On Thanksgiving, the Houston restaurateur Sylvia Casares serves at least three dozen for dessert at her family celebrations. The recipe is from her grandmother Sarita Casares, who was born and raised in the late 1800s in the border town Reynosa, Mexico. Ms. Casares has tweaked the formula, sprinkling cinnamon sugar on top to give the empanadas a sheen. “During Thanksgiving, I’ll have a pumpkin pie, but the empanadas are definitely the star of the show,” said Ms. Casares, the author of “The Enchilada Queen Cookbook: Enchiladas, Fajitas, Tamales, and More Classic Recipes from Texas-Mexico Border Kitchens.”Empanadas have been around since at least 250 B.C. They made their way to Spain, and followed the Spaniards to Latin America, said Sandra Gutierrez, the author of several cookbooks including “Empanadas: The Hand-Held Pies of Latin America.”

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Persons: ”, Marquez, Bueno, Sylvia Casares, Sarita Casares, Casares, Sandra Gutierrez Locations: Highlands, Colo, “, Reynosa, Mexico, Texas, Spain, Latin America, America