This Chef Johnny Vee recipe from our June 2021 issue makes a sweet fruit-filled handpie, or empanada, wrapped in the anise-flavored crust of New Mexico’s state cookie. Many New Mexicans make a simpler version by dividing the dough in half and rolling each half into ⅛-inch-thick sheets. With this method, you’d spread filling on the bottom sheet and place the second sheet on top. Gently press the edges together, brush with egg wash, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, and bake as directed below. Allow to cool before cutting into squares.

PASTRY

1½ cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon aniseed

¾ cup unsalted butter (1½ sticks), cold

6 tablespoons ice water (approximately)

1½ tablespoons brandy

FILLING

3 cups fresh or frozen cherries, pitted

½ cup brown sugar

1¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided  

⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon almond extract 

1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water

1 tablespoon sugar

Powdered sugar for dusting

Serves 12

PASTRY

  1. Combine flour, salt, cinnamon, and aniseed in a large bowl.
  2. Using a cheese grater, grate the butter over the flour mixture. With your hands, work butter into flour until dough is in pea-size pieces.
  3. Add water and brandy and mix dough until it sticks together, being careful not to break butter into smaller pieces while blending in the water. (Add water slowly; you may not need it all.)

FILLING

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium saucepan, stir together the cherries, brown sugar, ¾ teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, and almond extract and bring to a boil. Turn to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
  3. Roll the dough out to ⅛-inch thick and cut circles with a 4-inch cookie cutter or glass, making each cut as close as possible to the next. (Scraps may be re-rolled and cut.)
  4. Working with one piece of dough at a time and using a pastry brush, brush a ¼-inch border of egg wash around the perimeter of the dough. Spoon 2 tablespoons of cherries (about 6 halves)—leaving behind most of the juice—on one half of each circle, then fold it over into a half-moon. Do not overfill. Crimp the edges tightly with a fork dipped in flour to seal. Juice may be reserved as a sauce. Repeat the process until all of the dough has been used.
  5. Mix remaining teaspoon of cinnamon with sugar in a small bowl. Brush each pastry lightly with remaining egg wash and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon sugar.
  6. Bake for about 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Allow to cool before removing them from the baking sheet. Garnish with light dusting of powdered sugar.

In this landmark cookbook from America's oldest state magazine, fifty recipes showcase classics from the archives and groundbreaking creations of contemporary chefs. Purchase the New Mexico Magazine Centennial Cookbook today!