These Quesitos (Cream Cheese Puff Pastry) are a delicious flaky, light and tasty pastry. Perfect for breakfast or dessert. An easy traditional yummy Puerto Rican pastry.
Walk into any Puerto Rican bakery and you are guaranteed to always find Quesitos (Cream Cheese Puff Pastry) in the glass display shelves.
It is a favorite among Puerto Rican pastries!
If you have never had a Quesito (Ke-see-toe), it is a tasty flaky puff pastry dough surrounding a filling of sweetened cream cheese.
The word itself (quesito), simply translates to “small cheese.”
It is truly a delicious little treat and one of our most popular!
And with Easter Sunday just a few days away, these will certainly make a great addition to your Sunday breakfast or for dessert.
Puerto Rican Pastries
Among other popular Puerto Rican pastries like pastelillos de guayaba (Guava Pastries) or mallorcas (sweet bread), Puerto Rican quesitos are normally served with coffee or hot chocolate.
All are eaten for breakfast, midday snack or for dessert.
Ingredients for Quesitos (Cream Cheese Puff Pastry)
- puff pastry
- cream cheese
- confectioners sugar
- egg wash
Other Fillings for Quesitos
You can also top the sweetened cream cheese with strawberry, pineapple jam or guava paste.
How to Make Quesitos
Luckily for us, a lot of delicious Puerto Rican pastries are relatively easy to prepare.
Same applies with these little tasty treats.
With just 4 everyday ingredients you are creating an appetizing pastry that looks like it took some time, precise measurements and some complexity because of how beautiful and delicious they look.
Friends I can’t tell you how easy these are to make.
First line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat so the sheet is ready for once you have formed the quesitos…this way you can immediately lay them on the tray.
Ok let’s begin…
- Pre-heat oven to 400 ° F.
- Begin with mixing cream cheese and confectioners sugar together using a hand mixer. Set aside.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out one sheet of thawed puff pastry. It should be approximately 12 x 12.
- Then cut out 4 x 4 size squares. (You should get 9 squares from one puff pastry sheet).
- Spread a heaping tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture on each square on an angle.
Flip one corner of the puff pastry over filling and press corner down.
Then flip the other side over and gently press down on puff pastry to seal.
It will look like this ↓
-Transfer prepared quesitos to baking sheet.
-Crack an egg into a bowl. With a spoon remove yolk. Discard.
-With a fork stir egg white until foamy. Brush egg white on prepared quesitos.
-Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until puffy, flaky and golden brown.
-Let quesitos cool a little bit if you would like and then dust with powered sugar. Or dust immediately and serve.
All ready! Serve with hot chocolate or coffee.
How to Store Quesitos (Cream Cheese Puff Pastry)
Store in an air tight container or ziploc bag. Quesitos keep well in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Serve cold right out of refrigerator (which I love) or re-heat for a few seconds in the microwave and serve.
For more delicious Puerto Rican dishes, you will also like these.
Pastelillos de Guayaba (Guava Pastries)
Pollo Guisado (Puert Rican Chicken Stew)
Rellenos de Papa (Stuffed Potato Balls)
DON’T FORGET TO: ↓
📖 Recipe
Quesitos (Cream Cheese Puff Pastry)
Ingredients
- 1 puff pastry sheet thawed
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- ⅔ cup confectioners sugar (powered sugar) sifted
- egg wash
Instructions
- Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.Pre-heat oven to 400 ° F.
- Mix cream cheese and confectioners sugar together using a hand mixer. Set aside.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out one sheet of a thawed puff pastry. It should be approximately 12 x 12.Then cut out 4 x 4 size squares. (You should get 9 squares from one puff pastry sheet).
- Spread a heaping tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture on each square on an angle.
- Flip one corner of the puff pastry over filling and press corner down.Then flip the other side over and gently press down on puff pastry to seal.
- Transfer prepared quesitos to the baking sheet.
- Crack an egg into a bowl and with a spoon remove yolk. Discard.With a fork stir egg white until foamy. Brush egg white on prepared quesitos.
- Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until puffy, flaky and golden brown.Let quesitos cool a little bit if you like and then dust with powered sugar. Or dust immediately and serve.Serve with hot chocolate or coffee. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Valarie says
I love baking these. I make many varieties. The all time favorite is lemon blueberry with lavender sugar.
Cathy says
Wow Valerie! That sounds absolutely delicious! Lavender sugar! YUM! Would love to try these! Thank you for taking the time to comment and rate! Appreciate you and your time! Will definitely have to give the lemon blueberry with lavender sugar a try!
Rose says
Hello Cathy,
Thank you for sharing! Can these be prepped ahead of time and baked later in the day?
Thank you again!
Rose
Cathy says
Hello Rose! Yes! Absolutely you can, but do not prep days ahead as it will not bake the same way but 24 hrs to a few hours is fine. I hope that helps, if you have any other questions please let me know. 🙂
Mary says
The best recipe ❤️
Cathy says
Thank you so much Mary! I’m so happy you really enjoyed it! Warms my heart that I can share a recipe that you have enjoyed so much. Thank you for taking the time to let me know. Appreciate you!
Margie Reeves says
I plan on making these this week. They look delicious. I am wondering about adding strawberry jam. Does that get added on top of the cream cheese before folding in the corners, then baked. Can these be made ahead if time or should they be served warm. Thank tou.
Cathy says
Hi Margie! Yes, add about half a teaspoon to a teaspoon of jam right on top of the cream cheese. Be careful not to add too much as it will flow out while baking. Normally these are served at room temperature so you can certainly make these ahead of time. For example you can make them in the morning and have them that evening but you can also serve them right out of the oven too. I prefer them at room temperature. If you make them a day or so ahead of time, then once they have cooled, store them in an airtight container. Place one layer of quesitos on the bottom of container, then use parchment or wax paper and lay on top of quesitos, then add another layer of quesitos. In other words add parchment or wax paper in between each layer to help retain freshness and refrigerate. Just be aware, although you can make them head of time, they’re best freshly made and then cooled because they’re scrumptiously flaky! YUM! Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions and how you like them!
Lorrie says
I live in Orlando Florida and no one would share the recipe with me I’ve been looking for it in cookbooks and on line for 35 years. Lol. I just asked my fb friends if anyone could give me it and a great friend just sent it to me. Thank you It’s been a great secret here for years no one wanted to share The ones I’ve had from the bakery seemed to have honey on the dough. So they’re sticky and they’re rolled like a jelly roll. Is that also another way to do them? Thank you for your kindness in sharing
Cathy says
Hi Lorrie in beautiful sunny Florida! So happy I was able to help you with this recipe! Sorry you have been waiting soo long to find it! I personally know how many bakeries and chefs hold on to recipe secrets even to simple ones! I’m humbled you have chosen our recipe and our site to help you make this truly simple but delicious recipe! To answer your question, yes the honey added is another way of making them and they will be sticky….I do enjoy these as well but my favorite is with the confectioners sugar topping. Let me know how you enjoyed these! Thanks again Lorrie! 🥰
Jaim says
Just made these and they came out great. Definitely serving with jam to cut the sweet creaminess. Totally addictive
Cathy says
Hello Jaim! That is so great to hear!!! So happy you enjoy them and the jam is a great idea! I love them with a cup of “cafecito!” Have you tried the pastelillos yet? My absolute favorite since childhood!
Lindsey Pine says
These remind me of the cream cheese treats I get at my local cuban bakery. I didn’t realize they were so easy to make! This is awesome!
Cathy says
Thanks Lindsey! I know, these are so easy to make and so yummy!
Heidy L. McCallum says
These look so fantastic, I rarely eat pastries, yet I love love love them…lol I will have to make these for my husband and kids. I bet they would love your recipe.
Cathy says
Thanks Heidy! Let me know what they think about these!
Rosa says
This pastry looks so flaky and perfect!! Totally drooling, thanks so much for sharing!
Cathy says
Thanks Rosa!
Sara Welch says
What a decadent dessert! I’ve never given these a shot, but they will be perfect for Cinco de Mayo!
Cathy says
Thanks Sara! Yes they would!
Kelly Anthony says
I love trying new foods and these quesitos look delicious. My family will devour these cream cheese pastries.
Cathy says
Thanks Kelly!