Guava and Cream Cheese Pastelitos

Guava and Cream Cheese Pastelitos are simple to make tasty treats that you can have ready for breakfast, brunch, snack, or dessert in just over a half an hour.  

Also known as Pastelitos de guayaba y queso, they are a popular treat from the Caribbean, especially Cuba. They are made with a filling of melted cream cheese and guava paste and are super convenient and amazingly delicious. 

With shatteringly crisp and flaky puff pastry crusts and just five ingredients to make, these pastelitos are such a treat and a great addition to your brunch table. 

Ingredients in These Pastelitos:

Puff Pastry: You can either use store bought or homemade puff pastry. For these, I found some pre-cut puff pastry squares at a local Dutch market, but it's easy enough to cut puff pastry sheets into squares in just minutes. 

Cream Cheese: I used mascarpone but American cream cheese works just a well. I happened to have some leftover mascarpone that I needed to use up. Mascarpone has a higher percentage of milk fat and is a little richer and sweeter. You probably won't notice a big difference either way. 

Egg: For an egg wash. 

Demerara Sugar: Demerara sugar is a partially refined cane sugar that is light brown in color with the texture of sparkling sugar and a caramel flavor. You can substitute turbinado sugar or light brown sugar. You can also skip this step and dust the fully baked pastelitos with confectioners' sugar. 

Guava Paste: Guava paste is made from guava puree, water, sugar, lemon juice or citric acid, and pectin. 

Guava paste is wonderful on a charcuterie platter where sweet and savory are delicious together. You can also thin it with water and drizzle it over soft cheese. You can also cut the paste into squares for thumbprint-style cookies. 

The flavor is tropical, with a hint of strawberry, honey, pineapple, and passion fruit. I think it would be fabulous paired with any cheese and wrapped with prosciutto. 

How to Make Guava and Cream Cheese Pastelitos:

First, cut rolled out puff pastry into 4 1/2 inch squares and cut the guava paste into one ounce pieces. 

Next, place the guava piece in the center of the puff pastry square and top the guava square with a tablespoon of cream cheese or mascarpone.

After that, fold the pastry over the filling into a triangle and press the edges together with the tines of a fork. Brush the pastry with an egg wash and sprinkle with the demerara sugar. Refrigerate them for about thirty minutes. 

Finally, bake the pastelitos for about thirty minutes, tenting them with foil and reducing the oven temperature halfway through to prevent burning. 

Instead of guava paste, you can easily substitute fruit preserves, such or a blueberry reduction. I would suggest reducing them a bit before adding them to the pastry to thicken them. 

Still, I totally recommend the guava paste for its tropical flavor. 

Storage:

Should you have leftovers, wrap them in foil and store them at room temperature or in the refrigerator. They reheat and recrisp easily in a 325 degree F oven for about ten minutes and will still be shatteringly flaky. 

They will be good for about three days. 

More Puff Pastry Recipes You May Also Enjoy:

Puff Pastry Tomato and Goat Cheese Pizettes

Spinach, Ham, and Cheese Puff Pastry Bites

Asparagus and Goat Cheese Tart

Alsatian Onion Tart

Cheese Straws with Parmesan, Gruyère, and Thyme

Welcome to #BrunchWeek! This event has been around for over 7 years. It’s a fun way to share our love for all things brunch related to help celebrate Mother’s Day! We have 11 bloggers sharing over 30 recipes this year!! That’s 30 plus delicious recipes to help celebrate mothers, family, and friends. If you’re putting together a brunch, then you’ll appreciate all the variety this event offers! From cocktails to baked goods and even sandwiches, there’s something for everyone.

Here are today’s #BrunchWeek recipes:

• Caramel Simple Syrup from Tara's Multicultural Table
• Chipotle Tacos de Papa from Magical Ingredients
• Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing from For the Love of Food
• Guava and Cream Cheese Pastelitos from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Hibiscus Lemonade from Art of Natural Living
• Key Lime Curd Mousse from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Lemon Poppy Seed Cheesecake Muffins from The Spiffy Cookie
• Orange Cream Scones from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Peanut butter, Bacon and Banana Stuffed Waffles from Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Spreadable Whipped Cream Cheese (for bagels) from Palatable Pastime

Guava and Cream Cheese Pastelitos

Yield: 8 servings

Author: Karen's Kitchen Stories

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 40 Min

Guava and Cream Cheese Pastelitos are simple to make tasty treats that you can have ready for breakfast, brunch, snack, or dessert in just over a half an hour.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 puff pastry sheets (about 12 ounces)
• 1 (8-ounce) package guava paste, cut into one inch squares
• 8 tablespoons cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 egg, beaten, plus 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon demerara sugar for sprinkling

Instructions

1. Heat your oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Roll out the puff pastry sheets to 1/4 inch thick and cut them into eight 4 1/2 inch squares.
3. Place a guava square in the center of each puff pastry square and top it with a tablespoon of cream cheese.
4. Brush the edges of the puff pastry, fold it into a triangle, and using the tines of a fork, press the edges of the puff pastry together. Place the triangle onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
5. Repeat with the rest of the puff pastry squares.
6. Brush each triangle with the egg wash and sprinkle with the demerara sugar.
7. Bake the pastries for 10 minutes. Cover the baking sheet loosely with foil and reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. 
8. Continue to bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes. The puff pastry should have an interior temperature of 205 degrees F.
9. Cool the pan on a wire rack before serving.

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2023/04/guava-and-cream-cheese-pastelitos.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

pastelitos, pastry

breakfast, dessert

Cuban

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If you'd like a comprehensive recipe with instructions for homemade puff pastry, be sure to check out Bake From Scratch Magazine May/June 2023.