Cuban Pastelitos

This dish is my way of making the classic cuban pastelito. They are a classic pastry filled with guava. In some cases they can be filled with cream cheese or meat. Getting this recipe right took a lot of practice with my grandmother and experimentation.

I like this dish because it tastes like I am back in Miami visiting my family. We would eat these every day for breakfast along with fresh squeezed orange juice.

These go very quickly at our house.

Cook Time:10-15 minutes

Prep Time:25 minutes

Makes 12 pastries

INGREDIENTS

•  7 oz of Guava paste cut into small thin strips
•  1 pack of Pepperidge farm puff pastry
• 1/4 a cup of powdered sugar
• 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter melted
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon of water
• flour for dusting

DIRECTIONS

1. Set oven to 400 degrees
2. Dust flour onto a flat surface
3. Roll out puff pastry dough until you could not roll it out any more but it is still maneuverable.
4. Cut out 5 by 4 inch pieces with a pizza cutter.
5. Butter baking sheet and lay half of the puff pastries onto the pan. Put the pastries 1 inch apart from each other.
6. Flatten the puff pastry onto the pan with your fingers and then cover with more butter.
7. Layer the desired amount of guava onto the middle of each dough (2-3 thin slices of guava should be enough). Can also add cheese too or make just with cheese or picadillo.
8. Sprinkle a small pinch of powdered sugar on top of the guava.
9. Cover the pastries with the remaining dough and pinch the sides closed with a fork.
10. Mix the egg and water together,  brush butter and the egg mixture (a.k.a. egg wash)   on top of the pastries. Sprinkle a little bit of powdered sugar as well.
11. Put in the oven for 10-15 minutes until pastries are puffy and golden-brown.
12. Let cool and remove to a serving dish. enjoy!