74 pastel recipes

Pastel de pescado: a showstopping fish pie of cod and spiced Swiss chard wrapped in buttery pastry, twisted into a rustic topknot and baked golden. A centerpiece dish worth the time.

So buttery and so yummy! Love these pastel pretties!

Pastel tres leches Aldaco soaks a tender sponge cake in evaporated, condensed, and whole milk with a splash of rum for a creamy Mexican classic best made the night before.

French-style apple crisp layered with fresh mint and cinnamon, baked until golden with a crumbly egg-based topping for a rustic dessert that's lighter than traditional pie.

Pastel de choclo is a Chilean corn and meat pie with ground beef, chicken breast, raisins, and olives topped with a cumin-spiced pureed corn crust baked until golden. A South American comfort classic.

This authentic Pastel de Tres Leches soaks a fluffy sponge cake in a rich trio of milks until every forkful melts on your tongue. Crowned with billowy meringue and fresh berries, it's the showstopper your next fiesta needs.

This dessert is a favorite on the menus at many Houston, Mexican and South American restaurants.

This Tex-Mex style tres leches splits a golden sponge cake in half and drenches both layers in a vanilla-rum milk bath. Topped with crunchy pecans, it's pure indulgence that only gets better overnight.

Piña colada pie: a four-ingredient frozen graham-crust pie with piña colada yogurt, crushed pineapple, and whipped topping. The easiest tropical dessert in the freezer playbook.

Cute Easter egg cookies are tender cut-out cookies shaped with an egg cutter and decorated with smooth pastel icing. A fun Easter baking project for kids, made lighter with a sugar substitute in the dough.

Easter chip cookies loaded with pastel candy-coated chocolate pieces in a chewy brown sugar dough. Festive, colorful drop cookies the kids will love decorating Easter baskets with.

Chocolate sandwich cookies with a pastel mint wafer hidden inside each one. Thin cocoa dough rounds sealed with a fork, sugared on top, and baked until set. A fun surprise cookie.

Aunt Catherine's Italian Cookies: a heirloom cookie with almond extract, cinnamon, and chopped nuts, finished in pastel-colored powdered sugar icing. Stores for months in tins.

South American pork and corn pie spoons spiced pork with sweet corn, raisins, and black olives under a fluffy cornmeal topping. Pastel de choclo style casserole, baked in 45 minutes.

Butter mints made with butter, heavy cream, and powdered sugar pressed into pastel candy molds. A vintage Southern wedding-and-baby-shower mint that melts on the tongue.

Fudgy chocolate brownie cookies topped with pastel-colored frosting and sugar crystals. Loaded with semisweet chocolate chips and finished with rainbow icing for a festive, party-ready treat.