This recipe for Empanadas de Piña or Pineapple Empanadas is easy to make. Serve these empanadas at the end of your Christmas diner and your family and friends will still be talking about it in the new year.

This recipe will make about 36 empanadas

Dough, ingredients:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 pound unsalted butter, softened and cut in pieces
• 2 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese

Dough, preparation:

Put the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Add butter and work it into the flour using a fork until the butter is fully incorporated. Repeat process gradually with cream cheese, kneading dough until uniform and no longer crumbly. Cut off 1 inch balls and flatten with a rolling pin to 1/8 inch thickness.

Filling, ingredients:

• 1 big pineapple, or 2 smaller ones. You can also use pineapple preserves
• ½ – 1 cup of granulated sugar (depending on your taste)

Filling, preparation:

Clean the pineapple and cut in small pieces. Put the pineapple in a bowl and add the granulated sugar. Let it rest in the fridge for about an hour.

Empanada preparation:

Place a tablespoon of the pineapple mixture in the center of each dough circle. Wet the edges with water and fold them over. Seal the empanada with your fingers or by using a fork. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) and bake the empanadas for about 15 minutes until lightly browned.

Just before serving sprinkle the empanadas with powdered sugar. As an extra you can add a sprinkle of cinnamon.