Blackberry & Chocolate Empanadas

1To make the pastry, stir flour with salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resemble coarse meal. Whisk 1 egg yolk with 1/4 cup (60 mL) ice water and stir into the flour mixture until dough comes together.

2Form dough into a ball and flatten into a large disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before rolling.

3Meanwhile, stir cream cheese with jam, icing sugar and cinnamon; set aside.

4Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Whisk remaining egg yolk with 1 tbsp (15 mL) water to make egg wash; set aside.

5Meanwhile, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface until 1/8-inch (3 mm) thick. Using a 4-inch (10 cm) round cutter, cut dough to make 8 rounds. Reroll scraps to make 8 more rounds.

6Brush edges of each round with egg wash. Add 1 tsp (5 mL) cream cheese mixture, 2 blackberry halves and 1 tsp (5 mL) finely chopped chocolate to centre of each. Fold to enclose the filling and seal edges with fork then brush with egg wash.

7Place on parchment-paper lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes.

8Melt remaining chocolate and drizzle each empanada with chocolate and sprinkle with toasted almonds. Cool until set.