My favorite memories growing up are from when my grandfather would take us to the local bakery or when he would come home with a box filled with pastelitos de carne (Cuban beef pastry). These pastelitos are sweet and flavorful all at once with a nice golden flaky outer shell.
How do you make Pastelitos De Carne (Cuban Beef Pastry)?
To make Cuban beef pastries, you are going to need a few things. You are going to want to buy puff pastry sheets at the store and let those thaw out for about 20-30 minutes so that you can unfold them. Do not unfold them without them being thawed because they will crack and break. Once thawed, you are going to cut out circles using a round cookie cutter or the top of a glass. Add about one tablespoon of picadillo (recipe found here) to half of the circles (the other half are going to be the tops). In a bowl, scramble an egg. Using that scrambled egg, lightly coat the outer portion of the circle with egg wash.
Place the remaining circles on top of the beef, matching the edges and pressing firmly on the edges so that the pastry is sealed. Brush the top of each pastry with egg wash and finally cut a line on the top so that it may vent in the oven. Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees, until they are golden brown.
While the pastelitos are in the oven, make your glaze. To do this you are going to add half a cup of sugar into a small sauce pot and add a quarter cup of water. Heat over medium-high heat until all of the sugar is dissolved. Once the pastelitos are done, lightly coat them with the glaze on top.
Are Pastelitos De Carne (Cuban Beef Pastry) hard to make?
Nope! They are extremely easy and fast to make. All you need is the picadillo, which I always use leftover picadillo to make them. The hardest part of making pastelitos de carne is controlling yourself to not eat them all at once.
Do you have to add the glaze on top?
Absolutely not! My wife actually prefers them without the glaze, but I prefer them with it. So, whenever I make them, I always do some with and some without. There are no definitive rules to cooking!
Do not forget to rate the recipe and leave comments below letting me know what you think!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Picadillo
- 1 pack Puff pastry sheets
- 1 Egg
- ½ cup Sugar
- ¼ cup Water
Instructions
- Allow the puff pastry to thaw according to the package direction (typically 20-30 minutes).
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a bowl, scramble one egg using a whisk to make the egg wash.
- Once the puff pastry is thawed, carefully unfold it, placing the more floured part down on the counter. Using a cup or a round cookie cutter, cut out 9 circles from each sheet. (You should have 18 circles in total.)
- Place a tablespoon of the picadillo (beef) filling in the center of nine of the puff pastries circles. Brush the outer part of the circle with the egg. Place the remaining puff pastry circles on each circle with filling, aligning the edges. Pinch the edges down to seal them.
- Brush remaining egg wash on the top of each circle and cut a small line through the middle of each circle. Line a baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil or parchment paper and place each puff pastry circle on the sheet leaving about 2 inches of space between them.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
- While the pastelitos are in the oven, add half a cup of sugar into a small saucepan and add a quarter cup of water. Heat over medium-high heat until all of the sugar is dissolved.
- Remove the pastelitos from the oven and lightly brush them with the glaze. Enjoy!
