Bourbon Peach Empanadas are light, crispy, and full of summer peach flavor. There’s a hint of bourbon flavor in the brown sugar sauce.

I have said, repeatedly, that peaches are one of my favorite fruits. It’s pears then peaches then mangoes depending on the type of mango and if peaches are in season. I like the golden mangoes. They have the best flavor. And white peaches, while typically not soft, have the best peach flavor with the exception of that one we had in Jersey that one time.

No, I have never had a Georgia peach that I can remember. I’m sure someone will chime in and say they’re the best peaches ever on the planet. Which, I’m sure if you’re a Georgian, you will emphatically insist this is gospel truth. I, on the other hand, am sure there are just as delicious peaches grown elsewhere. Like Jersey.

Where are peaches from?

I mean wouldn’t the best peaches be where they can originally be found? China? Yes. Peaches are originally from China. They produce over half of the worlds peaches every year followed by Italy then the US. Italy? That’s a bit surprising isn’t it?

Well, when Alexander the Great conquered Persia he brought the fruit home to his empire. In fact, the peach’s latin name is prunus persica which translates to present from Persia. Then in the 16th century, explorers brought the peach from Spain to the Americas. Once here, George Minfie planted one on his plantation in Virginia which is the first document peach tree planted in the US.

Did you know that the peach is related to the almond?

They’re both part of the subgenus Amygdalus which has a corrugated outer shell that houses the seed or nut. Think about it. If you’ve ever broken open a peach pit trying to get it out of the peach, then you’ll see what I’m talking about. There’s a inner seed that does resemble an almond. And if you’ve been brave enough to taste it, the seed tastes similar to an almond.

And it’s no surprise that peaches and nectarines are of the same species. One is furry and one isn’t. Like they have hairless cats and, well, really hairy cats. In the case of the nectarine, it’s a mutation of a single gene that causes the hair loss. I wonder if that’s true about humans.

Doesn’t that just look delicious? You could definitely use that for a peach pie filling. It’s bright with peach flavors. The syrup is bourbon flavored with rich brown sugar in there, too. The filling was so good on its own. Heck, you could top ice cream with it! It’s that good.

I hear you. “They’re empanadas! Don’t they take forever to make?” Nope. They really don’t. I whipped up the homemade empanada dough in minutes. Because I used my food processor to make the pastry dough. And it is a pastry style dough that has an egg in it. Or in this case an egg yolk.

If you’re going to double the dough recipe, use the full egg.

The peach filling was mostly hands off. I peeled them, chopped them, and put them in a saucepan with the bourbon and brown sugar. Then I watched it while it came to a boil and then checked it periodically while it simmered. I wanted most of the liquid to evaporate and become syrup like in consistency.

These homemade peach empanadas are flaky and crispy. The sweet bourbon peach filling taste irresistible, but I’ve already talked about the filling. I think it will be my favorite peach pie filling. If you wanted, you can make these peach empanadas with pie crust. The only difference being a pie crust doesn’t typically have an egg in it. But if you didn’t want to make the dough, use pie crust.

I baked these bourbon peach empanadas, so they turned out more like peach hand pies instead of empanadas. I still have half the dough so I might try frying them up in the pan for a fried peach empanada.

Also, I watched a video on different ways to seal the empanadas. And I was like, “Oh! That looks easy! I could use that way to seal them.” Except, it’s not as easy when it looks. The liquid kept wanting to squish out. I should have used an egg wash to press the dough together them tried to make them all fancy. There were 2 that looked pretty.

But, no matter how they come out, pretty or not, these bourbon peach empanadas are oh so delicious. They’re so full of summer flavor with the fresh peaches. I did not know these were clingstone peaches. I wish they would tell you that at the grocery. However, I’m sure they don’t know.

What’s a clingstone peach?

Well, there’s 2 kinds of peaches: freestone and clingstone. Freestone means the stone comes free of the flesh easily. Clingstone means you have to pretty much cut it out or remove it with a peach pitter. Which I thought I had but cannot seem to find. I may have accidentally donated it thinking I wouldn’t need.

Now, I pick peaches that smell like peaches. For me, that’s the best way to pick them. If it doesn’t smell like a peach it’s not going to taste like one. These smelled the best, but when I tested them they weren’t all that sweet. Which is okay. I just added some brown sugar to the peach filling. If yours are more tart, add more sugar. The brown sugar makes these super rich and complements the bourbon flavor, too.

Bourbon Peach Empanadas

Name: Bourbon Peach Empanadas
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 5 h
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Latin American
Ingredients: 4 cups diced peaches; 1/2 cup craft bourbon; 1/2 cup brown sugar; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 3/4 cups flour; 1 teaspoon salt; 5 tablespoons chilled butter; 1 large egg yolk; 1/4 to 1/3 cup ice water; 1 large egg

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Additional Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 5 hours

Bourbon Peach Empanada are light, crispy, and full of summer
peach flavor. There’s a hint of bourbon
flavor in the brown sugar sauce.

Ingredients

4 cups diced peaches
1/2 cup craft bourbon
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons chilled butter
1 large egg yolk
1/4 to 1/3 cup ice water
1 large egg

Instructions

Combine the peaches with the bourbon and brown sugar in a saucepan.
Bring to a boil and simmer 30 to 40 minutes or until the sauce is thickened.
Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor.
Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
With the processor running, add the egg yolk.
Keep the processor running and add the ice water one tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together.
Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 4 hours.
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness and cut into large circles.
Place about 1 tablespoon of the peach mixture in the center of the circle. Fold the dough over and press to seal the dough as close to the filling as possible.
Use a fork, your hands, or a handy empanada maker to seal and create and decorative edge.
Place the empanadas on a silpat lined baking sheet.
Lightly beat the egg. Brush the empanadas with the egg using a pastry brush.
Bake at 375 F for 20 to 25 minutes or until the empanadas are golden brown.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 382Total Fat 13gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 118mgSodium 811mgCarbohydrates 53gFiber 3gSugar 24gProtein 7g

Welcome to the 4th Annual #SummerDessertWeek event hosted by Angie from Big Bear’s Wife. We’re celebrating all things summer with a week-long event that is absolutely filled with some of the best summer dessert recipes! Follow the hashtag #SummerDessertWeek on social media to find recipes and make sure to check out the bottom of this post for even more summer desserts!