Mexican pastelitos are a delicious and versatile treat that can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. They are made with a simple dough that is filled with a variety of savory or sweet ingredients, then baked or fried until golden brown. Pastelitos are a popular street food in Mexico and can also be found in many Mexican restaurants. With so many different fillings to choose from, there is sure to be a pastelito recipe that everyone will enjoy.
Here are our top 8 tried and tested recipes!
PASTELITOS DE CARNE (PUFF PASTRY WITH MEAT FILLING)
Pastelitos de Carne are delicious flaky buttery puff pastry meat pies filled with a savory and hyper tasty Carne Molida (Puerto Rican Picadillo) and baked to golden perfection. Serve with a side of hot sauce and hot peppers if you like.
Provided by Mexican Appetizers and More
Categories Appetizer Breakfast Snack
Time 40m
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Follow recipe instructions from my carne molida post.Let meat cool.Note: Although my carne molida recipe calls for potatoes and sofrito, these two can be excluded from the carne molida you make for this dish. You will still end up with delicious picadillo.
- Unfold puff pastry sheet and with a rolling pin roll out to an 1/8 of thinness.Then using a biscuit cutter or cup, cut circles.Brush circles with egg wash.
- Add a tablespoon or more to center of circles.Top with another circle and press down with your fingers all around circle.Brush the tops with egg wash again.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.Serve with hot sauce and hot peppers. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts : ServingSize 6 g, Calories 449 kcal, Carbohydrate 36 g, Protein 5 g, Fat 31 g, SaturatedFat 7 g, Sodium 203 mg, Fiber 1 g
PASTELITOS (GUAVA AND CREAM CHEESE PASTRIES)
In Havana - and in Cuban neighborhoods across the U.S. - pastry shops make many types of cakes and cookies, but the best-sellers are always the pastels and pastelitos, flaky pastries filled with meat, cheese, coconut custard or guava jam. According to "Paladares: Recipes from the Private Restaurants, Home Kitchens, and Streets of Cuba" by Anya von Bremzen (Abrams, 2017), the shape of the pastel correlates with the filling: Triangular pastels are filled with guava paste and cheese, while rectangular ones are filled with just guava. Versailles, a Cuban restaurant in Miami, follows this rule, but at home, just make them rectangular, and add a swipe of cream cheese if desired. You can find guava paste in bricks at Latin American grocers, or swap in about 1/2 cup jam or preserves for a nontraditional take.
Provided by Daniela Galarza
Categories snack, finger foods, pastries, dessert
Time 1h
Yield 8 pastelitos
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Prepare an egg wash: In a small bowl, beat the egg with a pinch of salt and set aside.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll one sheet of puff pastry into an 8-by-12-inch rectangle roughly the size of a standard sheet of paper. (Keep the other puff pastry sheet in the refrigerator.) Dust off any excess flour and lay the rolled pastry sheet on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Dip a pastry brush into the egg wash, and paint a line in lengthwise along the center of the pastry sheet, followed by three crosswise lines, evenly spaced, forming a grid of 8 rectangles, each approximately 3 inches wide and 4 inches long. Brush edges with egg wash. Lay a slice of guava paste in the center of each rectangle (or dot with dollops of jam or preserves, if using). Spread some of the cream cheese, if using, on top of the guava paste (about 1 1/2 tablespoons cream cheese per pastry).
- Remove the second sheet of puff pastry from the refrigerator, and roll it out into an 8-by-11-inch rectangle, dusting with flour as needed to prevent sticking. Lay the second sheet of puff pastry on top of the first. Using the side of your palm, press around and between the mounds of filling, pressing out any excess air, and to glue the top pastry to the bottom, creating 8 even, rectangular pockets. Paint the top sheet of puff pastry with egg wash. Sprinkle the surface with sugar.
- Using a knife or bench scraper, cut out and separate the 8 pastelitos following the original grid in between the indentations in the dough. Trim the perimeter to neaten the rectangles. The dough should still be cool to the touch; if it is warm, return the pastelitos to the refrigerator on the baking sheet for 10 minutes to firm up before baking.
- Bake pastelitos until puffed and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
DRIED FRUIT PASTELITOS
This recipe came to The Times in 2011 from Natividad Manzanares of Los Ojos, N.M., who bakes them for her family's Easter gathering. Shortening or lard makes for a supremely tender, flaky crust, but be careful not to overwork the dough.
Provided by Julia Moskin
Categories dessert
Time 2h
Yield About 20 squares
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- To make the filling, combine the dried fruit and 1 1/2 cups water in a pot over medium-low heat and simmer until fruit is almost mushy, 20 to 30 minutes. Add a little water if needed. Drain the liquid. Working in batches if necessary, put fruit and orange juice in a blender and purée until smooth. Return to the pot, add 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and cloves or nutmeg, and simmer over medium-low heat until thick and jammy.
- To make the crust, heat oven to 400 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Using your fingertips, rub in the shortening or lard. Make a well in the center and add 4 to 6 tablespoons water, a small amount at a time, and work it into a dough.
- Divide dough in half and roll each half on a lightly floured board to fit a shallow square or rectangular baking pan, about 9 by 12 inches. Line the pan with one sheet of pastry. Spread the fruit mixture evenly over the pastry, leaving a half-inch border. Place second sheet of pastry over the fruit mixture. Cut the pastry edges to just fit inside the rim of the pan. Press the edges of pastry together to seal around the edges. Brush top with milk. Mix 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle over the pastry. Poke holes in pastry with a fork. Bake 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and cut into square.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 182, UnsaturatedFat 7 grams, Carbohydrate 20 grams, Fat 11 grams, Fiber 1 gram, Protein 2 grams, SaturatedFat 3 grams, Sodium 107 milligrams, Sugar 8 grams, TransFat 1 gram
MEXICAN PASTELITOS
Recipe taken from my "Cookies and Bars" cookbook. Haven't tried them yet, but they are on my holiday cookie list.
Provided by DailyInspiration
Categories Dessert
Time 55m
Yield 40 balls
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 2 cookie sheets. Place the butter and superfine sugar in a bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Sift the flour, cornstarch, and cinnamon into a separate bowl, then gradually work dry ingredients into creamed mixture with a wooden spoon. When well mixed, knead until smooth.
- Take 1 teaspoons at a time of the mixture and roll into a ball. place the balls on the prepared cookie sheets. Bake in a preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until pale golden.
- Place the confectioners' sugar in a shallow dish and toss the pastelitos in it while they are still warm. Let cool on cooling racks.
PASTELITOS -- LITTLE FRUIT PIES (SOUTHWEST)
This recipe was found in the 1986 cookbook, I Hear America Cooking. These "little pies" are a version of those pastries made in Arizona & New Mexico, especially during Pueblo feast days. Preparation time does not include the 30 minutes needed for the dough to chill. Although this recipe can be considered 'Native American' I marked it as 'Southwest' as part of the USA -- After all, we're all Americans!
Provided by Sydney Mike
Categories Pie
Time 1h20m
Yield 30 squares, 15 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- FOR THE FILLING: In a saucepan, put apricots in cold water & simmer gently until fruit is soft, about 30 minutes, then drain.
- In a food processor or blender, puree the apricots, then return the puree to the saucepan, add the brown sugar & cook until puree is very thick, about 8-10 minutes.
- Remove puree from heat, then add raisins & nuts, & set aside to cool.
- FOR THE DOUGH: While the puree is cooling, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder & salt, then cut in the butter & shortening until pea-size pieces form.
- Add just enough ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to make the flour stick together, then shape into a flattened ball, wrap in plastic & refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- When the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, then cut the flattened ball in half & roll one of the halves out on a GREASED baking sheet.
- Spread the fruit mixture on top, ALMOST to the edge.
- Roll out the second half of the dough large enough to cover the fruit mixture, then place it on top, before pressing the edges together all around to seal.
- In a small container, whisk together the 1/3 cup of sugar & 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, then sprinkle that on top of the prepared pastry. Finally, with the blunt edge of a table knife, mark the pastry into small squares & prick each square with a fork ~ There should be about 30 small squares marked off.
- Bake about 20 minutes, or until pastry is lightly browned, then cool & cut into the marked squares.
PASTELES DE QUESO RECIPE BY TASTY
Here's what you need: all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, granulated sugar, corn oil, large eggs, warm milk, shredded mozzarella cheese, water, canola oil, powdered sugar, api
Provided by Betsy Carter
Categories Desserts
Yield 25 pasteles
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar and whisk to combine.
- Add the corn oil and whisk until well combined.
- In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, lightly beat together the eggs. Add the milk.
- Gradually add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix until the dough begins to come together in a ball.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, until smooth.
- Place the dough in a floured bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let it rest for 45 minutes, or until dough has nearly doubled in size.
- Roll the dough into about 25 smaller balls, or fewer if you prefer larger pasteles. Transfer to a baking sheet and cover with a kitchen towel so the dough balls don't dry out as you roll them out.
- Working 1 at a time, roll each dough ball out into ⅛-inch (3 mm) thick ovals. Use an inverted bowl to cut out circles about 4-5 inches (10-13 cm) in diameter. Discard the dough scraps.
- Add about a tablespoon of Oaxaca cheese to the center of each circle. Lightly wet the edge of the dough with water, then fold in half and seal using the repulgue technique or an empanada mold cutter.
- Fill a large pot with canola oil and heat to 360°F (182°C).
- Add several pasteles at a time to the hot oil and fry for about 5 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
- Dust the hot pasteles with powdered sugar. Serve with api, if desired.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts : Calories 159 calories, Carbohydrate 22 grams, Fat 4 grams, Fiber 0 grams, Protein 6 grams, Sugar 1 gram
GOURMET PASTELILLOS (MEAT PIES)
The unique flavor of Puerto Rican seasonings, green olives, and lean beef combine in a deep-fried pastry for a deliciously spicy turnover. Can be served small as appetizers or meal size.
Provided by Joanna
Categories World Cuisine Recipes Latin American Caribbean
Time 55m
Yield 15
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Add onion, tomato sauce, olives, sofrito, sazon, garlic, and oregano. Bring to a simmer and cook until mixture thickens, about 15 minutes.
- Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of meat mixture into the middle of a disco. Fold dough over, moisten edges, and press with a fork to seal. Repeat with remaining meat mixture and discos.
- Pour oil into a saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. Fry pastelillos until golden brown and bubbly, about 3 minutes each. Drain on paper towels before serving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 290.1 calories, Carbohydrate 27.6 g, Cholesterol 20.8 mg, Fat 15.8 g, Fiber 1.5 g, Protein 10.8 g, SaturatedFat 3.6 g, Sodium 735.9 mg, Sugar 0.3 g
PASTELITOS DE BODA
In Mexico, these rich cookies are called "Little Wedding Cakes" and usually are served with hot chocolate. Since moving here close to Mexico from the Midwest, I've enjoyed trying authentic recipes-they're a sharp departure from the Iowa favorites I grew up with! I love introducing these to relatives and friends! -Terri Lins, San Diego, California
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Desserts
Time 35m
Yield about 3 dozen.
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; add vanilla. Combine flour, salt and nuts; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Add cream; knead lightly. , Shape into a roll 2-1/2 in. in diameter. Wrap in plastic. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. , Preheat oven to 375°. Unwrap and cut into 1/4-in. slices. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 15 minutes or until delicately browned around edges. Remove to wire rack. While warm, roll in additional confectioners' sugar.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 185 calories, Fat 13g fat (6g saturated fat), Cholesterol 25mg cholesterol, Sodium 112mg sodium, Carbohydrate 15g carbohydrate (3g sugars, Fiber 1g fiber), Protein 3g protein.
Tips:
- For a flaky crust, use a combination of butter and shortening.
- To prevent the dough from becoming too tough, work it as little as possible.
- Chill the dough before rolling it out.
- Brush the edges of the dough with water before crimping to help seal them.
- Bake the pastelitos until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
- Let the pastelitos cool slightly before serving.
- Garnish with powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, or fresh fruit.
Conclusion:
Pastelitos are a delicious and versatile pastry that can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. With a variety of fillings to choose from, there is sure to be a pastelito that everyone will love. Whether you are looking for a traditional Mexican pastry or something with a more modern twist, you will find a recipe in this article that you will enjoy.
So next time you are looking for a sweet and satisfying treat, give pastelitos a try. You won't be disappointed!
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