Guava & cream cheese pastries / Pastelitos de Guayaba y queso

Cuban Guava & cream cheese pastries / Pastelitos de Guayaba y queso crema. Cuban Pastelitos are brushed with a glaze as opposed to other Latino pastries in which powdered sugar is used. 

 *** Note: I make them different sometimes. I usually seal the edges. But for these I didn't. I laid a whole sheet over the guava & cheese and cut them into squares and brushed them with egg wash. I let the pastry do it's own thing.

Ingredients: 

8 ounces guava paste

4 ounces cream cheese

1 package puff pastry dough (two pastry sheets in the package), thawed

1 egg & 2 Tbsp water  (egg wash)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Unfold the thawed puff pastry sheets and lay on a flat surface. Use a knife to lightly score one sheet of the dough into 9 equal squares (scoring the dough gives you a guide to follow when filling the pastry).

3. Cut the cream cheese into 9 equal portions, then lay each one in the center of each of the 9 squares on the one of the sheet of puff pastry.

4. Cut the guava paste into 9 equal portions and lay the guava on top of the cream cheese. Place the second sheet of puff pastry on top.

5. Cut the pastry into 9 squares and place them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Use a sharp knife to make three cuts in the top of each pastry.

6. Whisk together the egg and water. Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the egg wash onto the top of each pastry.

7. Bake the pastries at 350 for 20 -25 minutes, until golden brown. 

8.Make a simple syrup. Add 1/2 cup sugar & 1/2 cup water. Boil on medium low flame for 5-8 minutes or until it thickens. Do not let syrup brown. You want a clear syrup. Brush over pastries. Be careful because it can burn you very bad.