Peach Empanadas with Bourbon Preserves
Peel the peaches by boiling them for several minutes and moving them to ice water. Stir ½ cup sugar into the reserved peels and pits and let sit 20 minutes. Simmer the chopped peaches with 1 cup sugar, the vanilla bean, bourbon and salt until syrupy and cool, and whisk strained peel juice into confectioner’s sugar for a pourable glaze. Fill dough circles with preserves, seal with egg wash and a fork, fry in 375 oil until golden, 2 to 3 minutes, and drizzle with the glaze.
These peach empanadas take the humble hand pie somewhere a little more grown-up, with bourbon-spiked peach preserves tucked into tender pastry pockets. The bourbon deepens the peach flavor and lends a warm, boozy note that makes these feel like an adult treat — Southern in spirit, elegant enough for a party. Fried until golden, they are the kind of hand-held dessert that feels both homey and special, made for sharing on a porch or passing at a gathering.
The Bourbon Peach Preserves
Cook the peaches down with bourbon into a thick, jammy preserve rich with warm flavor. The bourbon deepens the fruit and adds a grown-up complexity, cooked down until the filling is thick enough to hold inside the pastry — a properly reduced preserve is the key to a clean, jammy empanada.
Filling, Sealing, and Frying
Spoon the preserves into rounds of tender pastry, seal the edges with a fork, and fry them until golden. A good seal keeps the filling tucked inside, and frying gives them a crisp, golden pastry — drizzle them with the peach glaze for a beautiful, bakery-worthy finish.
Peach Empanadas with Bourbon Preserves
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Peel the peaches by placing them in boiling water for several minutes and then transferring to a bowl filled with ice water.
- Reserve the peels by placing them in a large bowl.
- Chop the peaches into small chunks.
- Transfer the pits to the bowl with the peels. Stir ½ cup sugar into the bowl with the peach pits and peels and let sit for 20 minutes.
- Place the diced peaches, 1 cup sugar, vanilla bean, and bourbon into a deep pot, like so:
- Sprinkle with salt. Stir together and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the peaches break down and the consistency of the preserves is syrupy. (I used a potato masher to break down the peaches after about 30 minutes and then continued to cook for another 30 minutes or until most of the liquid is reduced into the peaches). Cool the preserves and store in an airtight container.
- Strain the peach peels and pits into a bowl to get about ½ cup juice. Whisk some of this juice into 1 ½ to 2 cups of confectioner’s sugar. Continue adding juice until you get a peach glaze that is pourable and looks like the photo below:
- Roll out the pie crusts on a well-flour surface. Use a round cookie cutter (about 3 or 4-inches in diameter) to cut circles from the dough.
- Place a teaspoon of peach preserves in the center of one dough circle.
- Brush the egg wash (beaten egg with water) around the edge of the circle. Fold the circle in half and use the tines of the fork to seal in the filling.
- Place the pie onto a rack and refrigerate until ready to fry.
- Heat vegetable oil in a deep pot to 375.
- Gently drop the pies into the oil and cook until golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Use a wire spider or slotted spoon to transfer the pies to a rack over paper towels to catch the drips. Continue until all the pies have been fried.
- Drizzle the warm pies with peach glaze.
Notes
The Heart of the Table
Hand-held pastries are generous and easy to share — no plates or forks, just a warm, jammy treat pressed into a waiting hand. There is a warm, grown-up hospitality in these bourbon-kissed empanadas, the kind of Southern-hearted treat that makes a porch gathering or a party feel relaxed and abundant.
The Art of the Host
Seal the edges well so the preserves stay inside, and drizzle the warm pies with peach glaze. They are lovely warm or at room temperature, so they hold well for a party — a dusting of sugar makes them extra inviting.
Neighborly Grace
- The Preparation: Make the bourbon peach preserves ahead, and even fill and shape the empanadas in advance, then fry them fresh. They keep well for a day, making them a practical, make-ahead treat for entertaining.
- The Pour: A bourbon on the rocks doubles down on the filling for the grown-ups; for a non-alcoholic pairing, a peach iced tea echoes the fruit without the spirits.
- The Vibe: Serve them warm or at room temperature at a party, a porch gathering, or a Southern-inspired supper. These are grown-up hand pies — jammy and bourbon-kissed, made for easy, hand-held sharing among good company.