Pastelillos de Guayaba (Guava Turnovers)

Course: Hearth

Cuisine: Puerto Rican/Hispanic

Keyword: guava, pastelillos de guayaba, turnovers

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 30

Servings: pastries

Calories: 304kcal

A quick-fix breakfast or afternoon pastry that's common in Puerto Rico.

8 ounces (320 grams) guava paste (not jelly)
1 pound (490 grams) Puff Pastry (homemade or 17 oz package of frozen puff pastry, thawed)
1 cup (125 grams) powdered sugar (icing sugar) for topping, optional

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line one or two sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Whisk together the egg yolk and water to create the egg wash. Set aside.
Slice the paste a 1/2" thick by 2"-2 1/2" long, then set the guava aside while you roll out your puff pastry.

Use a heavy rolling pin to roll the puff pastry dough out into a large rectangle- approximately 10"x7" if using two puff pastry sheets, or 20"x 14" if using homemade puff pastry.
Use a very sharp knife to cut the puff pastry into 3"x 6" rectangles.
Cut straight down, don't saw through the dough, or the puff pastry layers will get stuck together and won't rise properly in the oven.
Place a slice of guava paste on one side of the puff pastry rectangle, leaving a 1/2"-3/4" margin.
Lightly brush a small amount of the egg wash in the margin you left between the slice of guava and the edge of the dough.
Fold the puff pastry rectangle in half to cover the guava paste and press down with your finger to seal the edges together.

Transfer your sealed pastelillos de guayaba to the prepared sheet pan leaving at least 1" between each pastry.
Brush a light glaze of the egg wash over the tops of each pastelillo. Be careful not to brush too much egg wash or it could run off the sides and prevent layers of the puff pastry from rising.
Bake the pastelillos de guayaba for 20 minutes, or until puffy, flaky, and golden brown.
Once baked, carefully transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Sift a generous amount of powdered sugar over the pastries after they've cooled completely. The pastries can also be left plain.
Enjoy the pastelillos de guayaba with café con leche or your beverage of choice.

Cut 2-inch long x 1-inch wide batons of room temperature cream cheese.
Arrange the cheese on top of the guava paste.
Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of granulated sugar over the cream cheese if you prefer a sweeter pastry.
Fold and bake as instructed above.

If you have a small pan, bake the pastelillos in batches of six. Keep the unbaked pastelillos in the refrigerator while you bake the first batch.
Bake any other batches while subsequent batches are cooling.
Take care not to brush too much egg wash onto them or it could run off the sides and prevent the puff pastry from rising. When the egg wash runs over the sides, it causes the puff pastry layers to stick together, so they don't rise as high.
Make sure the oven is at the correct temperature. That hits the pastry with a high blast of heat which helps it rise nice and high.

Store the pastries covered in plastic wrap at room temperature. Enjoy them within two days of baking, or the pastry will lose its flakiness.
Freeze the pastelillos de guayaba before dusting in sugar, but after they're completely cool.
Transfer them to a freezer-safe container and freeze them for up to 2 months. Thaw them at room temperature on the counter. Reheat the thawed pastries in the toaster oven for 5 minutes to regain that crispiness, then dust with sugar.