Summary
Ask any Spaniard from outside Madrid what a bartolillo is and they'll look at you with a puzzled expression. In this guide: Bartolillos: the best-kept secret of Madrid's confectionery, Ingredients, Preparation of the pastry cream.
Bartolillos: the best-kept secret of Madrid's confectionery
Ask any Spaniard from outside Madrid what a bartolillo is and they'll look at you with a puzzled expression. Ask a Madrileño, and their eyes will light up. Bartolillos are the sweet fried turnovers filled with pastry cream that are eaten in Madrid during Holy Week. And almost exclusively in Madrid.
They are one of the oldest sweets in Madrid's confectionery. There are references dating back to the 18th century. The dough is thin, crispy, with a light aroma of white wine. The filling is a thick pastry cream, 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 catch 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 pastry cream
- 500 ml whole milk
- 4 egg yolks
- 120 g sugar
- 40 g cornstarch
- Zest of 1 lemon (yellow part only)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
For decoration
- Powdered sugar
Preparation of the pastry cream
Start with the cream because it needs to cool completely before filling the bartolillos.
Heat the milk with the lemon zest and cinnamon stick. When it starts to boil, remove from heat and let it infuse for 10 minutes. Remove the zest and cinnamon.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until light (2-3 minutes with a whisk). Add the cornstarch and mix well. Gradually pour the hot milk over the yolks, whisking constantly to prevent them from 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 1 more minute. It should be very thick, more so than a normal pastry cream. If it's too loose, it will spill out of the bartolillo when fried.
Pour the cream onto a tray, cover with plastic wrap directly touching the surface (the plastic touching the cream's surface), and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Preferably overnight.
Preparation of the dough
Mix the flour with the sugar and salt. Add the lard at room temperature and work it with your fingers until it's incorporated with the flour (like making crumbs). 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 more flour. Wrap in plastic wrap and let it 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 gives a more cookie-like dough, while lard gives a dough that opens into thin layers when fried.
If you prefer a pork-free option, use vegetable shortening (like Palmin). The result is acceptable, although 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 will be heavy and floury.
Cut out circles 10-12 cm in diameter with a cookie cutter or a glass. Place a generous spoonful of pastry cream 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 half-moon. 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. Fry the bartolillos 3 at a time 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 eaten warm, freshly made if possible. When you bite into it, the crispy dough breaks and the warm (but not scalding) cream oozes out. The combination of the white wine-flavored dough and the lemon and cinnamon cream is hard to describe. It has an old-fashioned, comforting taste, like neighborhood bakery pastries.
In Madrid, bartolillos are enjoyed as an afternoon snack with a coffee with milk, or as a dessert after a Lenten stew. They also work as a Holy Saturday breakfast, when fasting is relaxed.
If you have guests, serve the bartolillos on a platter with parchment paper, sprinkled 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 some convent recipe. The name could come from Saint Bartholomew (patron saint of pastry chefs in some traditions) or simply be a charming 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 making a comeback. Modern pastry shops and artisan bakeries have rescued them, and more are sold every Holy Week.
Frequently asked questions
Can I bake bartolillos?
You can, but they lose their charm. The fried dough has a crispy, flaky texture that the oven doesn't replicate. If you bake them, preheat to 190 °C, brush with beaten egg, and bake for 15-18 minutes. They will be more like bakery turnovers than traditional bartolillos.
How long do prepared bartolillos last?
They are best on the same day. The dough loses its crispness as hours pass. In the refrigerator, they last 2 days. To restore the texture, put them in the oven for 5 minutes at 170 °C before serving. Do not microwave them: the dough will soften.
Can I freeze bartolillos?
Yes, but before frying. Assemble them, seal them, and freeze them on a tray in a single layer. Once hard, transfer them to a freezer bag. To fry, there's no need to thaw: from the freezer to the pan with oil at 165 °C. Add 1 extra minute of frying.
Can I fill them with chocolate or dulce de leche?
You can, although they stop being bartolillos and become something else. If you want to experiment, use a thick ganache (200 g dark chocolate + 100 ml cream, melted together and chilled) or thick dulce de leche. Make sure the filling is very cold and firm, or it will leak out when frying.
Why are they called bartolillos?
There is no definitive answer. The most cited hypotheses: derived from "San Bartolomé," patron saint of pastry chefs; a diminutive of "Bartolo," a popular name in 18th-century Madrid; or simply a charming name for a small sweet. Whatever the origin, the name has survived three centuries.
Where can I buy bartolillos in Madrid?
Classic pastry shops that keep them on the menu every Holy Week include La Mallorquina (Puerta del Sol), El Riojano (calle Mayor), La Duquesita (calle Fernando VI), and Nunos (various locations). Lesser-known but equally good neighborhood bakeries also make them. Look for those that fry them on the spot.
