Galos Recipe: Madrid's Cream-Filled Glazed Ring Pastries 2026

Galos are Madrid's lesser-known but utterly irresistible sweet: tender ring pastries fried until golden, split and filled with silky pastry cream, then dipped in a glossy sugar glaze. Unlike the famous rosquillas tontas y listas of San Isidro, these are made with butter in the dough, which gives them a softer, lighter crumb.

They are not perfumed with anise and they are fried rather than baked, so the outside turns lightly crisp while the inside stays pillowy. Legend traces them to a Russian monk named Galo who sold them on the streets of Madrid, and the recipe has been passed down and refined ever since.

The pastry cream here is made quickly in the microwave, with no loss of creaminess or flavor, and the simple icing of powdered sugar and water gives each one a bright, sweet finish. They are perfect with coffee at merienda or for a special occasion.

Ingredients for Galos

Makes 16 pastries

• 500 ml whole milk
• Zest of ½ lemon
• 2 XL eggs
• 100 g sugar
• 50 g cornstarch
• 450 ml whole milk
• 50 g sugar
• 50 g butter
• Salt
• 250 g pastry flour
• 2 XL eggs
• Plenty of sunflower oil for frying
• 200 g powdered sugar
• 4 tablespoons water

How to Make Galos Step by Step

1. Warm the milk and mix the pastry cream

Start with the pastry cream so it is well chilled when you fill the galos. Heat 500 ml of the whole milk — minus 5 tablespoons, which you will reserve — in the microwave at full power for 2 minutes together with the zest of ½ lemon. Meanwhile, whisk the reserved milk with 2 XL egg yolks, 100 g sugar and 50 g cornstarch until smooth.

2. Cook the pastry cream in the microwave until thick

Pour the hot milk over the egg mixture while whisking so the eggs do not curdle. Microwave for 2 minutes at full power, whisk again and heat for 1 more minute. Remove and stir until smooth, then transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming, let cool slightly and refrigerate.

3. Heat the milk with sugar, butter and salt for the dough

For the dough, heat 450 ml whole milk in a saucepan with 50 g sugar, 50 g butter and a pinch of salt until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves completely.

4. Pour in the flour

Without removing the pan from the heat, add 250 g pastry flour all at once.

5. Work the dough

Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon to form a smooth, lump-free dough.

6. Add the eggs to the dough

Remove from the heat and let the dough cool for about 10 minutes before incorporating 2 XL eggs, added one at a time and mixed well until fully combined.

7. Cut the paper squares for shaping the rings

Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Cut 17 squares of parchment paper about 5 cm per side and use one to draw a circle, placing it under the other papers as a template for shaping the rings.

8. Oil the paper and pipe the rings

Grease the papers by brushing them with a little oil, then pipe rings of dough following the template placed under each square.

9. Fry the rings on one side

Heat plenty of sunflower oil in a skillet to 170 °C, the ideal frying temperature. Fry the rings two at a time, with their paper attached, until golden on one side.

10. Remove the paper and fry the other side

Then remove the paper and carefully turn them to brown the other side.

11. Drain on paper towels and cool

Once fried, place them on paper towels to remove excess oil and let them cool before filling.

12. Split and fill with pastry cream

To fill, cut the rings in half with a serrated knife. Fill the galos with the chilled pastry cream using a piping bag fitted with a star tip.

13. Make the glaze and dip the tops

Finally, make the glaze by mixing 200 g powdered sugar with 4 tablespoons water. Dip the tops of the rings in the glaze and place them on the cream-filled halves.

14. Enjoy the galos fresh

Your galos are ready to enjoy. They are perfect with coffee for merienda or for a special occasion. If not eaten the same day, store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Tips for the Best Galos

Use butter in the dough

Butter instead of oil gives these galos a softer, lighter texture than other Madrid ring pastries. Keep the dough cool before piping so the rings hold their shape.

Fry at a steady 170 °C

Keep the oil at 170 °C so the rings cook through and turn golden without absorbing too much oil. Fry them in small batches and drain well on paper towels.

Chill the pastry cream well

Make the pastry cream first and let it chill completely before filling. Cover it with plastic wrap while cooling to keep a skin from forming, and glaze the tops just before serving for a shiny finish.

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Maybe you're wired the same way I am: your kitchen rotation is a blend of cozy standbys, well-loved dishes from around the globe, and sweets that make a crowd happy.

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When light and easy is what I'm after, I lean on the timeless Italian Caprese Salad Recipe or a flawlessly done Simple Poached Egg Recipe. For more filling comfort fare, I frequently suggest the crowd-pleasing Meatball Sandwich Recipe, the luscious Russian Stroganoff Beef Recipe, and the speedy weeknight go-to One Pot Pasta Recipe.

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