with egg wash and using a fork poke holes into each empanada. Sprinkle top of empanadas with turbinado sugar. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Serve.

How to serve

These little goat cheese empanadas are so scrumptious they can be served hot or cold! I like to have mine when they are warm from the oven, I can hardly wait for them to cool down a little before I eat one. They would be beautiful as an accompaniment to breakfast, a snack, or paired with a nice cup of tea as an afternoon treat. However you want to serve them, they won’t do you wrong in the flavor department.

Make ahead

You can pre-make your empanadas before hand and store them uncooked in the fridge for up to two days! Uncooked empanadas can also be kept in the freezer for a longer shelf life – up to three months! Just store them individually wrapped in plastic and placed in re-sealable plastic freezer bags.

The best part? There’s no need to thaw before baking! They can go straight from the freezer to your oven, convenient and delicious.

Leftovers

Store cooked empanadas in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. They can also be stored in the freezer for a longer shelf life.

Refer to above for uncooked empanada storing instructions.

More delicious recipes to try:

• Mini Blueberry Galettes
• Blueberry Coffee Cake
• Beef Empanada
• Berry Berry Summer Pie
• Blueberry Muffins
• Easy Strawberry Cake
• Blueberry Fritters
• Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes
• Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes
• Dutch Baby Pancake