Quesitos are one of the many delicious varieties of desserts served in Puerto Rican bakeries. These sweet cheese pastries are pure perfection!
Quesitos are long puff pastry rolls that are stuffed with sweet cream cheese and glace with a silky sugar mixture. They’re flaky, sweet, and delicious!
Quesitos are my absolute favorite dessert from a Puerto Rican bakery. There you’ll get quesitos along with all the typical breakfast like the sweet cream of wheat or sweet oatmeal.
Now you can make this recipe at home just how you like it. I like my quesitos with a lot of cheese! They’re the Puerto Rican Danish version.
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Why This Recipe Works
- The quesitos are one of the most popular things to serve at Puerto Rican parties. You can also serve them just like we do in a tray along with guava puff pastries or Puerto Rican sandwichitos de mezcla. Trust me, they’re a hit at every party!
Recipe Ingredients
- Cream cheese- The filling always used in quesitos is cream cheese. It is best to use good quality cheese for a better taste. While traditionally only cream cheese is used, ricotta cheese is a great substitute.
- Sugar- I used white granulated sugar both in the cheese mixture and as a topping You can also use the same amount of brown sugar or powdered sugar. A note on the powder sugar is that it will be less sweet than the other options.
- Vanilla Extract- I use vanilla extract to enhance the flavor of the cheese. I have also used almond extract but this is not commonly used in quesitos but is still very delicious.
- Puff pastry- You can make your puff pastry or use frozen as I do. I like using the frozen puff pastry because is super convenient and very easy to work with.
- Egg and Water- The egg and the water are needed to make an egg wash to brush over the quesitos. While the eggwash is not a must I highly suggest it. It helps give the quesito a nice color and it makes it crunchier which is good when you’re making anything with a puff pastry.
- Sugar and water- You only need equal amounts of sugar and water to make a really good simple syrup to go over the quesitos.
How To Make Quesitos Bakery Style
- Step 1: Make the cheese filling by first mixing the sugar and cheese. You need your cheese to be at room temperature or at least warm enough to be able to work with it. Then add the vanilla extract and mix it in. Mix it by hand long enough for all the ingredients to come together but don’t over-mix. The more you move it around the softer and warmer it will get.
- Step 2: Cut the puff pastry dough. For this recipe, I have 2 sheets of puff pastry and I will cut each one into 6 equal rectangular pieces. To avoid getting your puff pastry stuck to your surface is best to flour the surface you’ll be working on.
- Step 3: Scoop 2 tablespoons of the sweetened cream cheese and try to spread it along the rectangular shape.
- Step 4: Roll the quesitos, gently pinch the corners, and very gently press on the seam to make sure it doesn’t open during the baking process.
- Step 5: Place your quesitos on a baking sheet spaced out at least half of an inch apart. You may need to use a couple of trays to bake depending on how many quesitos you make. Mix the egg and the water and brush them on the quesitos.
- Step 6: Sprinkle some sugar along each quesitos. You can skip this step but it adds flavor, color, and crunch to the quesitos.
- Step 7: While the oven preheats make the glaze. In a small pan add the sugar and water. Cook and let it chill until your quesitos are done.
- Step 8: Brush each quesito generously with the glaze.
Recipe Tips
- Keep your cream cheese mixture cold until you’re ready to use. This is to avoid the cheese from coming out of the quesitos while baking.
- Store the quesitos in an airtight container for no more than 3 days. Or keep it in the microwave or oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are 3 common reasons why this happens. First, it can be that it had way too much filling so naturally it came out while baking. The second, the quesito wasn’t sealed. The third and most common reason is that the cream cheese is too warm before baking so it oozes out.
I typically use a simple syrup for quesitos which is just equal parts sugar and water. Honey is also a really good glazing option. You can also use corn syrup. The most popular corn syrup brand to use is Karo but any off-brand will do. A note on the corn syrup is that is a stickier option. That’s why I prefer to use a simple syrup that I can quickly make at home.
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Quesitos (Sweet Cheese Pastries)
Ingredients
Quesitos
- 12 ounces cream cheese soften
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon sugar for sprinkling
- 1 ½ tablespoons vanilla extract
- 1 pound puff pastry
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Simple syrup
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Beat the egg with a tablespoon of water. Set it aside for later.
- In a large bowl add the cream cheese and 6 tablespoons of sugar. Mix until almost all the sugar is incorporated. Add vanilla and mix until smooth. Set aside.
- Cut each sheet of puff pastry into 6 equal pieces.
- Place 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture on each of the puff pastry pieces. Spread the beaten egg around the edges of each piece. Roll the dough into a cylinder and lightly pinch the edges.
- Place the quesitos on your tray with the line facing down. Leave at least ½ inch of space between them. Spread a thin layer of egg wash on all the quesitos. Sprinkle sugar on top of all of them. Bake for 25 minutes.
- In a small pot over high heat add ½ cup water and ½ cup sugar. Cook for 8 minutes. Let it cool while the quesitos bake.
- Generously spread your quesitos with the glaze. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
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