Cachitos are crisp Chilean pastry horns made from a rich egg yolk and white wine dough, rolled around conical molds, baked, and then filled with manjar or pastry cream. They take 45 minutes of preparation plus 15 minutes in the oven and make 8 servings.
They belong to the family of traditional Chilean sweets usually eaten during Fiestas Patrias, although they are made and shared at home in any season, finished with a dusting of powdered sugar and grated coconut.
How to Make Cachitos with Manjar?
Cachitos are a fairly simple preparation, where the main trick is having a set of small conical pastry molds to roll the dough around and give the pastries their traditional stepped shape.
Nutritional Information
Each serving of cachitos with manjar contains approximately 320 kcal, 38 g of carbohydrates, 17 g of fat, 4 g of protein, 1 g of fiber, 15 g of sugars, 110 mg of cholesterol, and 160 mg of sodium. These values are estimates and may vary depending on ingredients and portion sizes.
Homemade Chilean Cachitos Recipe
Preparation: 45 minutes
Cooking: 15 minutes
Servings: 8 people
Ingredients
- 500 g (1.1 lb) of wheat flour
- 250 g (8.8 oz) of manjar
- 120 g (4.2 oz) of butter
- 60 ml (2 fl oz) of white wine
- 60 ml (2 fl oz) of water
- 8 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- 1 pinch of salt
- Powdered sugar
- Grated coconut
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the sifted flour and open a well in the center. Add the salt, the egg yolks, the butter, the wine, the water, and the vanilla. Bring everything together with your hands or a wooden spoon and mix until you get a smooth, even dough. Shape it into a ball, wrap it in plastic film, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Take the dough out of the refrigerator and move it to a clean, smooth work surface. Divide it in half and roll it out to about 2 mm thick, shaping it into a rectangle roughly 20 centimeters wide, then cut it into 2 centimeter strips to form 20 by 2 centimeter rectangles.
- Turn on the oven and preheat it to 180 C (356 F) for at least 10 minutes. Lightly butter the cachito molds and wrap them with the dough strips, working from the narrow end to the wide end. Seal the edge gently and arrange them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Put the molds in the preheated oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until lightly toasted. Remove and cool to room temperature. Fill the cachitos with manjar or pastry cream right up to the edge and, if you like, dust the surface with powdered sugar or grated coconut.
Additional Tips
Make the dough flakier
For a crisper, flakier pastry, replace part of the water with cold milk and add a tablespoon of sugar to the dough.
Improvise the molds
If you do not have special conical molds, make your own by rolling aluminum foil into a cone and covering it with parchment paper.
Fill them at the last moment
The shells lose their crunch within hours of meeting the manjar, so bake ahead if you need to but fill only shortly before serving.
| Original ingredient | Substitute | Ratio | Flavor note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manjar | Pastry cream | 1:1 | Lighter, less sweet |
| White wine | Cold milk | 1:1 | Softer, slightly richer |
| Butter | Baking margarine | 1:1 | Less aromatic, same crunch |
| Grated coconut | Chopped walnuts | 1:1 | Toasted, less sweet |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Can I make cachitos without conical molds?
Yes. You can use homemade cones made from aluminum foil, or shape the cachitos by hand into a horn. Cannoli or cream horn molds also work if you have them.
2. How long do they keep once baked?
Unfilled cachitos stay crisp for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container at room temperature. Once filled they are best eaten the same day, since the moisture of the manjar softens the pastry.
3. Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Absolutely. The dough can be made up to 2 days in advance and kept refrigerated, tightly wrapped. Its texture actually improves after resting, because the ingredients hydrate and bind better.
4. Why do my cachitos open up while baking?
This usually happens when the dough is too cold or when the final edge is not sealed properly. Let the dough come to room temperature before rolling it and press the edge gently with a little water to seal it.
5. Can cachitos be frozen?
Yes, both the raw dough and the baked cachitos freeze well. The dough keeps for up to 3 months and the baked shells for 1 month. Thaw at room temperature before filling.
What Are Cachitos?
Cachitos are small Chilean pastry horns made from a thin, rich dough rolled in a spiral around a conical mold, which gives them their characteristic stepped surface. Once baked and cooled, they are piped full of manjar or pastry cream, which turns a plain shell into one of the most recognizable sweets on a Chilean dessert table.
Cachitos and Fiestas Patrias
Like alfajores and hojarascas, cachitos are part of the sweet repertoire that appears at Fiestas Patrias celebrations in September, sold at fondas and made at home for family gatherings. Their long shelf life when unfilled is precisely what made them practical for large celebrations.
Did You Know?
You can fill cachitos with almost any combination you like, including manjar, pastry cream, hazelnut spread, or jam.
How to adapt this recipe to a vegan or vegetarian version?
How to adapt this recipe to a gluten-free version?
How to adapt this recipe to a keto (ketogenic) version?
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- Chilean Conejitos with Pastry Cream Recipe
- Chilean Berlines Rellenos Recipe
- Chilean Chancaca Alfajores Recipe
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