Guava Cheese Pastries (Printer-Friendly)

Golden puff pastry filled with sweet guava paste and creamy cheese. A perfect sweet-savory Latin American treat ready in 40 minutes.

# What You Need:

→ Pastry

01 - 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (about 8.8 oz), thawed
02 - 1 large egg, beaten for egg wash

→ Filling

03 - 5.3 oz guava paste, cut into 8 equal pieces
04 - 3.5 oz cream cheese or mozzarella, cut into 8 equal pieces

→ Optional Garnish

05 - 2 tablespoons powdered sugar for dusting

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - Roll out thawed puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to smooth any creases. Cut into 8 equal rectangles.
03 - Place one piece of guava paste and one piece of cheese in the center of each pastry rectangle.
04 - Fold each rectangle over the filling to create a square or triangle shape. Press edges firmly with a fork to seal.
05 - Transfer sealed pastries to the prepared baking sheet. Brush tops generously with beaten egg for a golden finish.
06 - Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until pastries are puffed and golden brown.
07 - Cool briefly. Dust with powdered sugar if desired. Serve warm.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • They look impressive but honestly come together in less time than it takes to brew coffee, which means you can impress people without stress.
  • The cheese-and-guava combo is unexpected enough to make people pause mid-chew and ask what just happened in their mouth.
  • Frozen puff pastry does all the heavy lifting, so you get those shattering, buttery layers without learning to fold dough at 6 AM.
02 -
  • Don't skip pressing the edges with a fork; I learned this the hard way when filling burst out of every pastry, and my baking sheet looked like a cheese crime scene.
  • The cooling step actually matters—the filling sets as it cools, so biting into one that's still steaming will result in hot cheese and guava everywhere, which sounds great until it burns your mouth.
03 -
  • If your cheese pieces are too large or irregularly shaped, they'll cook unevenly—take 30 seconds to cut them into consistent pieces and your results improve dramatically.
  • The secret to extra-golden pastries is brushing the egg wash twice—once before baking and once halfway through if you catch them at the right moment.
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