Pastelitos Criollos
Crisp, layered fried pastries filled with quince or sweet potato paste, finished with sugar syrup. A national-holiday sweet across the country.
- prep
- 1 h
- cook
- 20 min
- total
- 1 h 20 min
- serves
- 10
- level
- hard
Pastelitos criollos share their calendar with locro: both are strongly associated with Argentina's national holidays, and many families only make this crisp, syrup-glazed pastry around those specific dates.
The folding technique behind the layers is a simplified relative of puff pastry, a few folds rather than the many used for a classic French version, built to be manageable in a home kitchen rather than a pastry shop.
Part of our 20 best Argentine recipes list.
method
Mix the flour, salt, warm water and oil into a smooth, firm dough. Knead for 5 minutes, then rest, covered, for 20 minutes.
Roll the dough out into a large rectangle. Spread a layer of the softened butter or lard over two-thirds of it, fold it into thirds like a letter, and roll out again.
Repeat this folding and rolling process 3 more times, chilling the dough for 10 minutes between folds if it becomes too soft to handle.
Roll the laminated dough out thin and cut into small squares, about 8 cm across.
Place a small piece of quince or sweet potato paste in the center of each square. Fold the four corners up toward the center and pinch them together to seal, creating the traditional pinwheel-like shape.
Heat the frying oil to 170°C (340°F). Fry the pastelitos in small batches for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until deeply golden and crisp.
While they fry, simmer the sugar, water and cinnamon stick if using for 8 to 10 minutes, until it forms a light syrup.
Drain the hot pastelitos briefly, then dip or brush them generously with the warm syrup while still hot.
chef's tips
- Like locro, pastelitos are strongly tied to Argentina's national holidays, and many households only make them around those dates.
- The folding and rolling process is what creates the pastry's flaky layers, the same basic idea behind puff pastry, just with fewer, simpler folds for a home kitchen.
- Seal the corners firmly before frying. A poorly sealed pastelito lets the filling leak out into the hot oil.
- Glaze them while they are still hot from the fryer. The syrup soaks in and sets properly at that stage; it mostly sits on the surface if added once the pastry has cooled.