Guava Rum and Coconut Bars

  

The other day I was talking to one of my readers (and old high school friend) and he said after making one of my recipes “What can I do with the left over guava paste I have after making your Empanadas de Guayaba recipe? So after making myself a rum and coke “Cuba Libra” I started to play around in the kitchen and here is what I came up with. Thank you Jim for trying my recipe.

 

 

Cheese Filling:

1 – 8 oz package cream cheese, softened

¼ cup butter, at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp lemon extract

½ cup confectioners sugar

 

 

Crust:

1 ¼ cup graham cracker crumbs

¼ cup sugar

½ cup sliced almonds

4 tbsp butter melted

Guava Rum Sauce:

16 oz guava paste, by weight, diced into small cubes

½ cup sugar

2 tbsp butter

1 oz rum (I used dark Rum)

Sweetened shredded coconut for garnish

To make cheese filling use a mixer at medium speed to mix the butter and cream cheese for 5 minutes. Add vanilla and lemon extract and mix for 1 minute. Then slowly add sugar a little at a time until combined. Remove mixture to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place bowl in refrigerator to set.

To make the crust put almonds and sugar in a small food processor and pulse until you get a coarse crumb. Remove almond sugar to a mixing bowl and add graham cracker crumbs. Pour in melted butter and combine using a fork.

Grease a 12” x 9” pan with butter then line the pan with parchment paper.

Then grease the parchment paper. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Pour crumb mixture into pan and press crumbs evenly over the bottom of the pan using a flat-bottomed glass. Place in oven for 12 minutes.

Remove pan from oven and cool for 15 minutes To make the Guava Rum sauce add guava paste, sugar, butter and rum into a medium saucepan at medium heat until the guava melts. The sauce will be a bit grainy.

. Remove cheese mixture from the refrigerator and pour over cooled crust.

Spread cheese mixture over crumbs.

Then spread guava rum sauce over cheese mixture.

Sprinkle top with shredded coconut. Place pan into refrigerator for 1 hour to set before cutting into 2’ X 3” bars.