I love walking up to my favorite Cuban cafe's window in South Beach, to not only sip on a freshly brewed Cuban coffee, but to also chow down on a warm empanada. This recipe I am sharing is not considered to be anything like a traditional or authentic empanada, but I thought this idea would be a delicious to-go breakfast. They aren't difficult, but since they are a little time consuming, preparing a batch on a Sunday would be a smart plan to then have them on hand for the week. These would also be a great finger food for a party or breakfast buffet. The flakey, warm and buttery pastry puff will give you a burst of satisfaction with every bite!

Pre-made dough makes this so much easier and faster. I have used both pie crust dough and pastry puff dough. I liked the pastry puff for these breakfast empanadas because they are fluffy and buttery like a croissant. The pie crust dough was great when I made a more dinner type empanada (beef and potato).

Ingredients

• 6 strips of bacon

• 8 eggs (6 whole, 2 whites)

• 1 egg- for egg wash

• shredded cheese of your choice

• 1 box frozen pastry puff dough

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Cook bacon until crispy, let cool then chop into pieces.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Add the cooled bacon into the eggs and mix to combine.

3. Take out pastry puff to thaw.

4. Heat olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the egg and bacon mixture to the pan, lower heat a little. Cook/scramble eggs until cooked and set aside to cool.

5. Preheat oven to 375.

6. In the meantime, on a clean working surface, roll out dough. Use some flour for dusting so it doesn't stick. Use a rolling pin to roll out dough a little thinner. Use a wide cup or ramekin to cut out circles from the dough. You can use the rolling pin to spread the circles a little more if they need to be a little thinner or larger. Careful not to make them too thin so they don't rip.

7. Place a portion of the cooked eggs and bacon in the center of a circle then top with shredded cheese. Use water as "glue" to seal the dough when you fold it over. Press around edges, then using a fork, imprint all the way around the edge. Place on a baking sheet. Continue until you use all the circles and/or dough.

8. In a little bowl, beat an egg and a splash of water. Use a pastry brush to give each empanada an egg wash coat to give them a nice golden color once cooked.

9. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden.

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