Coconut Cream Pustie Pastaciotti

While visiting in my home town I had the pleasure of eating a Pastaciotti, ( pustie) that was full of vanilla cream and coconut. I decided to adapt it to my favorite using chocolate pudding and toasted coconut. Absolutely now my favorite way to eat these. Whether you love coconut cream using the vanilla or chocolate pudding, adding toasted coconut makes these over the top! I just love my Italian Upstate Utica, New York heritage, here is another reason why the food there is the best in the world...

love you Utica ,New York!

Specialty Italian Desserts

Utica, New York is known for their Italian fine specialty desserts.


You will often find pumpkin, coconut, chocolate vanilla and many other filled pastry tarts like these in local bakeries.


If you haven't had the pleasure to visit this Little Italy town, I suggest you put it on your vacation list!

Coconut Cream Pustie Pastaciotti Pin for later

The Best Pastry Shops in Upstate New York!

Although these are a copycat recipe, the best of the best pastry shops are in Upstate Utica, New York.


Some have been there over 100 years and family owned.


A lot of love goes into what they bake and I am a proud ex Utican.


Even though I live in Florida now, I will always miss the best food in the world from my home town.

Foods in my Local Home Town

Not only are the desserts extraordinary, the food is also a fine example of Authentic Italian cuisine.


Some of the food served is unique to Utica, New York's area of fine dining.



My Cookbook has a whole Utica, New York specialty area of recipes link below this blog post!

So Many Fillings

There are so many delicious fillings offered in Utica's local bakeries.


This coconut cream pustie was a new flavor when I went to visit.


They had pumpkin, raspberry, almond paste, chocolate, vanilla, lemon, just to name a few.


The raspberry was delicious too!

Why Make my own?

Moving to Florida several years ago, I missed my hometown foods.


I was always making and developing copycat recipes like this one.


When I visit, I try anything new from the local bakeries, then miss them and come back and recreate them.


I will never say it's exactly alike, but a great copycat recipe that sure is delicious and pretty spot on.


A little work to make these Coconut Cream Pustie Pastaciotti recipe, but well worth every bite!

Easy Directions Check Out the Recipe For Coconut Cream Pusties

Try some of my other Copycat Recipes that Utica New York is famous for:

Pizza Fritte Feast Fried Dough
Pusties
Italian Gravy or Sauce the big debate
Feast Upstate NY Style Sausage and Peppers Sandwich
Upstate NY Apple Pie
Pizza Dough
Cafe Almond Paste Cookie
Cannoli Stuffed French Toast
Zeppole St Joseph's Day
Italian Lemon Ice

pustie, tart, chocolate, vanilla, coconut cream, dessert

dessert, Italian pastry

Italian

Yield: 12Author: Claudia Lamascolo

Coconut Cream Pustie (Pastaciotti) or Chocolate

prep time: 35 minscook time: 1 hourtotal time: 1 hours and 35 mins

These are coconut cream tarts otherwise known in Utica New York Pusties

ingredients:

FOR THE TART CRUST:

4 cups sifted flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups light brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 lb shortening

1 tablespoon water or more if needed to form dough

You will need special tins, they have fluted edges and are tart tins. Try online and search for pustie tart tins. You will need 12 large or 24 small

instructions:

Mix crust ingredient in a large bowl, careful not to work the dough too long, a mix master such with a flat beater works great. Spray each tin with pam spray for easier release.

Roll dough 1/4 inch thick (not to thin) I break 24 pieces of dough evenly up so I have enough tops and bottoms. Roll out, pat down in each tin. Save scraps. Brush the insides edges after filling with pudding with egg wash.

Roll out remaining dough and cut into rounds to fit for the tops of each tin.

Place cooled filling in each pastry-lined pan and cover each with a round of dough.

Paint top of pusties with beaten egg yolk or the egg whites to seal (do not miss this step of they will leak out) before baking. This is done twice on the edges again on the top.

Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 20 minutes if using the coconut cook on 350 degrees. Cool a few minutes, if they look like they stuck around the edges, take a knife to loosen, pop out of the tins onto wax paper and cool completely right side up.

Fillings Adaptions: When making the filling for coconut cream add 1 cup shredded coconut to the chocolate or vanilla filling of choice whether you like vanilla or chocolate. Also toast 1 cup coconut in the oven until light brown and put on top of pusties to garnish.

Homemade pudding below, make this first and completely cool, set aside.

Notes:

You can use boxed Chocolate cooking pudding and add only 1 1/2 cups of milk to a box. You will need two boxed for the whole recipe of one of each flavor.

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 or rum after thickened. This makes a richer pudding. Add the shredded coconut at the end if making coconut cream.

Another variation is to add raspberry jam on the bottom and 1 teaspoon of almond paste on the top, add a little vanilla cooked pudding on top and seal.

Also Lemon cooked pre packaged pudding could be used and as above directions decrease the water to make a thicker pudding by a half cup to package directions.

Homemade version for chocolate or vanilla fillings:

Chocolate Filling:

1 cup white granulated sugar

3 heaping tbsp. flour

2 cups milk

3 egg yolks

2 squares (1 ounce each) chocolate, unsweetened I love Bakers Chocolate that's what I use

1 tsp. vanilla

Coconut Cream or Vanilla Filling:

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

2 cups milk

3 egg yolks, beaten well

2 tsp. vanilla or rum

Place sugar and flour in a saucepan. Slowly whisk in milk and egg yolks to incorporate and make smooth . Cook until thick, stirring frequently. Cool, then add vanilla or rum. Stir in coconut if using. Fill bake and garnish with toasted coconut.

Click Here for more Italian Easter Dessert

Make sure pudding is thoroughly cooled before filling pusties.

calories
165

fat (grams)
6

carbs (grams)
6

net carbs
5

protein (grams)
2

sugar (grams)
7

Created using The Recipes Generator

Coconut Cream Pustie Pastaciotti Pin for later

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