In the realm of sweet treats, few pastries can rival the irresistible allure of Pasteles de Guayaba, a delightful confection that tantalizes taste buds with its harmonious blend of guava and cream cheese. Originating from the vibrant culinary traditions of Latin America, these pastries have captivated hearts and palates across the globe. Embark on a delectable journey as we unveil the secrets behind these culinary gems, exploring two enticing variations: the classic Pasteles de Guayaba and the equally alluring Cream Cheese and Guava Pastries. Each recipe promises an explosion of flavors, where the tangy sweetness of guava intertwines seamlessly with the rich, creamy texture of cheese, encased in a flaky, golden crust. Prepare to indulge your senses in a symphony of flavors as we guide you through the steps to create these delectable treats in the comfort of your own kitchen.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
PASTELILLOS DE GUAYABA (GUAVA CHEESE PASTRIES)
Panaderías in Puerto Rico are magical. Their brightly lit glass cases are lined with fresh-baked bread and rich pastries, begging you to order too many. As a child, I clamored for pastelillos (also called pastelitos) de guayaba. The pastries typically have a flaky crust and are filled with a generous smear of concentrated guava paste - an embodiment of tropical Caribbean flavor - and often with cheese, served glazed or dusted with powdered sugar. In East Harlem, or El Barrio, New York's historic Puerto Rican enclave where I lived for some time, I discovered Valencia Bakery on East 103rd Street, which made a bite-size version with a generous amount of confectioners' sugar, creating a portal between the island and my new home. My recipe is inspired by theirs. These are excellent with coffee, and will keep for several days, benefiting from a reheat in the oven.
Provided by Von Diaz
Categories snack, finger foods, pastries, dessert, side dish
Time 1h30m
Yield 16 servings
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Set out puff pastry to thaw for 40 minutes at room temperature.
- Once pastry is thawed, line a 12-by-17-inch baking sheet with 2 pieces of parchment paper. (The double layer helps to protect your pan when you're cutting the puff pastry.) Heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Prepare your egg wash by whisking egg and milk together. Keep it handy.
- Lay one layer of puff pastry on top of parchment paper on the baking sheet. Make a 4-by-4 grid of guava stacked with cheese, spaced evenly, leaving about 1 inch of space in between. Top with the second puff pastry sheet.
- Using a pizza cutter, slice the puff pastry into 16 equal pieces, touching the top lightly to determine where to slice. It's OK if you don't do a perfect job; these are especially good when the guava spills out and caramelizes along the edges. (And don't worry too much about getting the cut exact, or pieces being odd sizes. It gives them character.)
- Working quickly, use a fork to crimp all four edges twice on each side, then arrange them evenly on the baking sheet, leaving space between each. Brush the tops and edges lightly with the prepared egg wash and place baking sheet in the center of the oven.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until pastelillos are beautifully golden brown, flaky and puffy.
- Out of the oven, let pastelillos rest for at least 10 minutes before eating. (Guava is molten hot and will burn your mouth, badly.)
- Once they've cooled, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar to taste. They can be eaten warm or at room temperature, and will keep for several days in an airtight container. Heat leftovers in the oven for 5 minutes at 350 degrees to bring back their crispness.
PASTELITOS DE GUAYABA Y QUESO (GUAVA AND CHEESE PASTRY)
Flaky, sweet, and flavorful, these Cuban guava and cheese pastries are the perfect morning snack to perk up your morning with a side of coffee.
Provided by Neyssa
Categories Dessert
Time 25m
Number Of Ingredients 4
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Allow puff pastry to thaw for 15-20 minutes.
- Unroll puff pastry, remove paper, and layer both over each other.
- Cut pastry into 3 by following the indented lines. Rotate the puff pastry and cut 3 additional lines to create 9 squares.
- Set the top layer of the puff pastry to the side.
- Add 1-2 slices of guava to each pastry (depending on your taste for guava), top with 1-2 chunks of cream cheese.
- Before returning the puffs to cover the guava and cream cheese, with the point of a knife, go ahead and add 2-3 slits to each square.
- Top the pastries with remaining squares.
- Brush the tops of the pastries with the whisked eggs.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until pastry tops are golden and the edges are the tiniest hint of brown.
- Serve warm.
GUAVA & CHEESE PASTRIES, PASTELITOS DE GUAYABA Y QUESO
These little pastries are truly addicting. They are so delicious one cannot stop eating them. They are always served in large quantities. No self respecting Latino party be it baby shower, birthday party, bridal shower, wedding, or any other. You can be sure these little pastries 50 to 100 piled high on a platter will on the...
Provided by Juliann Esquivel
Categories Other Desserts
Time 45m
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- 1. Set out your puff pastry, and cream cheese about half hour before preparing. After cream cheese has set out for a while. Put cream cheese in a bowl and beat with hand mixer until creamy add the 1/4 cup sugar and continue to mix until all the sugar is well incorporated. Set aside.
- 2. Now preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper set aside. Now take one sheet of the puff pastry. Put some flour on your flat surface and with a rolling pin roll the pastry a little each way to make a large rectangle. With a sharp knife cut the pastry in three equal strips and then cut across three times. Making nine equal squares.
- 3. Now open you goya guava paste package it will be a large block of paste. Unwrap the cellophane and with a sharp knife cut small slices. They will be about 2 1/2 inches long and 1/4 inch in thicknes. Cut 18 slices.
- 4. Now take one square of the puff pastry; spread 1 teaspoonsful of cream cheese in the middle; lay a slice of guava paste across the cheese and fold over one edge. With a the times of a fork crimp the edge all around. Sprinkle with white sugar; lay on the parchment lined cookie sheet do all your dough squares like this. I put eight on each sheet. Put into the oven and bake for 15/18 minutes. Check them at 15 minutes; if they are golden pull them out. Your guava paste will kind of seep out; no problem the ones sold at the bakeries are the same way. I also make little squares from the puff pastry and add 1 teaspoonful of cream cheese. I roll the square instead of folding them over. Sprinkle with sugar and put into the oven for 15/18 minutes. Bake until golden. Enjoy
PASTELES DE GUAYABA (GUAVA AND CREAM CHEESE PASTRIES)
This is a childhood favorite that conjures up memories of growing up as a gringa in South Florida and sitting in the open air Cuban Cafes and indulging on these sweet pastries! These pastries are wonderful with a café con leche!! They were a special treat that we were allowed to have on occasion for breakfast. It is actually one of the few things I actually miss about South Florida! The recipe is from Alex Garcia.
Provided by NcMysteryShopper
Categories Breakfast
Time 45m
Yield 16-20 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Blend the cream cheese, butter and flour until well mixed; Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Roll out the dough into a 1/4-inch thick square; Cut the rolled dough into 16 to 20 squares.
- A little off center of each square, place 1 tablespoon guava paste.
- Fold the dough over the guava paste, forming a triangle; Press the edges shut.
- Place the pasteles onto a cookie sheet and sprinkle them with a thin layer of sugar.
- Bake until the pasteles are evenly browned, about 25 minutes.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 403.9, Fat 33, SaturatedFat 20.1, Cholesterol 92.2, Sodium 294.3, Carbohydrate 22.8, Fiber 0.8, Sugar 1, Protein 4.9
CUBAN PASTELITO DE GUAYABA
Steps:
- In a blender or food processor, add all guava shells and half the syrup from one can. Process until it reaches a smooth consistency. Put puree in a medium saucepan and cook at low heat until reduced to a very thick consistency. Let guava cool and then fill into pastry bag. In a medium mixing bowl, add 4 ounces of water, 2 ounces of butter, and salt and mix until smooth. Then add flour and work well until all ingredients are incorporated. Continue to add water, a little at a time, working the dough until a medium-hard consistency is reached. Form dough into a ball and let rest for 15 minutes. Roll the dough into a flat square, about 1/2-inch thick.
- Place the remaining butter in the middle of square and pat down by hand to form a square about one-half the size of the dough square. Fold over the 4 corners of the dough, 1 at a time, overlapping each other so that a sealed envelope is formed enclosing the butter. Dust with flour and roll out to form a rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. Now fold 1/3 of the rectangle dough towards the middle and the remaining 1/3 over those 2. Let dough rest for 15 minutes. Now repeat process above of rolling out and folding in 3, 2 more times, resting 15 minutes between each.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Roll out a final time into a rectangle and fold 1/4of the dough on each side to the middle and then fold 1 more time down the middle to form 4 flaps in the fold. Let rest for 15 minutes. Roll out to a rectangle to about 1/8-inch thick. With a knife, cut the flattened dough into a 4-inch wide strip by length of your baking sheet. Lay strip on sheet pan lined with waxed paper and put filling lengthwise in the middle in continuous stream about 3/4-inch in diameter. Spray edges of strips with water and cover with another 4-inch strip of dough the same size as bottom. Press the edges together by hand very softly all the way around. Brush top with egg wash and bake for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with a simple syrup over the top and bake for another 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from oven and cut crosswise into 16 pieces.
PASTELES DE GUAYABA: GUAVA PASTRIES
Provided by Food Network
Categories dessert
Time 1h35m
Yield 8 to 16 servings
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Blend the cream cheese, butter and flour until well mixed. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Roll out the dough into a 1/4-inch thick square. Cut the rolled dough into 16 to 20 squares.
- A little off center of each square, place 1 tablespoon guava paste. Fold the dough over the guava paste, forming a triangle. Press the edges shut. Place the pasteles onto a cookie sheet and sprinkle them with a thin layer of sugar.
- Bake until the pasteles are evenly browned, about 25 minutes.
PASTELITOS (GUAVA AND CREAM CHEESE PASTRIES)
In Havana - and in Cuban neighborhoods across the U.S. - pastry shops make many types of cakes and cookies, but the best-sellers are always the pastels and pastelitos, flaky pastries filled with meat, cheese, coconut custard or guava jam. According to "Paladares: Recipes from the Private Restaurants, Home Kitchens, and Streets of Cuba" by Anya von Bremzen (Abrams, 2017), the shape of the pastel correlates with the filling: Triangular pastels are filled with guava paste and cheese, while rectangular ones are filled with just guava. Versailles, a Cuban restaurant in Miami, follows this rule, but at home, just make them rectangular, and add a swipe of cream cheese if desired. You can find guava paste in bricks at Latin American grocers, or swap in about 1/2 cup jam or preserves for a nontraditional take.
Provided by Daniela Galarza
Categories snack, finger foods, pastries, dessert
Time 1h
Yield 8 pastelitos
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Prepare an egg wash: In a small bowl, beat the egg with a pinch of salt and set aside.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll one sheet of puff pastry into an 8-by-12-inch rectangle roughly the size of a standard sheet of paper. (Keep the other puff pastry sheet in the refrigerator.) Dust off any excess flour and lay the rolled pastry sheet on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Dip a pastry brush into the egg wash, and paint a line in lengthwise along the center of the pastry sheet, followed by three crosswise lines, evenly spaced, forming a grid of 8 rectangles, each approximately 3 inches wide and 4 inches long. Brush edges with egg wash. Lay a slice of guava paste in the center of each rectangle (or dot with dollops of jam or preserves, if using). Spread some of the cream cheese, if using, on top of the guava paste (about 1 1/2 tablespoons cream cheese per pastry).
- Remove the second sheet of puff pastry from the refrigerator, and roll it out into an 8-by-11-inch rectangle, dusting with flour as needed to prevent sticking. Lay the second sheet of puff pastry on top of the first. Using the side of your palm, press around and between the mounds of filling, pressing out any excess air, and to glue the top pastry to the bottom, creating 8 even, rectangular pockets. Paint the top sheet of puff pastry with egg wash. Sprinkle the surface with sugar.
- Using a knife or bench scraper, cut out and separate the 8 pastelitos following the original grid in between the indentations in the dough. Trim the perimeter to neaten the rectangles. The dough should still be cool to the touch; if it is warm, return the pastelitos to the refrigerator on the baking sheet for 10 minutes to firm up before baking.
- Bake pastelitos until puffed and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Tips:
- For the best results, use high-quality guava paste. Look for a paste that is deep red in color and has a smooth, velvety texture.
- If you can't find guava paste, you can make your own by simmering guava fruit with sugar and lemon juice until it thickens.
- To make the cream cheese filling, use full-fat cream cheese for the richest flavor.
- Be sure to chill the cream cheese filling for at least 30 minutes before using it, so that it will be firm enough to spread.
- If you don't have any puff pastry on hand, you can make your own by following a simple recipe.
- To make the egg wash, simply beat an egg with a little water.
- Before baking the pastries, brush them with the egg wash and sprinkle them with sugar for a golden brown crust.
- Serve the pastries warm or at room temperature, dusted with powdered sugar.
Conclusion:
These guava and cream cheese pastries are a delicious and easy treat that are perfect for any occasion. They are made with simple ingredients and can be easily customized to your liking. So next time you are looking for a sweet and satisfying snack, give these pastries a try!
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