5 Costa Rican baked goods that are TOO GOOD to miss

Whenever I’m traveling I love to visit some local market or shops to get to know what drive people’s lives, ingredients they use, food they eat, handcrafted goods they make and use. You can get to know if a town is mostly focused on fresh fruits, meats or grains and nuts.

And since Costa Rica is a producer of the best coffee in the world, coffee time is very important for ticos, accompanied by a good bread or pastry. That’s the way friends, family and colleagues bond and talk. That’s why I give you the best (in my opinion) baked goods you HAVE to try when sharing that cup of delicious, scented black coffee.

Also, since snacking alongside with coffee is usually seen as a splurge, all of these options are REALLY CHEAP. This 5 options should cost you between $1 and $2 a package, to share, so you crunch the numbers on the price per portion ;)

Bizcochos

Crunchy and cheesy, bizcochos are corn and cheese based rings. Some people have them dipped in sour cream, but most of the time they’re enjoyed by themselves. You can’t have just one.

Pan Natillero

This is a fluffy salty bread baked with sour cream and cheese on top. It doesn’t need butter or any other topping, you rip it with your fingers. DE•LI•CIOUS

Cocadas

Now for the sweet craving ones, Cocadas are small tartlets filled with grated coconut and cane sugar. I’ve heard these are the Costa Rican astronaut Franklin Chang’s favorites. They are a combination of sweet, smoky (the coconut filling) and a little salty (the crust)

Photo by Oscar

Empanadas de Chiverre

Another sweet treat you will definitely devour during coffee time are the Empanadas de Chiverre, they are like small pastries filled with a squash preserve. Chiverres are a variety of squash, big in size used mostly in preserves with molasses. Come and indulge yourself!

Orejas

BIG, sweet, crispy pastries. The “Orejas” (ears) are just dough rolled on top of granulated sugar and baked until it’s golden, caramelized and heavenly.

Usually one “Oreja” is shared between all people in a table, but at some bakeries or supermarkets you can find smaller ones to have as a personal size. But honestly, it’s a sharing treat.