Raspberry Empanadas

Difficulty: Medium

Makes 12

Recently I decided to invite some non-vegan friends over for a Mexican feast. While researching Mexican desserts, I stumbled across a few recipes for empanadas that seemed relatively easy to modify. So I gave it a whirl and these little babies were the result; a cinnamon covered light pastry, filled with a hot fruity centre. Serve with vegan ice-cream for the perfect end to a great meal.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Nuttelex
• 1/3 cup Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 1/4 cups plain flour
• 1 cup raspberry jam
• 1/3 cup caster sugar
• 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Method

1. The night before, cream the Nuttelex and Tofutti.
2. Add the vanilla before slowly sifting in the flour to form a dough.
3. Wrap the dough up in cling wrap to form a ball and place in the fridge over night.
4. The next day, preheat the oven to 180°C.
5. Put some extra flour on a board and roll the dough out to be about 5mm thin. You may need to dust with more flour if dough feels a little sticky.
6. Using an 8cm round guide, cut the dough into circles.
7. Place a teaspoon of jam into each circle and wet the rim of dough with water before closing over.
8. Seal each empanadas edge by gently pressing down with a fork.
9. On a baking paper lined tray, bake for 15-20 minutes (until golden).
10. Mix the caster sugar and cinnamon together in a shallow bowl.
11. After removing from the oven, roll each empanada in the cinnamon sugar before serving hot.