Empanadas de Pina (Pineapple Pastry Cookies)

Ingredients

• 3 cups white sugar
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 pound butter , softened and cut into pieces
• 2 packages cream cheese , 8 ounce
• 2 jars pineapple preserves , 10 ounce

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Place sugar in a bowl.

2. 2

   Place flour in a large mixing bowl. Begin working butter into flour slowly until fully incorporated. Repeat process gradually with cream cheese, kneading dough until uniform and no longer crumbly. Form into 1 inch balls, then flatten with a rolling pin to a thickness of 1/8 inch. (This may also be done by rolling out the entire amount of dough and cutting rounds with a biscuit cutter.)

3. 3

   Place 1 tablespoon preserves on each dough center. Fold over, and seal with fingers or press to seal with a fork. Place cookies on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.

4. 4

   Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Cookie will remain white and should not be browned, and it is normal for some filling to leak from the cookie. When cookies are cool enough to handle, roll in sugar until evenly coated. Transfer to a platter to cool completely.