Quesitos simply means little cheese. Puerto Rican cream cheese-filled pastries served for breakfast or dessert. Made with just 4 ingredients in under 20 minutes!
The best part about this recipe is that it’s super easy to make and you can make them last minute! It feeds a crowd and it’s way more economical to make at home than purchasing it at a bakery. These remind me of my pastelitos de guayaba y queso. Those are Cuban-style pastries made with guava and cream cheese but very similar to these. Quesitos are crispy, flaky, and coated with simple syrup and granulated sugar! Enjoy them with a cup of coffee or a cold glass of milk.
Ingredient Notes
Puff Pastry – Although I used store-bought pastry, feel free to use homemade instead. Store-bought puff pastry is really good and a real-time saver.
Cream Cheese – Make sure to use softened cream cheese. If you’re not a fan, use mascarpone cheese instead. It has a very similar and smooth texture.
How To Make Quesitos
- Begin by preheating oven and preparing the simple syrup. To make the simple syrup simply add equal parts sugar and water to a saucepan and cook until the sugar dissolves.
- Mix the sugar and softened cream cheese.
- Roll out the puff pastry and cut into 9 equal squares.
- Add the cream cheese mixture to each square and brush the sides with egg wash. Fold one pastry corner and the opposite corner towards the middle of the square. Pinch tightly.
- Brush the pastries with egg wash and top them off with granulated sugar.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Brush with the simple syrup and sprinkle more granulated sugar on top.
Top Tips
- Make the simple syrup before preparing the pastries!
- Thaw the puff pastry for 20 minutes before rolling it out.
- Use good quality cream cheese for the best results.
- Add plenty of simple syrup and granulated sugar once they come out of the oven. The puff pastry isn’t sweet so it needs that extra sugar.
- Enjoy the quesitos while they’re still warm.
More Puerto Rican Recipes
- Coquito Cake – A vanilla sponge cake soaked with a Puerto Rican beverage.
- Garbanzos Guisados – Stewed chickpeas simmered with spices, garlic, and onions.
- Pollo Guisado – Bone-in Puerto Rican chicken stew.
- Ensalada de Coditos – creamy macaroni salad
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Quesitos
Ingredients
- 1 puff pastry sheet
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup white sugar
Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp water
Simple Syrup
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup water
Topping
- 1-2 tbsp white sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F, thaw the puff pastry, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- To make the simple syrup, add equal parts of sugar and water to a saucepan and cook until the sugar dissolves. Remove it from the stove and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and 1/4 cup of granulated sugar. Mix well.
- Place the puff pastry sheet on top of a floured work surface and cut the sheet into 9 squares.
- Add about 1 tbsp of the cream cheese filling to each square. Brush the corners with egg wash.
- Fold one pastry corner and the opposite corner towards the middle of the square. Pinch tightly.
- Sprinkle some granulated sugar on each pastry and then bake for 15 minutes. Once the pastries come out of the oven, brush them with simple syrup.
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