Patelitos (Little Fruit Pies)
Submitted by pattiwhack
Pastelitos, little hand pies filled with mashed dried fruit, honey, and cinnamon in a flaky shortening crust. A traditional Latin American fruit turnover baked golden.
YIELD
10 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
15 minREADY
45 minPastelitos are small hand pies filled with sweetened dried fruit, folded into half-moons, and baked until golden. This version uses a simple shortening crust and a filling of mashed dried fruit sweetened with sugar, honey, and cinnamon.
The beauty of this recipe is its flexibility. Apricots, peaches, pears, prunes, currants, or raisins all work. The fruit gets cooked first until soft, then mashed and seasoned. Different dried fruits will give you different flavor profiles, so you can make these your own every time.
The dough is a basic shortening pastry, cut in until it resembles fine meal. It rolls out easily and bakes into a tender, flaky shell with a golden egg-wash shine on top. The fork pricks on top vent steam so the pies don’t puff up and burst at the seams.
Pro Tips
- Drain the cooked fruit thoroughly before mashing. Wet filling soaks through the dough and makes the bottom soggy.
- Roll the dough to exactly ¼ inch thick. Thinner and it tears when you fold; thicker and the crust overwhelms the filling.
- Pinch the edges firmly. These pies will pop open during baking if the seal isn’t tight.
- Brush the egg wash gently. Too heavy a coat pools in the fork holes and burns.
Variations
- Use a mix of dried fruits for a more complex filling.
- Add a pinch of ground cloves or allspice alongside the cinnamon for a warmer spice blend.
- Dust with powdered sugar while still warm for a sweeter presentation.
Ingredients
Directions
Note-any dried fruit, such as apricots, peaches, pears, currants, prunes or raisins may be used.
Mash the cooked fruit, add sugar, honey and cinnamon.
Stir well.
Preheat oven to 400℉ (200℃).
Combine flour, baking powder and salt int a mixing bow.
Cut in shortening until mixture resembles fine meal.
Slowly add water until dough is easy to roll.
Roll out to ¼ inch thickness and cut into 4-inch rounds, put 1 tablespoon of fruit filling on one half of each round, fold over and other half of the round, and pinch edges together firmly.
Prick to tops in several places with teh tines of a fork.
Mix egg with milk and brush on the tops of the pies.
Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
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