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Northern Mexican Pine Nut Empanadas

Name: Northern Mexican Pine Nut Empanadas
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 65 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 100 g Grated piloncillo (raw cane sugar); 150 g Lard or cold butter; 60 g Sugar; 50 g Icing sugar for dusting; 3 g Salt; 1 pza Beaten egg for glazing; 5 g Ground cinnamon; 1 g Ground cloves; 80 ml Cold water; 400 g Plain flour; 200 g Shelled pine nuts

65 min (45 prep + 20 cook) Medium 16 servings Norte de México

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 29 Mar 2026 · Updated: 29 Mar 2026

Shortcrust pastry empanadas filled with toasted pine nuts with piloncillo and cinnamon.

About this recipe

Pine nut empanadas are a traditional sweet from northern Mexico, especially from Chihuahua and Durango, where pine forests produce abundant pine nuts used in baking. They are shortcrust pastry empanadas filled with toasted ground pine nuts with piloncillo, cinnamon and cloves, which when baked create a fragrant, sweet interior with a marzipan-like texture. They are eaten at religious festivals, weddings and during the Christmas season.

History & Origin

The pine nut, seed of the stone pine (Pinus cembroides) native to northern Mexico, was a fundamental food for the indigenous peoples of the Sierra Madre Occidental for millennia. The Rarámuri and Tepehuan people consumed it toasted and ground as a concentrated caloric source during winters in the high mountains. With the convent pastry of the seventeenth century, pine nuts were incorporated into empanadas and sweets of the Franciscan convents of northern New Spain, fusing the indigenous seed tradition with European shortcrust technique. Today pine nut empanadas are a gastronomic symbol of Chihuahua.

Estimated cost

£7.00

Total cost

£0.44

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

240

Calories

Protein

28g

Carbohydrates

13g

Fat

1.5g

Fibre

90mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan over low heat, stirring constantly for 3-4 minutes until lightly golden. Leave to cool.
💡 Pine nuts burn very quickly - do not leave them unattended.
2
In a food processor blend the toasted pine nuts with the piloncillo, cinnamon and cloves until you have a granular paste. Set aside.
3
For the pastry: mix flour, sugar and salt. Incorporate the cold lard by rubbing with your fingers until sandy. Add cold water tablespoon by tablespoon until the dough forms a ball. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
4
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Roll the dough to 3 mm thickness. Cut 10 cm diameter circles.
5
Place a tablespoon of the pine nut filling in the centre of each circle. Fold in half to form a half moon. Press the edges with a fork to seal.
6
Place on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Brush with beaten egg. Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden. Cool and dust with icing sugar.