Hillshire Farm empanadas recipe #HillshireNaturals

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Empanadas have been a favorite of mine ever since my travels to Miami last year. Ham and cheese is a typical filling used in this Latin American classic! I used Hillshire Farms Naturals in honey roasted ham for the filling. No artificial ingredients and no nitrates. Just delicious ham flavor. In fact, I just took the Hillshire Farms Naturals slow roasted turkey breast into the classroom for snack time. The kids kept asking for more and more...and more. Kids are the real taste testers here. They ALWAYS tell the truth and we have a meaty winner in Hillshire Farms NEW Naturals! With two toddlers, it is a constant battle to find a meal that everyone can agree on. Ham and cheese is a definite winner. You could also call this recipe a homemade hot pocket. Whatever you call it, everyone is sure to love it! Let's start prepping the crust!

Crust Ingredients
2 cup flour
2 stick of unsalted butter {room temperature}
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp Coarse sea salt
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Garlic powder
1/4 to 1/3 cup very cold water
1 egg white(for brushing)

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. If you have a food processor, pulse until you achieve a coarse bread crumb consistency. For me, I am old school. I take two knives and cut the butter into the flour mixture until I achieve a coarse bread crumb consistency. Here is the tricky part: pour a little bit of your water into your dry ingredients until your mixture just holds together. Not too sticky and not too dry...just right. Let your crust mixture hang out for a few minutes while you are grating the cheese. Preheat your over to 375 degrees.

Filling Ingredients(makes 12 to 15 medium-sized empanadas & feeds a family of 5):
1 package Hillshire Farms Naturals honey roasted ham or slow roasted turkey
1/2 pound Cheddar Cheese

No rolling pins needed. Take a small chunk off your dough and get some flour on your finger tips. Press out the dough as thinly as possibly into a small circle. Place more filling inside then you think you need and then roll your dough tightly until it meets the other side. Press the dough down(see the picture above). Two seals: First, roll and press down. Then, fold up the edge and press with a fork. This step is important or all your filling will leak out during the baking process.

Next, bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 375 until golden brown and crispy. Egg wash both sides prior to baking. Bake on the very top rack. Flip your empanadas after 10 minutes of baking to crisp both sides. Serve with salsa and fresh guacamole! These are great for parties, because you can make them in advance. If you have extra, just freeze them. Bon Appetit!