Quick and Delicious Empanadas de Cajeta Recipe

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This crisp and buttery Costa Rican empanadas de cajeta recipe is filled with a delicious caramel-like spread made with goat’s milk. Perfect for dunking in coffee or satisfying a sweet tooth!

About This Empanada de Cajeta Recipe

Crisp, flaky, and buttery, empanadas are one of Latin America’s most iconic pastries! Traditionally, empanadas consist of a homemade dough that has been flattened into a disc and folded over a filling of your choice.

These little pastry pockets are super versatile and can be prepared as sweet or savory snacks depending on the filling. From pineapple and guava to black beans and cheese, the empanada stuffing possibilities are truly limitless!

Empanadas are a culinary staple in Costa Rica, and we generally serve them at breakfast or during the coffee hour, a span of time from about 1-4 pm. I have to say, few things can beat a fresh cup of coffee and a dessert empanada!

With their distinctive caramel-y flavor, empanadas de cajeta make for especially delicious coffee companions! Cajeta is very similar to dulce de leche but is made with goat’s milk instead of the traditional cow’s milk. It’s slightly richer and more flavorful– if you can get your hands on some goat’s milk, I’d definitely recommend making a batch!

Here, I want to share with you the traditional Costa Rican 3-2-1 empanada recipe adapted for cajeta filling. Happy breakfasting! 

Empanadas de Cajeta Recipe

Ingredients: 

• 8 ounces heavy whipping cream
• 2 sticks of margarine or butter
• 3 cups of unbleached white flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2-3 tablespoons flour for dusting
• 1 recipe’s worth of this cajeta recipe

Kitchen Tools:

• Medium-sized mixing bowl
• Empanada or tortilla press
• Two pieces of plastic cut into the same size circle as the empanada press
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper (papel encerado)
• Small brush for egg wash (optional)
• Small spoon
• Fork

Instructions:

Combine the flour and margarine in a large bowl, mixing thoroughly with a stand mixer or with your hands. Add the cream bit by bit, mixing the empanada dough until sticky but not watery. 

On a floured surface, take chunks of the dough and roll them into balls that are about 1 and ½ inches wide. 

Place plastic sheets or bags onto your empanada or tortilla press. This way, the dough won’t stick to the metal surface.

Place a dough ball in the middle of the press and press until a circle is formed. Move the flattened disc aside, and repeat the process until all of the dough has been made into circles.

At this point, you can go ahead and preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Lay out your dough circles, and place about one tablespoon of cajeta in the center of each circle. You want to be careful not to add too much cajeta, or it will melt and run out of the empanadas as they bake.

On a lightly floured surface, close the empanadas by folding them over the cajeta dollops and then securing the seam by making marks around the edge with your fork. 

Brush the empanadas with the egg wash and place them on a lightly floured baking sheet (or one covered with parchment paper). Bake for 20- 30 minutes or until just golden brown. 

Some people sprinkle the empanadas with granulated sugar before serving, but that’s more common in Mexico.

Related Recipes You’ll Love:

If you enjoyed this recipe, be sure to check out these other empanadas dulces (sweet empanadas)!

• Dulce de Leche Empanadas
• Costa Rican Pineapple Empanadas
• Costa Rican Empanadas de Carne
• Costa Rican Empanadas de Guayaba

Substitutions

Costa Ricans always use margarine for this recipe, but I also like to use butter. The butter will give the empanadas a lighter yellow color and a flakier crust. 

You could also use vegetable shortening or lard to achieve the same consistency of dough, but again, the color would be a bit different.

I have often used just 2 cups of white flour and one cup of wheat flour and they taste great. Finally, you can substitute almond flour for a gluten-free empanada recipe.

While preparing the cajeta, it’s also possible to swap in brown sugar for the white sugar.

Variations

Empanadas are super versatile, and can easily be made either sweet or savory simply by changing up the filling. For a dessert empanada, you can swap out the cajeta for a dollop of dulce de leche, sliced pineapple, or guava paste. Shredded beef, cheese, and refried beans are all great filling candidates as well.

To make these empanadas vegan, you can substitute canned unsweetened coconut milk for the goat’s milk in the cajeta recipe. The flavor will be slightly different, but empanadas will still be undeniably delicious!

Another way to vary this recipe is by adding apple chunks to the empanada dough circles along with the cajeta. This way, you have caramel-apple empanadas!

Serving Suggestions

These cajeta empanadas are best served right out of the oven. I just cool them for about 10 minutes because the inside gets so hot it can burn your mouth. Dust the empanada batch with some powdered sugar (azúcar impalpable), drizzle with caramel sauce, and you’re ready to go! 

We eat these in the morning with hot coffee and with a traditional Costa Rican gallo pinto breakfast. 

Empanadas de cajeta are also really good crumbled over a big scoop of vanilla ice cream– delicious!

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