Pastisetas are tender butter cookies that melt in your mouth, thanks to the cornstarch in the dough. A popular Mexican treat during the holidays that everyone will love!
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Pastisetas galletas or butter cookies, are simply made of all-purpose flour, cornstarch, confectioner sugar, and margarine. These ingredients are mixed together to become a delicious cookie dough.
The cookie dough then is piped to form beautiful flowers and topped with jam if you like then baked to perfection. These buttery and crumbly cookies are popular for occasions like Christmas, New Year and Los Reyes Magos.
Why you’ll love Pastisetas
- These galletas are perfect for the holidays. The butter flavor and tender texture are irresistible!
- Customizable: add other flavors like orange or lemon zest.
- They’re perfect for all cookie lovers. They will be a hit just like Galletitas De Nuez.
Ingredients
- All purpose flour
- Cornstarch & salt
- Confectioners sugar
- 3 sticks unsalted butter
- A medium egg at room temperature
- And vanilla extract
Equipment
- 1M Open Star Piping Tip
- Baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
How to Make Pastisetas
Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F (180c). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Sift the flour, salt and cornstarch into a large bowl. Repeat process for the confectioners sugar into a separate bowl. Set aside. 2 cups all purpose flour (270g), 2 tablespoons cornstarch (20g), ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 cup confectioners sugar (100g)
- In a large bowl, cream the butter using a hand mixer for about 2 minutes. If using a stand mixer, for about 4 minutes. Note: Using a hand mixer, mixes faster than a stand mixer. 3 sticks unsalted butter (270g).
- Once the butter is soft and fluffy, add the confectioners sugar. Mix with the whisk first (without the mixer being on) to prevent from flying out of the bowl.
- Mix on speed #2 to integrate. Scrape down sides of the bowl with a spatula and continue mixing for about 1 minute.
- Add the vanilla and egg. Beat for about a minute until everything is integrated and fluffy. 1 medium egg at room temperature,1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Add half of the flour mixture and integrate with the spatula (using a spatula to mix helps the butter to stay airy at this point). Add the rest of the flour and fold to integrate all ingredients.
- Transfer the dough to a decorating bag fitted with a large open star tip. Pipe the dough into 2-inch circles on the parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Bake, one pan at a time, until light golden brown at the bottom, 12 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool completely before storing or serving.
- For cookies with jam in the middle: Use the tip of your finger to gently press an indentation in the center each cookie dough ball. Add a little bit of your favorite jam, cajeta, nutella or dulce de leche.
Tips and Notes
- Measure the flour correctly: The optimal and simplest method involves using a scale. If unavailable, fluff your flour with a spoon, gently sprinkle it into the measuring cup, and use a knife to level it.
- Creaming butter properly, keeping butter doughs cold, and starting with fresh, good-tasting butter are vital details for successful cookies.
- Start with butter that is at room temperature. It should be soft to the touch but not melted. This usually takes about 30 minutes to an hour after removing it from the refrigerator.
- Scrape the Bowl: Stop the mixer periodically and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula. This ensures that all the butter gets evenly creamed.
How to Store
Airtight Container: Place the cooled cookies in an airtight container. This helps to maintain their freshness and prevents them from absorbing any odors from the surroundings.
Refrigeration (Optional): While most butter cookies don’t require refrigeration, if you want to extend their shelf life, you can refrigerate them. Just make sure they are in an airtight container to prevent them from absorbing any odors.
Tip: Adding a small piece of bread will help absorb the moisture from the container preventing the cookies from getting too soggy.
More Cookies Recipes
Thank you for stopping by!
I hope you like this recipe! Do you have any questions I can help you with? Or if you made it, I would love it if you leave a comment or rating below.
Gracias!!!! xx, Ana
Print Recipe:
Pastisetas Butter Cookies
Equipment
- 1 1M Open Star Piping Tip
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour (270g)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch (20g)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup confectioners sugar (100g)
- 3 sticks unsalted butter (270g)
- 1 medium egg at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180c). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Sift the flour, salt and cornstarch into a large bowl. Repeat process for the confectioners sugar into a separate bowl. Set aside.2 cups all purpose flour (270g), 2 tablespoons cornstarch (20g), ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 cup confectioners sugar (100g)
- In a large bowl, cream the butter using a hand mixer for about 2 minutes. If using a stand mixer, for about 4 minutes. Note: Using a hand mixer, mixes faster than a stand mixer.3 sticks unsalted butter (270g)
- Once the butter is soft and fluffy, add the confectioners sugar. Mix with the whisk first (without the mixer being on) to prevent from flying out of the bowl.
- Mix on speed #2 to integrate. Scrape down sides of the bowl with a spatula and continue mixing for about 1 minute.
- Add the vanilla and egg. Beat for about a minute until everything is integrated and fluffy. Clean the mixer whisks and add into the bowl.1 medium egg at room temperature, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add half of the flour mixture and integrate with the spatula (using a spatula to mix helps the butter to stay airy at this point). Add the rest of the flour and fold to integrate all ingredients.
- Transfer the dough to a decorating bag fitted with a large open star tip. Pipe the dough into 2-inch circles on the parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- For cookies with jam in the middle: Use the tip of your finger to gently press an indentation in the center each cookie dough ball. Add a little bit of your favorite jam, cajeta, nutella or dulce de leche.
- Bake, one pan at a time, until light golden brown at the bottom, 12 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool completely before storing or serving.
My husband loved the cookie even though it did not form like yours . The cookie dough spread. Maybe needed more flour?
Love this pastisetas recipe. My favorites 🤩
Thank you, Maria!
The cookie dough is so smooth! Simply scrumptious, and perfect for the holidays!
Thank you, Renee!!!
These cookies had the best texture & flavor!! Super buttery, crumbly and perfectly sweet!
Thank you, Anjali! glad you liked them.
These are so beautifully smooth and buttery. A great Christmas recipe.
Thank you, Sisley!!
Made with mango jam. So tasty!
Thank you, Dina and Bruce, that is a good flavor to combine with.
That’s it my friends! I hope you like this recipe as much as I do! Please leave me a comment or question and I’ll get back to you asap. Stay well! xo, Ana
I tried them, and I love the taste! The only thing that I don’t understand is why they came out flat. 😔 Too much butter? I know I did something wrong.
Hi Carmen! What kind of butter did you use? Sometimes that happens when the butter has too much fat content. Or could be the cookie dough may have been too warm when baked. Even if you used room temperature butter, the dough may have warmed up enough to cause issues. I’ll update my notes about this. Thank you!
Ana, thank you so much for your feedback! I made them again for a cookie exchange, instead of jam, I added cajeta with pecans. They are delicious! Thank you!
Hi,
Could you please clarify if the sticks of butter you used are from MX or USA? MX is usually 90 grams (3 oz), and in the U.S. a stick is 4 oz (115grams). This could be why some readers experienced too much spreading.
Hi Alexandra, great question! I used USA butter (Kerrygold) and do think that the quality of the butter has something to do with the spreading too. If you find that your cookies spread too much, the dough may need to be refrigerate more. Also, the humidity of where you live has to do with how much cookies spread and you often have to keep adjusting until you get it just right.
I’m going to have someone else test it in a very humid place and non humid place to see the difference. Thank you so much for the input!