Oh. My. Gosh. I think I cried a little bit when these came out of the oven. Throughout my childhood, if there was a party going on, or it was a particularly special Saturday morning, there were pastelitos de carne at home. My parents would visit the local Cuban bakery and bring home a box of these, at which point, I’d proceed to gorge myself with them until I was unabashedly stuffed. These are a traditional Cuban pastry filled with a highly seasoned beef mixture, and once they’re crispy and fluffy, they’re brushed with simple syrup made from equal parts of sugar & water. For ease and simplicity’s sake, I drizzle these with agave nectar, with delish results. Make these for your next party, and you may have trouble getting your guests to leave!
(Makes approximately 25 2″ wide pastelitos)
1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, thawed
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup of my Picadillo recipe
1 egg, beaten
Light agave nectar or simple syrup (recipe below)
Unfold your first sheet of puff pastry, and dust both sides with flour so it’s not sticking to the board.
Using your 2″ round cookie cutter, or a narrow glass, cut out as many circles are you can from the first sheet. I got 27 out of this sheet. Place them into a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Place about 1/2 teaspoon of the finely ground meat mixture into the center of the circle.
Cut out a second set of discs from the 2nd sheet of puff pastry. Brush the edges of each circle with a bit of the beaten egg mixture.
Place a disc of pastry onto of the meat mixture, pressing the sides with your fingers to fold the dough around the meat mixture.
Using a fork, press down the edges of the circle to seal the two discs together. Cut a small slit into the top of the assembled pastelito, to allow steam to escape while baking.
Bake them at 400F for 15-20 minutes, on the highest rack in your oven. If the bottoms are getting dark but the tops are still not golden, you can broil them for a minute or two, but watch them! They can burn in an instant. Once they’re out of the oven, lightly drizzle them with the agave nectar, or simple syrup (recipe below). You don’t want to drown them, you just want them to have a kiss of sweetness. Then devour, and repeat!
Simple Syrup Recipe
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
Directions:
Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and cool completely. Will keep in the refrigerator for 1 month.
Pastelitos De Carne (Cuban Picadillo Filled Pastries)
Ingredients
- 1 package 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup of picadillo
- 1 egg beaten
- Light agave nectar or simple syrup
Instructions
-
Unfold your first sheet of puff pastry, and dust both sides with flour so it's not sticking to the board.
-
Using your 2" round cookie cutter, or a narrow glass, cut out as many circles are you can from the first sheet. I got 27 out of this sheet. Place them into a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
-
Place about 1/2 teaspoon of the finely ground meat mixture into the center of the circle.
-
Cut out a second set of discs from the 2nd sheet of puff pastry. Brush the edges of each circle with a bit of the beaten egg mixture.
-
Place a disc of pastry onto of the meat mixture, pressing the sides with your fingers to fold the dough around the meat mixture.
-
Using a fork, press down the edges of the circle to seal the two discs together. Cut a small slit into the top of the assembled pastelito, to allow steam to escape while baking.
-
Bake the pastelitos at 400F for 15-20 minutes, on the highest rack in your oven. If the bottoms are getting dark but the tops are still not golden, you can broil them for a minute or two, but watch them! They can burn in an instant.
-
Once they're out of the oven, lightly drizzle the pastelitos de carne with the agave nectar, or simple syrup. You don't want to drown them, you just want them to have a kiss of sweetness. Then devour, and repeat!
25 Responses
The link for the meat recipe isn’t working. Can you please repost it?
Done! Puerto Rican Picadillo (Stewed Ground Beef)
They look so good…we are going to make them on monday. Me and my son…we love to cook and make different dishes every monday
Can I purchase these pastelitos de carne anywhere on the internet?
https://www.portosbakery.com/items/meat-pie-pastel-de-carne/
Can I purchase these pastelitos de carne anywhere on the internet?
These are my (very gringo) daughter’s absolute favorite! I’m about to make them for the 4/5th time!
Amazing!thank you. Great memories too.
Can you freeze these?
Is the picadillo suppose to be blended before filling ?
I like putting it in a food processor to make it smaller but that’s not necessary.
OMG! These came out exactly like the ones I remember growing up. I used your picadillo recipe for the filling. Amazing!
This recipe is a keeper and I will be making them for the rest of my family soon.
Gracias!
i like this recipe thankz 😀
These were amazing! just like in Miami. your picadillo recipe is also delicious. We have been away from Miami for a year and missed these like crazy! can’t wait to try your other recipes! Thank you so much!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them Yadi!
Where do I find the puff pastry? Is there a specific brand?
Hi there! Puff pastry is avialable in the freezer section of most supermarkets, you can find it near the frozen pie dough. Pepperidge Farm makes a version.
Thank you sooo much for the recipe Cuban meat pies (Pastelitos de carne) were Soo Delicious. It was Awesome that my husband asked me to do another batch. Thank you!!!!
So glad you enjoyed them!
omg im just so hungry right now this looks delicious
These were amazing, thanks Jannese for such a delicious treat. I am going to make them soon!