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Quesito Puerto Rican Cheese Pastry

Quesito Puerto Rican Cheese Pastry

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Quesito Puerto Rican Cheese Pastry features flaky puff pastry wrapped around a sweetened cream cheese filling that stays creamy while the dough puffs perfectly. This easy recipe requires no special equipment and yields golden, crispy pastries ideal for breakfast, snacks, or potlucks.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 8 pastries
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Puerto Rican
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 sheet puff pastry thawed, thaw overnight in fridge for best puff
  • 1 large egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water for egg wash
  • 8 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature for 30 minutes
  • 0.25 cup granulated sugar can substitute 2 tablespoon brown sugar for caramel notes
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract pure or imitation, optional
  • 1 tablespoon butter melted, for brushing on hot pastries
  • 0.5 teaspoon cinnamon optional, mix into filling or dust on top
  • brown sugar optional for topping

Method
 

  1. Beat softened cream cheese with granulated sugar and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy with no lumps, about 1-2 minutes with a hand mixer or 3 minutes by hand.
    8 oz cream cheese, 0.25 cup granulated sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract
  2. Unroll thawed puff pastry on parchment paper and cut into 6 to 8 rectangles about 3x4 inches each. Space them about 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
    1 sheet puff pastry
  3. Place 2 tablespoons of cream cheese filling in the center of each rectangle, leaving a ½-inch border. Fold dough over filling to form a triangle or rectangle, press edges with a fork to seal completely, and poke 2-3 small vent holes on top with a knife tip.
    8 oz cream cheese
  4. Beat 1 egg with 1 teaspoon water and brush evenly over each pastry, including the edges. Chill shaped pastries in the refrigerator for 10 minutes while preheating the oven to 375°F.
    1 large egg
  5. Bake pastries for 10 minutes, brush with a second coat of egg wash, then bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes until deeply golden, fully puffed, and crispy.
    1 large egg
  6. Transfer pastries to a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes before serving. Optionally brush with melted butter for extra shine and richness and dust with cinnamon sugar while warm.
    1 tbsp butter, 0.5 tsp cinnamon, brown sugar

Notes

  • Keep the puff pastry cold and chill shaped pastries before baking to ensure maximum puff.
  • Use exactly 2 tablespoons of filling per pastry to avoid leaking and sogginess.
  • Cooling on a wire rack is essential to keep bottoms crisp and avoid soggy pastry.

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