Recipe

Guava and Cheese Tartlets Pop-Tarts Style

Name: Guava and Cheese Tartlets Pop-Tarts Style
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 165 min
Ingredients: 300 g all-purpose wheat flour; 150 g unsalted butter, very cold and cubed; 30 g sugar; 3 g salt; 70-90 ml very cold water; About 15 g extra flour for the work surface; 160 g firm guava paste in bars; 100 g full-fat cream cheese, cold; 10 g powdered sugar; 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water; 70 g powdered sugar; 2-3 teaspoons milk (10-15 ml); ¼ teaspoon vanilla

Rectangular butter shortcrust tartlets filled with guava and cream cheese, with an optional thin glaze. Homemade snack.

CiberCubaNovember 6, 2026

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Preparation40 min
Cooking30 min
Total time2 h 45 min
Servings8 tartlets
DifficultyMedium

These rectangular, sealed tartlets are a homemade adaptation inspired by classic American toaster pastries, but with the filling Cubans love most: guava with cheese. The dough is butter shortcrust, tender and golden, nothing like the puff pastry of pastelitos.

Note: this is not an official recipe from any brand nor a traditional Cuban dessert. It is a homemade sweet for the afternoon snack, combining the shape of those tartlets with the classic pair: the guava bar and the cheese.

Method

Dough

In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar and salt.
Incorporate the cold cubed butter by rubbing briefly with your fingers (or with pulses in a processor) until it forms crumbs with small visible pieces of butter.
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Add first 70 ml of very cold water and then the rest little by little, only until the dough comes together when pressed. Do not knead it.
Form two discs, wrap them and chill in the refrigerator for 45 minutes.

Filling

Mix the cream cheese with the 10 g of powdered sugar until smooth and keep it cold.
Cut the guava into eight portions of 20 g, in thin slices.

Assembly

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each half of dough to about 3 mm thick.
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Cut 16 rectangles of about 10 x 8 cm. Gather and roll out the scraps only once, without working them too much. If the dough softens, chill it for a few minutes.
Place eight bases on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Distribute about 14 g of cream cheese and 20 g of guava on each one, leaving 1 cm of border free.
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Lightly moisten the edges with beaten egg, cover with the other eight rectangles, press and seal with a fork without breaking the dough. Make two small cuts in each lid to let steam escape.
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Baking

Chill the assembled tartlets for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 190 °C without fan.
Lightly brush the lids with egg and bake for 25-30 minutes in the middle zone, until golden and the dough is well cooked.
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Let them cool for 30 minutes on a rack. Do not touch the freshly baked filling: it can burn.

Glaze (optional)

Mix the powdered sugar with the vanilla and add the milk little by little until you achieve a thick glaze.
Cover only the central area of each cooled tartlet with the glaze.