Bartolillos: The Easter Sweet Known Only to People from Madrid

Bartolillos: Madrid's best-kept pastry secret

Ask any Spaniard from outside Madrid what a bartolillo is and they'll look at you blankly. Ask a Madrileño and their eyes will light up. Bartolillos are the sweet fried turnovers filled with custard that are eaten in Madrid during Holy Week. And almost exclusively in Madrid.

They are one of the oldest sweets in Madrid's pastry tradition, with references dating back to the 18th century. The dough is thin, crispy, with a slight aroma of white wine. The filling is a thick custard, perfumed with lemon and cinnamon. They are fried, sprinkled with sugar, and eaten warm.

In Madrid's classic bakeries (La Mallorquina, El Riojano, La Duquesita), bartolillos appear promptly during Holy Week and disappear on Easter Monday. If you don't get them in time, you'll have to wait until next year.

Here's the complete recipe to make them at home.

Ingredients

For the dough (25-30 bartolillos)

• 300 g all-purpose flour
• 50 g lard (at room temperature)
• 50 ml dry white wine
• 50 ml water
• 30 g sugar
• 1 egg
• Zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1 pinch of salt
• Mild olive oil or sunflower oil for frying

For the custard

• 500 ml whole milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 120 g sugar
• 40 g cornstarch
• Peel of 1 lemon (yellow part only)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

For decoration

• Powdered sugar

Custard preparation

Start with the custard because it needs to cool completely before filling the bartolillos.

Heat the milk with the lemon peel and cinnamon stick. When it begins to boil, remove from heat and let infuse for 10 minutes. Remove the peel and cinnamon.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes with a whisk). Add the cornstarch and mix well. Gradually pour the hot milk over the yolks, whisking constantly to prevent curdling.

Return everything to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula. In 3-4 minutes, the cream will thicken suddenly. Continue stirring for another minute. It should be very thick, thicker than regular custard. If it's too thin, it will leak out of the bartolillo when fried.

Pour the custard onto a tray, cover with plastic wrap directly touching the surface (to prevent a skin from forming) and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Overnight is better.

Dough preparation

Mix the flour with the sugar and salt. Add the lard at room temperature and work it with your fingertips until it's incorporated into the flour (as if making crumbles). Add the beaten egg, white wine, water, and lemon zest.

Knead for 5 minutes on a floured surface until you get a smooth, elastic dough that doesn't stick to your hands. If it sticks, add a little flour. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

About lard

Lard is the ingredient that gives the dough its flaky and crispy texture. Do not substitute it with butter: the result will be completely different. Butter yields a more cookie-like dough, while lard produces a dough that opens into thin layers when fried.

If you prefer a pork-free option, use vegetable shortening (such as Palmin). The result is acceptable, though not identical.

Assembly and frying

Roll out the dough with a rolling pin on a floured surface until it is 2 mm thick. It needs to be thin. Very thin. Bartolillos with thick dough are heavy and floury.

Cut circles 10-12 cm in diameter with a cookie cutter or a glass. Place a generous spoonful of custard on one half of the circle, leaving a 1 cm margin at the edge.

Moisten the edge with a little water (run a wet finger along it). Fold the dough in half to form a crescent. Press the edges with a fork to seal well. This is important: if you don't seal well, the cream will leak out when frying and the oil will splatter.

Heat mild olive oil in a deep frying pan to 170 °C (340 °F). Fry the bartolillos in batches of 3 for 2-3 minutes, turning them halfway through cooking. They should be a pale golden color, not dark.

Drain on absorbent paper. Sprinkle with powdered sugar when warm.

The art of eating a bartolillo

A bartolillo is best eaten warm, fresh if possible. When you bite into it, the crispy dough breaks and the warm (but not burning) cream oozes out. The combination of the white wine-flavored dough and the lemon and cinnamon cream is difficult to describe. It has an old-fashioned, comforting taste, like something from a neighborhood bakery.

In Madrid, bartolillos are enjoyed as an afternoon snack with a coffee with milk, or as dessert after a Lenten stew. They also work as a Holy Saturday breakfast, when the fast is relaxed.

If you have guests, serve the bartolillos on a platter lined with parchment paper, dusted with powdered sugar. They disappear in minutes.

History of bartolillos

The origin of bartolillos is uncertain. The most accepted theory places them in 18th-century Madrid, possibly derived from a monastic recipe. The name could come from Saint Bartholomew (patron saint of pastry chefs in some traditions) or simply be an affectionate diminutive without a clear origin.

What is known is that by the 19th century, bartolillos were already an emblematic sweet of Madrid's Holy Week. Benito Pérez Galdós mentions them in his novels. Mesonero Romanos cites them as one of the pleasures of traditional Madrid.

During the 20th century, many Madrid bakeries stopped making them. Torrijas, being easier to produce in quantity, gradually displaced them. Today, bartolillos are in full recovery. Modern bakeries and artisan workshops have rescued them, and more are sold every Holy Week.

Frequently Asked Questions