Pastelitos de Guayaba, or Cuba Guava Pastries, are puff pastry filled with sweet and tart guava paste. Only four ingredients are required! They are crispy and golden brown when baked. Your family will love them!
It’s easy to find guayabas and guayabas with queso when you live in an area surrounded by Cuban bakeries. My local supermarket even has a Cuban kiosk. Guayabas is a Cuban classic breakfast dish. They also offer delicious croquetas and empanadas.
Yes, there are Cuban coffee shops in my area. I get a craving sometimes and practice ordering in Spanish a pastry with a caffe con leche or cafecito.
I also got to try the homemade guava pastries. It was usually mom who would make the homemade Guava Pastries for us all to enjoy. The baking became a passion of mine.
When you take one bite of the super flaky puff pastry filled with the soft and irresistible guava paste, you’ll be totally smitten! These pastries are so simple to make, you will be making them for your weekend brunch or breakfast. These pastries are magical, I promise.
For special occasions, I keep a spare package of puff pastry and the guava paste on hand. The kids love to have leftovers, even if they are rare. It can even be reheated in a toaster oven.
Is puff pastry made with butter?
It is usually made with butter. Pepperidge Farm’s brand is great for dairy-free peeps. It’s made with butter, and it tastes amazing! You can also make your own puff pastry. There are many wonderful brands, both with butter and without.
Is this recipe vegan?
This recipe can be made vegan if you make puff pastry with no butter and substitute the egg wash with a dairy-free milk.
What is guava paste?
Guava paste can be found in most supermarkets’ jam and jelly section. You can also find it online. Guava paste is simply the pureed fruit of guava with some sugar and pectin. You can find guava paste in many different brands.
If you’re ambitious enough to find some guava in your local fruit market, you can make your own guava paste. It smells amazing while it cooks! ).
What does guava paste like?
Guava paste has a very unique flavor. It is said to be a combination of mango, strawberry and pear; or even a mixture of grapefruit and pear. Because it contains added sugar, the paste is sweeter than actual fruit. Unripe Guava will taste really bitter.
What are the ingredients to make guava pastries?
Here is all you need to make these lovely treats:
- Puff pastry
- Guava paste
- Egg
- Coarse sugar
This is it! A guayaba con queso can also be made with cream cheese. If you aren’t able to eat dairy, the recipe can be kept simple by using the guava. Cream cheese can be added to any recipe if you’re able to eat cheese.
How to make Cuban guava pastries: Step-by-Step directions:
The first and most important thing is to take the puff pastry out of the freezer 30 minutes prior. I take the puff pastry out of its box and wrap it in a plastic wrapper. Then, I place it on the counter. It will crack if you don’t let it cool down enough.
While it’s defrosting, preheat the oven to 400F.
The next step is to put the pastry on a piece of parchment paper. Or, you can place the parchment paper with the puff pastry layer directly on the baking sheet.
It is best to place it flour side down (the puff pastry comes with some flour dusting). Then I roll it up just a little. You can also skip this step if you prefer. It’s too thick from the package so I roll it slightly with a rolling pin. This is your choice. These could be made thinner than the original package.
The next step is to slice the guava paste. I prefer to divide the guava paste into 12 portions. You can cut the pastry into six squares or place 6 portions of guava paste about 1-2 inches apart. These can be made with three portions of 2 per fold. My family prefers larger guava pastries.
If you rolled out the first portion of dough a little, you’ll have to roll the second one out a little bit. Place the second portion of puff pastry on top of and use a very sharp knife to score the portions (no need to cut them all the way). Score the top of each square section (I do two small cuts with the knife, but even one is fine).
Gently press the dough together around all the corners (you could even use a fork to press together). It’s fine if you don’t totally seal edges together. Some guava paste will ooze out and that is fine.
For the egg wash: In a small bowl, beat a large egg with 1 teaspoon of water. Brush the top layer of puff pastry with the egg wash. Use a dairy-free milk (like almond milk)if you want to keep this vegan.
If you have turbinado sugar, sprinkle some on top.
Bake the pastry for 15-20 minutes on a lower rack of your oven. This will allow the pastry to brown and the guava paste to set. Let cool in the oven for 5 minutes.
How can you freeze guava pastries?
These guava pastries can be made fresh from frozen if you follow the directions. Place the pastries onto the parchment-lined cookie sheet. You can cut them into small pieces and seal the edges with a fork.
Important: Do NOT apply the sugar and egg wash. The pastries should be frozen for at least 3 hours. Take the pastries out of the freezer and put them in a zip lock bag or another airtight container.
Once you are ready to bake, take the frozen tray out of the freezer and transfer it to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Turn oven on to 400F. Bake until golden and crispy by brushing egg wash with turbinado sugar.
Pastelitos de Guayaba
Pastelitos de Guayaba are puff pastry filled with sweet, tart guava paste. Only four ingredients are required! They are crispy and golden brown when baked. Your family will love them! These are great for breakfast, snack, or coffee breaks.
Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: Cuban
Keyword: dairy free, guava, puff pastry
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 2 sheets puff pastry I like Pepperidge Farms and it’s dairy-free
- 1 package guava paste whatever is your favorite brand
- 1 large egg
- 1-2 Tablespoons turbinado sugar
Instructions
Place the puff pastry in the freezer. Let it defrost on the counter for 20-30 minutes. I remove the pastry from its box and keep it wrapped in paper.
- Pre-heat oven to 400°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper, and place aside.
- Use a sharp knife or a flat surface to cut the guava in 12 sections. There are 4 portions of guava paste for each fold, and 3 puff pastry folds. You need to be careful when cutting the paste.
- Place the puff pastry sheet on the parchment paper by unfolding it.
- Place two portions of the Guava Paste along each section of your pastry fold. Space them about 1-2 inches apart. You will get four portions of paste per pastry fold.
- You can either slightly roll the pastry as I did, or you could leave it the way it came out of the box. You should have a puff pastry measuring 8×9 inches (20x22cm). Lightly score the sheets with a knife to make 9 equal sections (3×3 across, 3×3 down).
- Place the second puff pastry section on top of the guava paste pieces. This section will need to be rolled out slightly more than the first.
- You can score the squares with a sharp knife.
- Egg wash :
- Use a fork to beat the egg. Add a teaspoon of water. Sprinkle the egg wash over the puff pastry.
- Sprinkle some turbinado sugar on top for a sweet sparkle and crunch.
- Bake for 20-25 mins (every oven is unique so it might take 25-30 minutes), or until pastry is golden and guava paste is set. Allow to cool in the oven for five minutes before serving with a good cafecito.
Notes
- Guava paste If you can’t find guava paste in your area or online, you might sub it with a quince or thick plum butter. You need to make it thick. It will be too thin if you use a thin jam. You can use any leftover guava paste to make guava muffins, or banana-guava quickbread!
- Puff pastry The Pepperidge Farms brand has no dairy. If you’re okay with dairy products, choose a brand that has butter. The pastry will still be delicious, regardless of what you choose.
- Vegan: Use the butter-free puff pastry instead of an egg wash and a dairy-free cream.
- To Serve: Pastries should be freshly baked. Let them cool for 5 minutes, or until the paste is no longer sticky to your tongue. (I know this because everyone in my family has tried one before letting it cool). ).
- How to Store: If you have leftovers, keep them in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for a few more days or on the counter for one day