Quesitos remind me of trips to Florida and Puerto Rico. Growing up, we didn’t have direct flights from the airport in Charleston to get to Puerto Rico, so we always drove down to Florida and stay with family and catch a flight to the island from there. And the first thing we would do when we got to Orlando, was hit up a Puerto Rican bakery and grab some quesitos. Similar to cheese danishes, these cheesy puff pastry treats were one of my favorite traditional desserts we’d get along with little flans and tembleques.

This recipe was adapted from a woman named Evelyn Dominguez. Her recipe was closest to what I had growing up, so I decided to play around with this one after my mom sent me a few of her favorite recipes. Let’s get to baking!

Puerto Rican Quesitos

Cook time: 40 minutes

Yield: ~18 (depending on how large you make them)

1 8oz package cream cheese, room temperature 

3 tbsp powdered sugar

2 tsp pure vanilla extract or paste

Large pinch of kosher salt

1 package puff pastry sheets, thawed (see note)

1 large egg, beaten

Granulated sugar, for garnish

Light corn syrup, for garnish

Note: most frozen puff pastry sheets are sold with two sheets per box. Depending on the brand, simply follow the instructions on the box to properly and safely thaw the dough. I always stick with Pepperidge Farm since it’s easy to find in most grocery stores. I just thaw the entire box in the fridge overnight when I know I’m going to be making this recipe.

Preheat your oven to 350ºF and set aside a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet.

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Combine until fully mixed and very smooth and creamy (I used a silicone spatula).

Gently remove the thawed puff pastry sheet and gently roll out using a rolling pin or wine bottle to make sure the creases are flattened. Then, using a sharp knife, cut the sheet into thirds lengthwise and then across, creating 9 squares per sheet of dough, giving you 18 squares total.

Spoon 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese filling into the center of the square and spreading down a little bit into a strip (you can also pipe in the filling with a piping bag or cut-off plastic storage bag if you want to make them super neat). Fold over each corner into the center, making sure to overlap the sides on top of one another. Repeat this step with the remaining dough and filling.

When I tested out the recipe, I made all different shapes and sizes of quesitos and liked this one the best. But you can make them into little tarts or triangles, whatever is clever. Traditionally, they’re shaped this way.

Using a pastry brush, brush the beaten egg over the quesitos and sprinkle with a little bit of granulated sugar. Bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through until the dough is puffed up and they’re nice and golden brown.

Once removed from the oven, brush them with the corn syrup and sprinkle with a little more granulated sugar for crunch. Enjoy with a big cup of coffee!

¡Buen provecho!