Pumpkin Empanadas

(This was orginally a recipe for Sweet Potatoe Empanadas, but I made a few changes and made it my own!  I think they turned out GREAT!)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup pumpkin  (just pumpkin, not a pie mix)
• 1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• salt
• 1 tube refrigerated ready-made cresent roll dough
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small bowl, mix the pumpkin with the cream cheese, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt until creamy.  Remove the dough from the tube and separate into 4 rectangles.  Working with one rectangle at a time, squish the perforated seam to seal the two large triangles together.  Cut the rectangle in half, making two smaller rectangles/squares.  Place a heaping teaspoon of the pumpkin filling in the center of the two small rectangles.  Fold the dough in half, and pinch the endges to seal.  (If the dough has gotten too dry to seal, use a tiny bit of water on the edges to seal)

Make all 8 empanadas with the rest of the dough.  Place the rectangles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil and put into the preheated oven.  Bake until golden, about 10-12 minutes.  Meanwhile, in a shallow bowl, mix together the sugar, cinnamon, nugmeg, and a pinch of salt.  While still warm, brush the empanadas with melted butter, and then gently toss in the sugar mixture.

Here is a picture of the finished empanada, along side a pumpkin bar...

Posted By: Megan