Quesitos and Besitos for Valentine’s Day

Need a dessert to share with your loved one(s) this Valentine’s Day, February 14?

Make Quesitos and I’m sure you’ll get many besitos (Spanish word which means ‘little kisses’). *smiles*

While vacationing in Puerto Rico many years ago, I remember going to a bakery with my cousins where we enjoyed Quesitos. These are cheese filled pastries. Filling variations with the cream cheese include tropical flavors such as guava, papaya, etc. The cream cheese filled pastry is brushed with an egg white wash and rolled in granulated sugar. I like to use turbinado sugar instead. I find the outer pastry to have a crunchier texture using the raw sugar. After the Quesitos are baked, an interesting final step is taken. Corn syrup is brushed on the tops of the Quesitos.

You can make your own pastry dough, but, let’s be real…who has time for that? And so, Pepperidge Farm to the rescue.

Their pastry dough is definitely a time saver. I love their products. You can see a quick ‘Pepperidge Farm Video’ on how to make a stuffed pastry. Click here.

Quesitos is a very simple dessert to put together:
Thaw the puff pastry dough.
Prepare cream cheese mixture.
I use vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla extract,
which can be purchased from Williams-Sonoma.

Prepare an egg yolk wash.
Cut the dough in squares.
Brush egg yolk mixture on dough edges.

Add cream cheese mixture on each square.
Seal the edges.
Brush egg whites on pastry.
Cover pastry in turbinado sugar.

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.

Once baked, brush corn syrup over each pastry.

I LOVE Quesitos…let’s bake.
After the recipe follows beautiful photography from flickr members. Continue reading…

QUESITOS

By Carmen Ortiz of Baking is my Zen

SERVING: 9 Pastries

INGREDIENTS:
1 Sheet Puff Pastry (Brand: Pepperidge Farm), thawed but chilled
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
1 egg yolk and a splash of milk
1 egg white and a splash of water
1/2 cup Turbinado sugar (or use granulated sugar), add more if needed
corn syrup for brushing tops of pastries

DIRECTIONS:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
3) THAW DOUGH: Remove the frozen dough from the package and place on parchment paper on counter. Unfold the pastry sheet and thaw.
4) CREAM CHEESE MIXTURE: In a medium bowl, add the softened cream cheese, granulated sugar and vanilla bean paste. Mix until combined. Set aside.
5) EGG YOLK and EGG WHITE WASH: Separate the yolk and white from one egg and put into separate bowls. Add a splash of milk to the egg yolk and stir. Set aside. Add a splash of water to the egg white and stir. Set aside.
6) CUT AND FILL THE DOUGH: Using a knife or a pizza cutter, cut the chilled dough horizontally and vertically into nine squares.
7) Brush egg yolk mixture along the perimeter of the dough square.
8) Using a spoon or mini ice cream scooper, place a dollop of the cream cheese mixture on the dough square.
9) To seal the edges, bring one side of the dough over the cream cheese, sealing the dough edges using your fingers or a fork. If not sealed properly, the filling will ooze out during baking.
10) Repeat steps 7 through 9 until all pastries are filled and shaped.
11) EGG WHITE and SUGAR COATING: Brush each pastry with egg white. Coat with turbinado sugar or granulated sugar.
12) BAKE: Place the sugar coated pastries on a parchment lined baking sheet.
13) Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
14) CORN SYRUP TOPPING: Remove pastries from oven.
15) Using a pastry brush, generously coat each pastry with corn syrup.
16) COOLING: Cool for 10 minutes.
17) SERVE: Enjoy with a cold glass of milk or hot cup of coffee.

While we’re enjoying our Quesitos,

let’s look at some great photography depicting the emotion of

LOVE.

The photos below are from flickr members.
A special ‘Thank You’ to all the flickr members who graciously shared their fabulous creative photography.

Ruff Edge Design
Cheryl Ruffing

{K. Laurie}
Kryssia Laurie

http://www.flickr.com/photos/51282910@N07/8389136257/

Das_miller

hhildrethphoto
Holly Hildreth

SeB.Renucci – Photographie
Sébastien Renucci

Rdoke
Ron Doke

Suziqb
Susan

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistmax/8371357518/

D Cunningham
Dororthy Cunningham

Saffron Blaze
Lloyd

http://www.flickr.com/photos/saffron_blaze/7229878966/

Danielle~P
Danielle Paquette

Jonne Naarala

.-B-.

MissCuit.com

manual_exp
Alan

Minarge
Nina Boltova

http://www.flickr.com/photos/minarge/8456455294/

Chaulafanita [www.juliadavilalampe.com]
Julia Dávila-Lampe.

Lara604
Lara

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Peace in Baking,

Carmen

Baking is my Zen…sweet nibbles for the soul

Photography by Carmen Ortiz ~All Rights Reserved.
Not to be used without permission.

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