It’s an easy midday treat, or the perfect end to a meal when you want to linger.
Guava & Cheese Cookies Recipe
Pastelitos just got a delicious makeover
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Published Oct 30, 2024
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Lauren V. Allen/Bodega Bakes
Sure, you might never turn down old-fashioned chocolate chippers, but they aren’t exactly exciting either. Enter the guava and cheese cookies from Paola Velez’s new cookbook, Bodega Bakes: Recipes for Sweets and Treats Inspired by My Corner Store, which are unexpected and easy to prepare.
“I was introduced to the joys of pulling a box of guava paste and some queso fresco out of the fridge very early on in life,” Velez writes. “It’s an easy midday treat, or the perfect end to a meal when you want to linger. Another extraordinary expression of the pairing is the pastelito de guayaba, a turnover with cream cheese coaxing the sweetness of the guava jam to heel. I hope the Latin community doesn’t mind me spinning the tradition into a cookie.”
If you can’t find queso Dominicano near you, Velez recommends substituting halloumi cheese instead. Just be sure to reduce the salt in the dough to ¼ teaspoon.
Recipes reprinted with permission from Bodega Bakes: Recipes for Sweets and Treats Inspired by My Corner Store by Paola Velez © 2024. Published by Union Square & Co. Photographs © 2024 Lauren V. Allen.
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon imitation lemon extract
2½ cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup small-diced guava
½ cup small-diced queso Dominicano
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line one large baking sheet or two small baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-low speed until fluffy and pale yellow in color, about 4 minutes.
3. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and mix on low until incorporated, light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure all the sugar and butter are combined and there are no visible clumps of either—do not skip this step.
4. With the mixer on low, add the egg and lemon extract and mix until incorporated.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
6. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl with the butter mixture and pulse the mixer on and off, almost like you’re trying to jump-start a car, so the flour gets gradually incorporated. Mix just until the flour is incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the guava and cheese and mix until incorporated but be careful not to over-mix! (If you mix the guava for too long, it can destabilize the dough. If you’re nervous, just mix in the guava and cheese by hand, which is harder work but easier to control.)
7. Using a two-ounce cookie scoop (or a large spoon—your portions should be ¼ cup), scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 1½ to 2 inches between the cookies and ½ to 1 inch between the cookies and the edges of the pan.
8. Bake the cookies until the edges are golden, 14 to 16 minutes. Remove them from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool before serving.
Nutrition Facts
361 calories
18g fat
47g carbs
5g protein
25g sugars
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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.