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!

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
- 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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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
Absolutely! Guava paste, dulce de leche, strawberry, pineapple or mango jams are all delicious ideas and even fresh fruit like blueberries.
You can prepare the cheese filling and refrigerate it for up to two days ahead of time before using.
To prevent the quesitos from leaking, make sure to not overfill them and ensure to seal the dough before baking.
Store in an air tight container or plastic bag for up to 5 days.
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.
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📖 Recipe

Quesitos (Cream Cheese Puff Pastry)
Equipment
- hand mixer helpful but not necessary
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- puff pastry thawed
- 8 oz cream cheese
- ⅔ cup confectioners sugar
- 1 egg white whisked
- flour for dusting on surface to roll dough
Instructions
Cream Cheese Filling
- 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
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the 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.
Assembly
- Spread a tablespoon of the cream cheese filling to the center of each square.
- 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.
Bake
- Crack the egg into a bowl. With a spoon remove yolk and discard. Using a fork, mix egg white until foamy.
- Transfer prepared quesitos to baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush egg white on prepared quesitos.
- Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until puffy, flaky and golden brown.
Cool
- Transfer the quesitos to a wire rack to cool. Once cooled, sprinkle with the confectioners sugar and serve.
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!