Ube Cheesecake Empanadas

@indulgenteats

U BEtter make these crispy, flaky empanadas if purple yam is your jam! Inspired by the Filipino ube desserts of my childhood and recipes in my cookbook, these deep-fried hand pies have all the sweet, earthy flavor of ube balanced with tangy cream cheese for a satisfying combination of flavors and textures in every bite. For the best ube flavor, you can find fresh, refrigerated ube halaya at Filipino markets, though the jarred kind found from online retailers can also be used.

Makes 8-10 empanadas

Ingredients
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
½ tsp ube extract
¼ tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup ube halaya, room temperature, plus more to taste
Sugar, to taste
2 sheets pie dough, thawed if frozen
Neutral oil, for frying

Preparation
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the cream cheese, ube extract, and vanilla, and ube halaya and beat on medium-high speed until smooth. Add sugar and/or more ube halaya until your desired sweetness level is reached.
2. Use a small bowl to cut out rounds from the pie dough, gathering and re-rolling any dough scraps to cut out more. You should have 8–10 total.
3. Add 1-2 tablespoons of the ube cheesecake filling to the center of each wrapper, then fold the dough over the filling to make a half-moon shape and press the edges to seal. If desired, use your thumb to fold the dough around the edges over itself to pleat.
4. To prevent the empanadas from exploding during frying, use a fork to poke a few holes in the middle to allow moisture/steam to escape. You can also freeze the empanadas at this point to fry later, which will also prevent explosion.
5. Fill a large saucepan halfway with oil and heat over medium-high heat until the temperature reaches 375°F (190°C).
6. Working in batches of 2 at a time to avoid overcrowding the pot, fry the empanadas, flipping as needed, until golden brown on both sides, 4-5 minutes.
7. Allow the empanadas to cool briefly, then serve while the ube cheesecake center is still molten.
8. Enjoy!