Ingredients
- ½ cup almonds, slivered
- 1 package (15 ounces) refrigerated pie crust rounds (2 crusts)
- 1 can (16 ounces) tart red cherries, well drained, or fresh cherries, pitted
- ½ cup dried apricots
- ¼ tsp almond flavoring
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups (6 ounces) Wisconsin Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 Tbsp milk
- 3 Tbsp coarse sugar
Instructions
Heat oven to 400°. Toast almonds 6-8 minutes on cookie sheet in oven until lightly golden brown. Unfold both pie crusts on baking sheet.
In a bowl, combine toasted almonds, cherries, apricots, almond flavoring, cinnamon, brown sugar and Monterey Jack cheese. Mix well. Spoon half of the mixture onto half of one pie crust round, within 1 inch of edge, leaving other half of pastry round uncovered. Fold pastry over filling; crimping edges to seal. Finished empanada should resemble a half-circle. Repeat with remaining crust and filling.
In a small bowl, combine egg and milk. Brush empanadas with egg mixture and sprinkle with sugar. Cut four small slits on top of each empanada. Bake 20-25 minutes or until pastry is golden brown.