I was just complaining about June gloom earlier this week and here we are now with temperatures in the 90’s! Summer is coming, and always around Father’s Day too. I grew up without a father, but let me finish the story before you start feeling sorry for me. I had a really REALLY awesome childhood thanks to my grandpa. He raised me and I could not have asked for a better father’s figure. I grew up knowing that I am no less than any of the other kids with or without a dad. I grew up knowing how to be independent and sure of myself. And the older I get, the more I appreciate all that my grandpa had done for me. This Guava Cream Cheese Mini Hand Pie recipe is a toast to the memory of my grandfather!
My grandpa loves cheese! He used to eat cheese with banana for a snack, which is a combination I still love today. There is absolutely no doubt that I learned to love cheese from him. And so, I thought this guava cream cheese mini hand pie would definitely be approved by him. He would enjoy one with an espresso and a couple teaspoons of sugar. I used to love finishing up my grandpa’s espresso because of all the sugar at the bottom of the cup. He had a sweet tooth, which is something I have as well. ????
I’d like to think that grandpa would be a total foodie if he was still alive today. He used to buy me a snack every day after school. Food was always plentiful in my childhood memory, frozen yogurt, tofu pudding with jasmine sugar syrup, molasses deep-fried glutinous rice ball, and ice cream, lots of ice cream! No wonder I have always loved food. It’s funny but writing this out made me realize how much I have taken after my grandpa, down to his love for animated films! Happy Father’s Day to all the dads, granddads and uncles out there! XO
📖 Recipe card
Guava Cream Cheese Mini Hand Pie
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 oz. unsalted butter (1 stick - cold)
- 3 tablespoon cold water
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon of cream (or milk)
- 1 tablespoon of Turbinado sugar
For the filling:
- 2 oz. guava paste
- 2 oz. heavy cream
- 2 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)
Instructions
- Leave cream cheese out on the counter until it softens.
- To prepare the crust, put flour, sugar and salt in a small bowl and mix thoroughly with a whisk then transfer to a food processor fitted with the dough blade.
- Cube the cold butter and add to the flour mixture. Pulse several times until butter is about pea size and mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse until the dough starts to pull together. Be mindful not to overmix, you still want chunks of butter in the dough to create a flaky crust.
- Turn the dough out on a lightly floured board and shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic and rest in the refrigerator for an hour.
- Meanwhile, prepare the filling by chopping up the guava paste and add to a small nonstick sauce pan with 1 oz. of cream. Melt over medium heat, stirring constantly and breaking up the paste with a spatula until smooth. Turn off the heat.
- Immediately add the rest of the cream and cream cheese to the hot melted guava paste, mix until smooth. Let rest on the counter until ready to use.
- Prepare egg wash by beating one egg with 1 tablespoon of cream (or milk).
- Take pie dough out of the fridge and roll to ⅛” thick.
- Use a 3” cookie/biscuit cutter and cut into 18 rounds.
- Fill each round with 1 teaspoon of filing, brush egg wash around the perimeter of the pie dough, fold in half and seal with a fork.
- Place the pies on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and keep in the fridge or freezer (if you have space) while you continue to work with the rest of the pie dough.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- When ready to bake, take the baking sheet out of the fridge or freezer, poke the top of each pie with the tip of a knife to create steam holes.
- Brush egg wash all over the crust and sprinkle liberally with turbinado sugar.
- Bake for 18 minutes until the crust is golden brown.
- Remove from oven and place the baking sheet on a wire rack to cool.
Notes
2. These mini pies are best they day they are made, when slightly warm. But they will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can warm them in the oven or toaster oven for a few minutes at 350°F.
Nutrition
This is the exact brand of guava paste I used for this recipe: Predilecta Guava Paste
I loved these!
So I made these and forgot to include the egg in the pastry, but the pastry is still baked up nice and flaky and is quite exquisite. Then, because I had no cream cheese but had some frangipane, I used that instead and everything came out really well. I’ll try this again as the recipe is written, but just wanted you to know how versatile, and forgiving, this recipe is!
Yummy!!!!!!
Thanks, Diane!
This is 4 years later but can you use the recipe to make a big pie? I’ve been looking for something to bring to the office for Pi day and although hand pies are cute, I feel like everyone expects the big round version lol.
Hi, the filling of this pie is more like the Porto’s guava pastry, I don’t think it would work in a big pie unfortunately… I would recommend something like this maybe and use a guava jello, you can make it in a pie dish.
Your grandpa sounds like a sweetheart and isn’t it lovely how food can bring back fond memories. Love these little hand pies
Okay, how stinking adorable and delicious can one little food yet!? I am so in love with these cute little things!
Thanks Karly! I definitely have a soft spot for mini tiny cute little bites of dessert! 🙂