Small little tarts made with sweet dough filled with cream or custard flavors of all kinds but most popular are vanilla cream or custard filling or chocolate cream and sometimes a ricotta cheese filling.
Very famous in Central New York where I grew up in Utica, where the best of the best Italian bakeries can be found.
During the year we do make these more than Easter time as they are a huge holiday favorite pastry along with Cannoli Pastries and Cassata (a traditional Italian Cheesecake)
Homemade is great, but the memories of the Utica bakeries always have that special place in my heart and the taste lingers in my mind.
For now, while living away these will have to be the best thing until I make a visit.
Scroll down for our family recipe for Pusties, Utica Style.
Holiday Pastry Time
My mom always made these at Easter time. I would just love to watch her roll the dough, fill them and in awe of how perfect they baked every time! She was so talented when it came to making baking anything.
Even though these are a little time-consuming, you really know they are an all-Italian specialty. We couldn't wait to bite into them, sitting there patiently waiting for them to cool.
Just by the smell of them, baking drove us all crazy to break one open.
I personally love warm pudding, so I can remember burning the roof of my mouth a few times be impatient to eat one of these and the pudding was still scorching hot. I didn't care though I would do it all again at 12 years old. We really don't listen much at that age.
I now make these every year also at Easter. More vanilla is requested than chocolate, which really changed over the years. Chocolate was always the most asked for.
To tell which ones are chocolate they are plain brushed with egg washed. The vanilla has a little button in the center, we always call them a belly button.
Filling Flavor Suggestion for Puddings
- Pumpkin Custard
- Vanilla (see recipe card below)
- Chocolate (see recipe card below)
- Lemon Pudding Recipe
- Any Canned Pie Fillings
- Almond Paste with added jams
- Lemon
- Coconut Cream
- Banana Cream
Shopping List to Make Italian Pasticiotti Recipe
For the Crust:
- flour
- baking powder
- light brown sugar
- extra-large eggs
- shortening or lard
- cold water or more if the dough is too dry
Chocolate Pastry Filling Ingredients You Will Need
- white granulated sugar
- flour
- milk
- egg yolks
- squares (1 ounce each) chocolate, unsweetened
- vanilla
Vanilla Pastry Ingredients You Will Need
- sugar
- flour
- milk
- egg yolks
- vanilla or rum
Pasticiotti aka Pusties
Pusties are the round-tart pastries you will find in Central NY in local bakeries.Cassata Italian cheesecake, struffoli which is normally only for Christmas, but requested this particular year, cannoli all homemade.
Hope you enjoy them as much as our family does during the holiday.
Here is the recipe we have used for many years now.
The one with the button is Vanilla and the plain tops are chocolate to know the difference in flavors.
Make the fillings first and set them aside to cool.
Tips for Making (Pusties) Pasticiotti Recipe
- Oil spray tins for easy removal
- Any pudding will work except instant do not use them
- Homemade pudding is best
- Always seal with egg wash and press edges down for sealing
- Place on Silpat mat or parchment paper on the cookie sheet for any spillage
- Keep these pastries in the refrigerator
- These freeze well
Tins
You can use silicone-made tart pans or use old-fashioned tins,
I have them in my tab above for Shop with Me, it's an affiliate link I do make commissions on.
Pastry Shop Quality
Even though these take a little effort to make, they taste just like any well-known bakery in Upstate New York, but better.
The crust is always perfect, the fillings are thick pastry creams and there is no comparison to homemade pusties made with love
and our family recipe, to me.
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Pusties Pasticiotti Recipe
Pusties Pasticiotti Pastry (or called Pasta Ciott) is usually made around Easter time and is a family custard-filled favorite
Prep time: 40 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 H & 25 M
Ingredients
- FOR THE CRUST:
- 4 cups sifted flour not packed down
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups light brown sugar
- 2 extra-large eggs
- 1 cup shortening or lard
- 1 to 3 tablespoons cold water or more if the dough is too dry
Instructions
- Dough for Pasticiotti:
- You will need special tins, they have fluted edges. Try online and search for pustie tins. You will need 12 large fluted pustie tins or 24 small. Silicone molded tins work great also.
- Mix crust ingredients in a large bowl, careful not to work the dough too long, a mixer master with a flat beater works great ( if the dough doesn't come together add 1 teaspoon more of water at a time. Spray each tin or silicone tart with oil spray for easier release when using metal or even silicone molds.
- Roll dough 1/2 inch thick (not to thin) I break 24 pieces of dough evenly up so I have enough tops and bottoms. Roll out, and pat down in each tin. Save scraps.
- Brush the inside edge with an egg wash using whites or the whole egg has beaten that is the glue to seal the edges.
- Roll out the remaining dough and cut it into rounds to fit the tops of each tin.
- Place cooled filling in each pastry-lined fluted pustie tin pan and cover each with a round of dough.
- Paint the top of pusties with beaten egg yolk before baking crimp edges with a finger or a fork.
- Bake in preheated 400-degree oven for 20 minutes or until lightly brown on top ovens vary, sometimes as long as 35 minutes.
- Cool a few minutes, if they look like they are stuck around the edges, take a knife to loosen them, pop them out of the tins onto wax paper, and cool them before completely flipping right side up.
- Fillings:
- Homemade pudding below is what I use however you can make packaged pudding below.
- For the Chocolate boxed: use chocolate cooking pudding and add only 1 1/2 cups of milk to a box that is thicker and works well. You will need two boxes for the whole recipe. Chocolate or Vanilla or both.
- For the Vanilla boxed: Add two egg yolks to a box of cooking Vanilla pudding with the 1 1/2 cups of milk and for added flavor a teaspoon of vanilla extract after thickened. This makes a richer pudding.
- Another variation is to add raspberry jam on the bottom and 1 teaspoon of almond paste on the top, add a little vanilla pudding cooked on top.
- Also, Lemon cooked pudding could be used and as above directions decrease the water to make a thicker pudding by a half cup to package directions.
- Any pie filling can be used or even pumpkin pie filling for other variations.
- Homemade chocolate pudding version and this pastry cream is what I use below:
- Chocolate Homemade Pastry Filling:
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 3 heaping tablespoons of flour
- 2 cups milk
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 squares (1 ounce each) chocolate, unsweetened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Vanilla Homemade Pastry Filling:
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 cups milk
- 3 egg yolks, beaten well
- 2 teaspoons vanilla or rum
- Place sugar and flour in a saucepan. Slowly whisk in milk and egg yolks to incorporate and make it smooth. Cook until thick, stirring frequently. Cool, then add vanilla or rum.
Notes
Tips for Making (Pusties) Pasticiotti Recipe
- Oil spray tins for easy removal
- Any pudding will work except instant do not use them
- Homemade pudding is best
- Always seal with egg wash and press edges down for sealing
- Place on Silpat mat or parchment paper on the cookie sheet for any spillage
- Keep these pastries in the refrigerator
- These freeze well
Filling Flavor Suggestion for Puddings
- Pumpkin Custard
- Vanilla (see recipe card)
- Chocolate (see recipe card)
- Lemon Pudding Recipe
- Any Canned Pie Fillings
- Almond Paste with added jams
- Lemon
- Coconut Cream
- Banana Cream
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Other Desserts We Love
Italian Cannoli
Italian Mini Easter Cassata
Easter Egg Bread
Disclosure: This recipe was originally shared in 2009. It was edited and re-published in 2019.