Pastelitos (Guava and Cream Cheese Pastries)

Recipe from Anya von Bremzen

Adapted by Daniela Galarza

Published March 26, 2020

Pastelitos (Guava and Cream Cheese Pastries)
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
5(334)
Comments
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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 ½ cup jam or preserves for a nontraditional take. —Daniela Galarza

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Ingredients

Yield:8 pastelitos
  • 1large egg
  • Pinch of kosher salt
  • 2sheets frozen puff pastry (about 8 ounces each), defrosted and refrigerated
  • All-purpose flour, for rolling
  • 5½ounces/160 grams guava paste, cut into 8 even, rectangular slices, or ½ cup strawberry jam or other fruit jam or preserves
  • ¾cup/170 grams cream cheese, softened at room temperature (optional)
  • 2tablespoons granulated or turbinado sugar
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

466 calories; 30 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 14 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 44 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 14 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 238 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Prepare an egg wash: In a small bowl, beat the egg with a pinch of salt and set aside.

  3. Step 3

    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 1½ tablespoons cream cheese per pastry).

  4. Step 4

    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.

  5. Step 5

    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.

  6. Step 6

    Bake pastelitos until puffed and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
334 user ratings
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Comments

Ash L.

Tried these out because I was craving my favorite pastelitos from Porto’s bakery, these turned out delicious! It also needed 20 minutes for me in the oven versus 15. I’d recommend during a thorough egg washing in order to get that golden coloring.

R

PLEASE do not sub out other jams or preserves for the guava. I mean I'm sure it would taste fine but there is absolutely no comparison to how delicious these are with the exact ingredients. :)

Ana Builes

Make sure to create a slit at the top. If you have queso fresco instead, you can use that for a delicious alternative.

Bay Area

I made just four (one for each of our family) using one half sheet of pastry dough. Rolled the dough out to be a good size for 4, and used only guava (no cream cheese) because that’s how our fav bakery in Miami does them. Used dufour pasty sheets and Goya guava paste. Cut each slice of guava to a bit thicker than 1/8 of an inch but I don’t think quite a quarter inch. Added 3 slashes to the top to let steam escape. The paste really does not ooze, so next time I’ll make it a little thinner and let it get much closer to the edges of the pastry. It was still pretty light after 20 minutes so upped the temperature and left it in another 2-3 minutes till it was nice and golden on top. The prep time was really minimal - I pulled the pastry sheet out before unloading the dishwasher, it was warm enough to work by the time the washer was unloaded, then all it took was a couple of minutes of rolling out, quick slicing of guava and shaping - maybe 10 minutes. I will try it with the cream cheese next time - I can imagine that would really balance the acidity of the guava, but it’s pretty delicious without.

Stephanie

Delicious and very similar to Porto’s, which is what I was trying to recreate. They’re incredibly easy to make and I will definitely be making again. I used store bought puff pastry, so I just worked with the dimensions I had. I spread cream cheese on the bottom and dolloped guava jam on top. I baked for 20 minutes and actually wish I would have baked 2 more minutes. I think it’s a very forgiving dessert to make and could be customized with so many different flavors, but the guava cream cheese is to die for!

Loner

can these be kept in the freezer before baking? I live alone and would want to bake them 1 or 2 at a time.

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Credits

Adapted from “Paladares: Recipes from the Private Restaurants, Home Kitchens, and Streets of Cuba” (Abrams, 2017) by Anya von Bremzen, with inspiration from Versailles Cuban Restaurant in Miami, Florida

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