Kalitsounia (Cretan Sweet Cheese Pastries)

Nov 3, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Baking Pastries doughnuts Medium

Kalitsounia (Cretan Sweet Cheese Pastries)

Soft olive-oil pastry cups filled with sweet cheese, baked until golden and dusted with cinnamon. The filling is a creamy cheese, sugar and cinnamon custard that sets as the pastries bake. Makes 16 pastries in about 1 hr 25 min.

Prep 40 min

Cook 25 min

Cooling 20 min

Total 1 hr 25 min

Yield 16 pastries

Ingredients

Adjust yield

pastries

3 ¼ cups (400 g)all-purpose flour
6 tbsp (90 ml)olive oil
⅓ cup (90 g)strained plain yogurt
⅓ cup (60 g)sugar, for the dough
1 ¼ tsp (5 g)baking powder
1 (50 g)egg, for the dough
2 tbsp (30 ml)orange juice
1 ¾ cups (400 g)fresh myzithra, ricotta or mascarpone
⅓ cup (70 g)sugar, for the filling
1 (50 g)egg, for the filling
¾ tsp (2 g)ground cinnamon, for the filling
1 (18 g)egg yolk, beaten with 15 ml water
2 ½ tbsp (40 ml)honey, warmed
½ tsp (1 g)ground cinnamon, for dusting, for the to finish

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Instructions

Mix the flour, sugar and baking powder. Add the oil, yogurt, egg and orange juice and knead 3 to 4 minutes into a soft, non-sticky dough. Rest it covered for 20 minutes.
Heat the oven to 375 F (190 C) and line two baking sheets with parchment.
Beat the cheese, sugar, egg and cinnamon until smooth for the filling.
Roll the dough 3 mm (1/8 inch) thick and cut 10 cm (4 inch) rounds.
Spoon 2 tablespoons filling into the center of each round and lift the edges up into a square or round tart shape, leaving the top open.
Place on the sheets, brush the pastry edge with the egg yolk wash and bake 22 to 25 minutes until the dough is golden and the filling is set and lightly golden.
Cool 10 minutes, brush with warm honey and dust with cinnamon.

Tips

Drain very wet ricotta in a sieve for 30 minutes before mixing, or the filling will leak.
Do not overfill; the filling puffs while baking.
Fry them in olive oil in village style if you prefer a crisper shell.
The filling contains raw egg until baked; bake until the filling is set and reaches 160 F (71 C) in the center.

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Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make kalitsounia (cretan sweet cheese pastries)?

Plan on 40 minutes of prep and 25 minutes of cooking, plus 20 minutes to chill. The recipe makes 16 pastries.

How should I store kalitsounia (cretan sweet cheese pastries)?

Refrigerate in a covered container up to 3 days; bring to room temperature before serving.

Can I make kalitsounia (cretan sweet cheese pastries) ahead?

It is at its best the day it is made; prepare it a few hours before serving.

Kalitsounia are small Cretan pastries traditionally filled with fresh myzithra cheese and baked or fried. Serve it with greek coffee.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 16 servings this recipe makes.

303 Calories / serving

17.5g Fat

31.9g Carbs

4.9g Protein

12.6g Sugar

Whole recipe (16 servings): ~4848 cal · 280g fat · 510g carbs · 78g protein · 202g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.