Flaky-on-the-outside and creamy-on-the-inside quesitos from Puerto Rico. These are one of the easiest desserts that you can make using puff pastry. Just 5 ingredients + 20 minutes!
Quesitos in Spanish means “little cheese”. And this is exactly what this recipe is: little rolls of puff pastry filled with sweetened cream cheese. They are delicious with a cup of cafe con leche in the morning. Yes, I love a sweet breakfast!
You can add guava/guayaba and get an explosion of tropical flavor with the creaminess of cream cheese. This would give you a similar result to my guava pastries (pastelitos de guayaba).
The filling of a quesito is a mix of softened cream cheese with powdered sugar and vanilla. Simple but powerful combinations.
How to fold quesitos puertorriqueños?
Quesitos are pretty easy to fold because the filling is dense and can hold its shape easily.
I start cutting the dough pastry sheet into squares of about 4 inches per side ( you can make bigger or smaller quesitos, this is just the standard size). I managed to get 9 squares from my puff pastry sheet.
Then I add 2 tsp of filling in the center of my puff pastry squares and I fold one of the tips over the filling. Then I grab the diagonal tip and fold it over. This time I stretch a bit the tip to try to get almost all the way to the back of the quesito. That’s it! A folded quesito.
If you are having a hard time getting your tips folded, you can wet the tip to make it extra sticky.
How to serve quesitos boricuas?
I prefer my puff pastry desserts fresh out of the oven. They are at their peak of flakiness and I love to eat them while warm.
These quesitos can be served simple or with a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
I highly suggest you prepare just the amount of quesitos that you are going to eat because they are not as good when reheated.
Alternatively, you can keep the filling ready and just assemble and bake when you need them. Fresh quesitos every time!
Puerto Rican Quesitos (Cream Cheese Pastries)
Ingredients
- 1 Puff pastry sheet
- ½ cup cream cheese
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup powdered sugar a bit more to sprinkle on top
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF).
- Cut the puff pastry sheet into 4×4 inches squares.
- In a bowl, mix the cream cheese, vanilla extract, powdered sugar. Mix until the cheese is soft and creamy.
- Put 1 tsp of filling in the center of each puff pastry sheet. Fold one of the tips over the filling, Then fold the diagonal tip to close the quesito (see the pictures for reference).
- Mix the egg with the granulated sugar.
- Brush the quesitos with the egg mixture and take them to the oven for 12 – 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle with some powdered sugar and serve.
Nutrition
I’m Maria and I love cooking—and mostly EATING—food from all around the world. I’ve been sharing my abuela’s secret Latin-American recipes for the last 7 years with the world on this blog. I’ve been a full-time food blogger for many years and I’m always trying new delicious meals that don’t require a culinary degree or a Michelin-star chef. I also love traveling, cats, and knitting.
These look amazing! Trying to make for all my Puerto Rican compañeros. What type of puff pastry do you use? I’ve found that store bought puff pastry is often too fluffy and puffy. The one you use in the photo looks perfect!
Hi Juliana! Thanks for commenting. I usually use a high-quality puff pastry that has a higher content of fat. It gives me flakier quesitos. I don’t mention the brand I use because I live in Europe and most of my readers are from the US.
These are amazing! We are stationed in Spain. I once had lacitos de hojaldre that I swear had a sweetened cream cheese and butter filling. I have never been able to find them again. These were so close and so easy to make that I can officially stop my hunt and make my own!
Sounds so good to add a touch of drained crushed pineapple to the mix. 😀
I would like to make it for my family thank you
Nunca e usado la hoja de hojaldre, donde la puedo comprar.
Can these be eaten the next day and taste as good or are they best eaten fresh out of the oven ?
Hi Nancy! They are better fresh out of the oven. They lose a lot of crunchiness the day after. Thanks for commenting!