Elotes Pastry Recipe

Combine dry ingredients

Whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and salt in a large bowl until evenly distributed.

Cut in fats

Add the cold cubed butter and cold vegetable shortening to the flour mixture. Use a pastry cutter or two forks (or pulse in a food processor in 6–8 short pulses) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.

Add liquid

In a small bowl, whisk together the ice water, egg yolk, and white vinegar. Drizzle the liquid over the flour-butter mixture a tablespoon at a time and gently toss with a fork until the dough just comes together and holds when squeezed. You may not need all the water; stop once dough is cohesive but not sticky.

Chill dough

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, form into a flat disk about 1 inch thick, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes (up to 2 days). Chilling relaxes the gluten and keeps the butter cold for flaky layers.

Sauté corn

Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat and add the unsalted butter. When the butter is foamy, add the corn kernels and cook, stirring occasionally, until the corn is slightly caramelized and has some golden brown spots, 6–8 minutes. If kernels release a lot of moisture, cook a bit longer to evaporate excess liquid.

Season and cool

Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, cotija cheese, chili powder, smoked paprika, chopped cilantro, salt, and black pepper until combined. Taste and adjust seasoning—add a little more lime or salt if needed. Let the filling cool to room temperature (about 15–20 minutes) so it won't melt the pastry when assembled.

Preheat oven

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Roll and cut dough

Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and let sit 5 minutes to soften slightly. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to about 1/8-inch thickness. For individual pastries, cut into 6–8 rectangles or 8–10 squares (approximately 4 x 3 inches). Reserve scraps and reroll once if needed.

Fill pastries

Spoon about 2–3 tablespoons of the cooled elotes filling onto the center of each dough rectangle, leaving a 1/2-inch border. If you prefer a closed turnover, brush borders with a little beaten egg, fold dough over to form a pocket, and crimp edges with a fork. For open-faced pastries, leave uncovered, gently fold edges inward to create a rim, or sprinkle a little extra cotija on top.

Egg wash & sugar

Brush the tops and edges of the pastries with the beaten egg. If making open-faced pastries, sprinkle the rims lightly with the optional granulated or coarse sugar for a subtle crunch.

Bake

Bake on the prepared sheet for 18–22 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the pastry is puffed and golden brown. If pastries are open-faced and the filling begins to brown too much, tent loosely with foil.

Finish & serve

Remove pastries from the oven and let cool 5 minutes on the sheet. Transfer to a rack and sprinkle with extra cotija and additional chopped cilantro if desired. Serve warm with lime wedges for squeezing over each pastry.