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A plate of Valentines Day sweet empanadas on a white plate with fresh strawberries on the side
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Strawberry Chocolate Empanadas

These Latin style turnovers or hand pies are made with a homemade sweet empanada dough filled with strawberries and chocolate chips (or creamy Nutella), then baked until golden and crispy.
Course Dessert, Sweet treats
Cuisine International, Latin American, South American
Keyword Chocolate, Hazelnut, Heart shaped, Nutella, Strawberry, Sweet empanadas
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Refrigeration time 1 hour
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 15 to 18 medium empanadas or 20-25 smaller ones

Ingredients

For the sweet empanada dough:

  • 3 cups of all-purpose flour 375 grams
  • ¼ cup sugar 50 grams
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 16 16 tablespoons or 2 sticks of unsalted butter, cold 16 tbs = 8 ounces/225grams, cut into 16 pieces
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 tablespoons of cold milk 60 ml, add more or less if needed

For the strawberry and chocolate or Nutella filling:

  • 2 cups of diced strawberries
  • 1 cup of chocolate chips or 1 cup of nutella / hazelnut chocolate spread – you can use only chocolate chips or only Nutella, or a mix of both

For baking/decorating the empanadas:

  • 1 egg whisked – to be used as egg wash
  • Baking sprinkles and/or sugar

Instructions

For the sweet empanada dough:

  • Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Mix well.
    Flour and sugar in a food processor bowl
  • Add the pieces of butter and mix well.
    Chunks of butter being added to the flour mix in a food processor
  • Add the eggs and milk and continue pulsing to mix. If the dough is still dry, add additional milk, one tablespoon at a time.
    Two eggs being added to the flour mix in a food processor
  • The dough will be ready when clumps start to form.
    Clumpy dough in a food processor on top of a wooden table
  • Remove the dough from the food processor and form the dough into 2 balls, flatten into thick discs, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
  • To make the empanada discs or hearts you can either form the dough into several small balls (golf size), then roll each ball out into a circle form.
    Balls of dough being pressed in a tortilla press
  • Another option is to roll out the whole disk of dough into a thin layer and cut out round disc shapes for empanadas, using round molds or a small plate or cup as a mold. For heart shaped empanadas use a heart cookie cutter mold.
    A sheet of dough rolled out and cut out into round forms and heart shapes
  • For the heart shaped empanadas it actually works best to roll out each small ball into a circle form, place the chocolate strawberry filling in the middle, then add another layer of roll out dough on top.
  • Then use your fingers to press and seal the empanadas. Then use a heart shaped cooking cutter or mold to cut out the empanada. This method makes it easier to seal the empanada and keep a heart form than cutting out the heart shape before filling.

Strawberry chocolate empanada assembly and baking:

  • For either the classic shaped or heart shaped empanadas, place a spoonful (large or small depending on empanada size) of the nutella or chocolate chips on the center of each empanada discs, add the diced strawberries on top of the chocolate.
    Filling the empanada dough with strawberries and Nutella on a wooden board
  • For the heart shaped empanadas, you can be bit more generous since you will be covering them with another layer of dough. The ratio of chocolate to strawberries is up to you, but in general the chocolate flavor is stronger than the strawberry flavor, so to have enough strawberry flavor you might want to add more strawberries than chocolate.
    Filling the empanada dough with strawberries and chocolate on a wooden board
  • To close and seal the classic shaped empanadas, fold the disc and seal the edges by pressing the edges with your fingers. If needed, you can brush the inside edges with egg white or a bit of water, it will act as a glue for the empanadas. You can do a final seal by pressing the top of a fork against the edges.
  • For the regular shaped empanadas, you can also try a curl type seal, called repulgue or churito, by using your fingers to twist the curl the edges.
  • To close the heart shaped empanadas, add the additional layer on top and use your fingers to seal the edges. If using already cut out heart shapes, then the next step is to use a fork to add an additional seal - optional.
    If you used round shaped disks, then use a heart shaped cutter to cut the dough, then re-seal with fingers again. You can also cut out a small heart shape on the top layer.
  • To decorate the empanadas, you can use the scraps of dough to roll out and cut out small shapes: hearts, stars, etc. Then place these on top of each empanada.
    A tray filled with unbaked empanadas, some in heart shapes and other decorated with mini hearts
  • Brush the empanadas with the whisked egg mix, and then sprinkle with sugar or baking sprinkles.
    Unbaked sweet empanadas or hand pies on a baking sheet
  • For best results, refrigerate the empanadas for at least 30 minutes before baking – this also helps them seal better and prevents the filling from leaking out.
  • Pre-heat oven to 375F (190 C).
  • Bake at 375F (190 C) for 15-20 minutes or until golden on top.
    Freshly baked sweet empanadas or hand pies on a baking sheet
  • You can also sprinkle some cacao powder on top for an extra touch of chocolate.
    Side view of a strawberry chocolate empanada broken in half to show the inside on top of more empanadas.
  • You can serve these chocolate strawberry dessert empanadas warm or room temperature.
    Overhead shot of strawberry chocolate empanadas on a white plate on a white background with strawberries on the sides