Quesitos and Besitos for Valentine’s Day

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Remove the frozen dough from the package and place on parchment paper on counter. Unfold the pastry sheet and thaw.

In a medium bowl, add the softened cream cheese, granulated sugar and vanilla bean paste. Mix until combined. Set aside.

Separate the yolk and white from the egg and put into separate bowls. Add a splash of milk to the egg yolk and stir. Set aside. Add a splash of water to the egg white and stir. Set aside.

Using a knife or a pizza cutter, cut the chilled dough horizontally and vertically into 9 squares. Brush egg yolk mixture along the perimeter of each dough square.

Using a spoon or mini ice cream scooper, place a dollop of the cream cheese mixture on the dough square. To seal the edges, bring one side of the dough over the cream cheese, sealing the dough edges using your fingers or a fork. If not sealed properly, the filling will ooze out during baking. Repeat until all pastries are filled and shaped.

Brush each pastry with egg white. Coat with turbinado sugar or more granulated sugar.

Place the sugar-coated pastries on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes at 350ºF.

Remove pastries from oven. Using a pastry brush, generously coat each pastry with corn syrup. Cool for 10 minutes.

Enjoy with a cold glass of milk or hot cup of coffee.