Pastelitos de guayaba y queso (Guava cheese pastries) are one of the easiest and yummiest dessert recipes that I know. 4 ingredients + 15 minutes, quick and easy!
There is not a flavor that is more representative of South American countries than guava. We live for guava juices and sweets. In Venezuela we even made cheese and guava tequeños, they are fantastic!
One of my favorites combination for guava jam or paste is cheese. This is the classic sweet and salty contrast that makes you taste buds jump from happiness.
As I’ve mentioned, in Venezuela, sometimes we combine really salty cheese — like hard white Venezuelan cheese — with guava. But in this recipe, the contrast is more subtle. Cream cheese has some saltiness but the greatest thing that brings to this recipe is the creaminess that makes this pastelitos shine.
These pastelitos de guayaba y queso have the most creamy sweet and salt filling trapped in a flaky pocket of puff pastry.
I love that tropical flavor that remembers me of Venezuela and at the same time of my family. Guava juice is probably one of my early food memories.
But you know the thing I love the most about this recipe: How easy it is. It just needs 4 ingredients and 15 minutes. It’s the perfect “exotic” sweet treat when people come over.
How to make authentic Pastelitos de guayaba y queso?
As I promised, this recipe is extremely easy, even for those that never have baked before.
The most important ingredient for this recipe is a good and firm guava paste. I was almost giving up trying to find a good quality guava paste — I live in Portugal and here Guava is a myth —- until I stumbled upon a French store and in a little corner of the international section and I FOUND IT. Major discovering for a Venezuelan girl living abroad.
So, what am I looking for in a good guava paste?
Firmness: you want your paste to be firm enough to maintain shape after cutting it.
Low amount of seeds: this is personal preference. I enjoy my guava sweets with little to no texture of seeds.
Sweetness: some guava paste is a mix of acid and sweet. For the purpose of this recipe, I prefer a guava paste that is overpoweringly sweet. I need to contrast with the cream cheese.
After you get your guava paste It’s good to have a high-quality puff pastry that doesn’t have weird aftertaste— some store-bought puff pastry have an acid finish— and that is very airy and flaky.
It’s going to be easier if you find a square puff pastry because you don’t have to worry about the pastelitos being uneven.
Just cut the puff pastry in half and then place the guava paste and cream cheese in sections, in one half, and cover with the other half to make a kind of sandwich (you can see the pictures). The guava and cheese filling must be encapsulated between two layers of puff pastry.
Then all it takes is to bake for 12- 15 minutes at 400ºF (200ºC). Bake until they are golden. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve. Easy peasy!
I prefer my pastelitos warm — not hot — because the guava paste and the cheese are softer. Even when I save my pastelitos for the next day I like to microwave them for 15 sec to get that creamy filling.
Guava Cheese Pastries (Pastelitos de Guayaba y Queso)
Ingredients
- 50 gr guava paste
- 2 tbsp cream cheese (½ tsp per pastry)
- 1 square sheet puff pastry
- powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 200ºc (400ºF)
- Cut the puff pastry in half. In one-half place 6 pieces of guava paste (about 1 ½ inch x 1 ½ inch) and ½ tsp of cream (like in the pictures above) separated in 6 quadrants.
- Cover with the other half of the puff pastry sheet and cut the squares with the help of a pizza cutter or a knife.
- Bake the pastelitos in the oven for 12 – 15 minutes until they are golden.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve while warm.
I’m Maria and I love cooking—and mostly EATING—food from all around the world. I’ve been sharing my abuela’s secret Latin-American recipes for the last 7 years with the world on this blog. I’ve been a full-time food blogger for many years and I’m always trying new delicious meals that don’t require a culinary degree or a Michelin-star chef. I also love traveling, cats, and knitting.
These came out amazing! Do these need to be refrigerated after baking them or can they be left out in a sealed container? For how long? Thank you!!
Hi Helen! So, glad you loved the recipe. Sadly, these pastries lose their crunch with time. I don’t recommend storing them in the fridge because they get soft. If you left them in a sealed container outside the fridge, they can be good and crispy up to 6 hours. I know, they are not the most resistant dessert. Thanks for commenting!