Guava and Cream Cheese Pastries
For breakfast or dessert, these flaky pastries filled with sweet cream cheese and guava paste will have your taste buds asking for more. They are perfect any time of the day, whether it’s in the morning with coffee or as an afternoon treat, they are guaranteed to melt all your troubles away. Well, at least while you’re eating them.
My obsession with Guava Cream Cheese pastry began while I was working in South Florida. Tired of the free hotel breakfast, I went for a walk and discovered a small outside cafe serving Cuban style coffee and fresh pastries. Thinking that would be a much tastier way to start my morning, I came back with a bag of assorted pastries. All were delicious but there was just something special about the guava and cheese pastry. The delicately sweetened cheese paired with the bold flavor of guava paste becomes the perfect marriage of European style pastry with the exotic flavors of the tropics.
What are Guavas and Guava Paste?
I read somewhere that guavas are the essence of the tropics. When you taste one, it’s like biting into a pear’s exotic cousin (although they are not related). It has the texture of a pear but with a mild tropical flavor. Guava Paste is essentially guava puree and sugar, cooked down to form a thick sticky paste, similar in texture to gummy candy. Pictured below is a white guava, although they also come with pink flesh and why you usually find guava paste in a dark red color.
Fun Facts
1. Guavas are native to Central and South America but are now grown in sub-tropical areas all over the world, India being the largest grower of the fruit.
2. Fresh guavas are rich in vitamins A, B, and C and a very good source of fiber.
3. The vitamin C in a guava is 4 times higher than in an orange.
4. Guavas are high in pectin, which makes it easy to turn into jams and jellies.
Ingredients for Guava Cream Cheese Pastries
- Puff Pastry – to make this recipe quick and easy, use frozen puff pastry from the grocery store. Follow the package directions for defrosting.
- Cream Cheese – use full fat cream cheese in the block. You’ll want to soften it so it will combine well with the sugar and vanilla.
- Sugar – brings just a little sweetness to the filling
- Vanilla Extract – adds a warm flavor to the cream cheese filling
- Guava Paste – a mildly sticky paste made with guavas and sugar, with a sweet but tart flavor. You can find it in the International food section of your grocery store.
- Egg – used as an egg wash to seal pastry when folded over. It’s also brushed on top of the pastry to give it a lovely golden color once baked.
- Water – to thin out the egg wash.
Pro Tips
Guava Paste is usually packaged in block form and can be found in the International or Latin American food aisle of your grocery store. Common brands I found are Conchita, Goya, and Iberia. It may also be called Pasta de Guyana or Goiabada on the package.
Step by Step Instructions for making Guava Cream Cheese Pastries
Prep the Ingredients
- Defrost frozen puff pastry per the package directions. Once defrosted, place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
- In a medium bowl, combine 8 ounces of cream cheese, 4 tablespoons of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Mix with a spoon until you have a smooth and creamy consistency.
- Slice guava paste in 1/8 inch pieces, about 8-12 slices, set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 1 egg and 1 tablespoon water for the egg wash, set aside.
Combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla
Slice guava paste
Make egg wash – ready to assemble pastries
Assembling the Pastry
- Take one sheet of pastry dough from the refrigerator and lay it out on a piece of parchment paper for easy clean up. Using a rolling pin, gently roll out the creases. Cut the pastry dough down the center both horizontally and vertically to create 4 separate squares.
- Working quickly, spread 2 tablespoons of cream cheese mixture on each square diagonally. Top the cream cheese with a slice of guava paste, leaving a ½” border around the edge.
- Using a thin pastry brush, smooth egg wash around the edges of square. Fold corner of dough over the filling to make a triangle. Press the 2 edges of the dough together and seal with the tines of a fork. Cut 2 slits diagonally across each pastry with a sharp knife for venting.
- Brush the top and edges of the pastries with egg wash before transferring to the prepared baking sheet. Keep pastries refrigerated while you prepare your second sheet of dough.
Cut puff pastry into 4 squares
Fill pastry with cream cheese and guava paste, fold over and seal edges
Place on a sheet pan for baking
Baking the pastries
- Place both trays of pastries in the preheated 400°F oven, side by side. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pastries are puffed and golden brown on top.
- Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!!
Pro Tips
If your puff pastry dough becomes too warm and hard to work with, place in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to firm it up. You’ll want to keep it cold since the butter creates moisture in the layers when baked to give the dough that flaky crisp texture.
How to store Guava Cream Cheese Pastries
If you can resist the urge to eat all the pastries at once, they can be easily stored. Place pastries in an airtight container or large ziplock bag. They are just as good the next day, but I like to reheat them in a 350°F oven for 3-5 minutes so the pastry crisps up.
Enjoy and Share
I hope you love these Guava Cream Cheese pastries as much as I do. Serve them up next time you have a friend over for coffee or surprise your family with a tasty new dessert. I’m sure they will thank you for it. Let me know if you make this recipe and what you think in the comments below.
Guava Cream Cheese Pastries
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pkg Frozen Puff Pastry defrosted in refrigerator
- 3/4 c guava paste
- 1 whole egg
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper and set aside. Preheat oven to 400℉
- Prep your fillings and egg wash. In a medium bowl, combine 1-8oz block of softened cream cheese, 4 tbsp of sugar, and 1 tsp of vanilla. Mix until creamy and set aside. Next, slice the guava paste in 1/8 inch slices. Then, in a small bowl, whisk together egg and water for the egg wash.
- Gently unroll one sheet of the puff pastry. Using a rolling pin, ever so gently, roll out the creases. Cut the pastry in 4 equal squares with a sharp knife or pizza cutter.
- Working quickly, spoon 2 tablespoons of cream cheese mixture on one half of each pastry square diagonally leaving a ½ inch around the edge. Next, place a slice of guava paste on top of the cream cheese.
- Lightly brush egg wash around the edges of each pastry. Fold other corner of dough over filling to create a triangle, sealing edges with the tines of a fork. Cut two slits on top of each pastry with a sharp knife for venting, Brush top of each pastry with egg wash.
- Place pastries on the prepared sheet pans, spaced 1" apart. Place in pre-heated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until pastry is puffed, flakey and golden.
- Remove from oven and let rest in pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and cool to room temperature.
