Guava pastelitos (guava pastry) made with puff pastry and guava paste. These sweet guava puffs look so fancy but are so easy! Enjoy these heavenly, flaky bites for breakfast, snack or dessert.
Guava Pastelitos
It’s been a while since I’ve posted a Puerto Rican dessert, so I thought I’d share this quick recipe for pastelitos de guayaba (guava pastry). Only two ingredients (if you don’t count the dusting sugar) and they’re so delicious!
All you need is a box of frozen puff pastry and guava paste. The puff pastry you can get in the grocery’s freezer aisle. It’s usually by the frozen pie crusts and desserts.
This stuff is heaven. As in layers upon layers of buttery, flaky dough that puffs up when baking.
You can find guava paste in the Hispanic aisle or at a Hispanic market. It comes wrapped in plastic or in a tin. To those who have never tried guava paste, the taste reminds me of raspberry or strawberry jam, but deeper.
Guava paste is a thick, chewy, sticky concentration of guava fruit, similar to quince if you’re familiar with that. You can definitely eat it plain, but it’s pretty sweet, so it’s usually paired with cheese or another ingredient to cut the sugar.
You can whip these up for an easy breakfast pastry or serve them for dessert. I recommend them after a meal like Pernil (juicy roasted pork) and Puerto Rican Beans or a comforting dish of Puerto Rican Chicken Stew (pollo guisado). But you don’t have to limit yourself to Puerto Rican cuisine – they’re tasty anytime!
If you’ve never worked with puff pastry before, you’ll need to let it thaw first. On one sheet of pastry you’ll lay pieces of guava paste.
Then top with the other sheet of puff pastry. To make it easy, use a little pastry wheel or pizza cutter instead of a knife.
If you cut them into thirds, you’ll get nine perfectly square guava pastelitos that are a pretty decent size. I like my food dainty, so I like to cut them by fours – twelve pieces total.
They’ll be rectangular in shape, but I think they’re the perfect size. Finish with powdered sugar for a festive look!
Guava pastelitos (guava pastry) made with puff pastry and guava paste. These sweet guava puffs look so fancy but are so easy! Enjoy these heavenly, flaky bites for breakfast, snack or dessert. Pastelitos de guayaba can be made in any size. If cutting into 12 pieces, use about a teaspoon of guava paste for each puff.
Guava Pastelitos
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Desiree Astacio
Saturday 12th of December 2020
So happy I found this recipe! I followed another and there were so many crazy steps. I’m following your recipe with the left over guava I have, minus egg wash and flower. Thanks. I did however, though it’s not traditional, made them into balls. I had left over dough with the other recipe I followed and thought of it. They were so great for the not so sweet tooth’s in the family and the kids, perfect for just gratifying the end of a meal cravings.
Joyel Shore
Monday 19th of October 2020
Do they need to be sealed on the edges or just leave them lose?
Rebekah
Monday 19th of October 2020
I just leave them. If you seal them cut a couple slits on top so steam can escape or they'll get really puffy!
Deanie Moorel
Saturday 18th of January 2020
Can they be frozen and then warmed and served
Rebekah
Sunday 19th of January 2020
Hi Deanie, I've never tried freezing them so I can't say. If you try, please let us know the results!
Martha
Sunday 3rd of November 2019
Thank you for the recipe. I am Puerto Rican and remember a corner store in Chicago selling these. I would beg my mom tho buy these everytime we went to the store, until she decided to just buy them for me by the box. I think she figured I'd get tired of them. WRONG! :D I love them with cream cheese and without, with powdered sugar and without. Buen Provecho.
Yamilia
Tuesday 6th of August 2019
Been doing these for some time now...actually since I moved out of Miami and can't go to a Cuban Bakery!! Hahaha!!! Love love my pastelitos!! Also, you can add a slice of cream cheese or you can make them with picadillo (ground beef). Mmmmmmmmmm....so freaking good!! TGhanks for posting this and sharing the knowledge!!! Cuban/Puerto Rican...we're brothers and sisters regardless.