Quesitos (Cream Cheese Puff Pastry)

Name: Quesitos (Cream Cheese Puff Pastry)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: puff pastry (thawed); 8 oz cream cheese; ⅔ cup confectioners sugar; 1 egg white (whisked); flour (for dusting on surface to roll dough)

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Puerto Rican Quesitos (Cream Cheese Puff Pastry) are flaky, buttery pastries filled with sweetened cream cheese. They’re simple to make and impossible to resist!

Quesitos (Cream Cheese Puff Pastry) on a serving plate and more cooling off on a wire rack.

Walk into any Puerto Rican bakery and you’re going to find a tempting array of delicious treats like pastelillos de guayaba (guava pastries), mantecaditos (shortbread cookies), mallorcas (sweet bread), brazo gitano (guava roll), and of course, quesitos.

These flaky pastries, filled with sweetened cream cheese, are a favorite not only across the island but of course in our home! If you’ve never tried a quesito, it’s the perfect combination of creamy and crisp and are delicious with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate for breakfast or afternoon snack. Once you try one, you’ll understand why they’re so loved on our beautiful island!

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Why We Love this Recipe
Ingredients
Substitutions and Variations
Instructions
Expert Tips
Recipe FAQs
Other Desserts You Will Love
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Why We Love this Recipe

Flaky and Creamy – It’s the perfect mix of flaky and creamy, with buttery puff pastry and a sweet cream cheese filling that is simply delicious and hard to resist. My family loves when I make these, they don’t last a full day!

Enjoy Anytime – Quesitos are perfect for breakfast, a quick snack, or served as a sweet dessert. They’re especially great for the holidays since they’re so easy to make.

A Taste of Home for My Family – For me, making treats like flancocho (vanilla flan cake), flan de coco (coconut flan) and pastries, isn’t just about delicious treats and desserts but it’s about keeping our Puerto Rican foods alive and reminding my family of home.

Ingredients

puff pastry
cream cheese
confectioners sugar
egg wash

See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.

Substitutions and Variations

Dough: If you don’t have puff pastry, use a flaky dough like crescent roll dough.

Cheese Filling – If you love pastries that have cinnamon in them, try adding a teaspoon of vanilla extract and a little ground cinnamon to the cheese filling.

Fruit Filling – Try adding a thin slice of guava paste like I did here in my recipe for empanadillas de guayaba (guava empanadas). You can also try pineapple, mango or strawberry jam on top of the cheese filling.

Topping – We usually finish quesitos off with powdered sugar but another idea is to drizzle some honey on top.

Instructions

Prepared cream cheese filling in a glass mixing bowl.

Step 1: Pre-heat oven to 400°F.

Add the cream cheese and confectioners sugar to a mixing bowl and blend well together using a hand mixer. Set aside.

Puff pastry dough flatten a little and cut into squares to make the quesitos.

Step 2: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the thawed puff pastry a little or until it measures approximately 12×12 inches.

Next, cut the dough into 4×4 inch squares. You should get 9 equal squares to one puff pastry sheet. Do the same with the second puff pastry sheet.

Adding the cream cheese filling to the puff pastry squares.

Step 3: Spread a tablespoon of the cream cheese filling to the center of each square.

Step 4: 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.

Egg wash in a bowl to glaze the quesitos before baking.

Step 5: Crack an egg into a bowl. With a spoon remove yolk and discard. Using a fork, mix egg white until foamy.

The quesitos laying in a baking sheet, ready to bake.

Step 6: Transfer prepared quesitos to baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush egg white on prepared quesitos.

Freshly baked Quesitos (Cream Cheese Puff Pastry) sitting on a baking sheet.

Step 7: Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until puffy, flaky and golden brown.

Quesitos (Cream Cheese Puff Pastry) cooling off on a wire rack and then topped with powdered sugar.

Step 8: Transfer the quesitos to a wire rack to cool. Once cooled, sprinkle with the confectioners sugar and serve.

Expert Tips

Keep the Puff Pastry Cold: It is important to work quickly with the dough to help maintain its flakiness. If it gets to warm, pop it in the fridge for a few minutes before continuing.

Seal Well: Prevent the filling from leaking out by ensuring you seal the edges well.

Don’t Overfill: Be cautious not to overfill with the cream cheese filling, as this can cause the pastries to burst open when baking.

Use Parchment Paper: To prevent the pastries from sticking to the baking sheet, use parchment paper or baking mat.

Recipe FAQs

Can I add anything else to the filling?

Absolutely! Guava paste, dulce de leche, strawberry, pineapple or mango jams are all delicious ideas and even fresh fruit like blueberries.

Can I make the filling ahead of time?

You can prepare the cheese filling and refrigerate it for up to two days ahead of time before using.

How do I prevent my quesitos from leaking during baking?

To prevent the quesitos from leaking, make sure to not overfill them and ensure to seal the dough before baking.

How do I store leftovers?

Store in an air tight container or plastic bag for up to 5 days.

Do I have to reheat leftovers before eating?

Enjoy quesitos cold, right out of refrigerator or re-heat for a few minutes in the oven if you prefer. However, quesitos are delicious warm, cold or at room temperature.

Other Desserts You Will Love

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