Name: Cuban Shortbread Cookie Sandwich with Guava Paste (Torticas de Morón)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 2 dozen (cookie sandwiches)
Cuisine: Cuban
Ingredients: 3 cups of flour; 1 1/2 tsp. of baking powder; 1 tsp. ground cinnamon; 1/2 tsp. of sea salt; 2/3 cup of brown sugar; 2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened; 1 egg; 1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice; 2 Tbsp. white rum; 8 oz. of guava paste, warmed until soft (16 oz. if making sandwiches with two cookies); 2 oz. cream cheese; Sea Salt (Flour de sel) for sprinkling

Valarie and I found this Cuban shortbread cookie recipe in the November 2012 issue of Saveur Magazine. We discovered it when looking for recipes for our Food Enthusiast Supper Club. The theme was Cuba. This recipe was inspired by a recipe developed by Gastrofotonomia blogger Manny Rodriguez. These cuban shortbread cookies are delicious with the guava paste, but we found adding more guava paste and turning them into cookie sandwiches provided the maximum flavor and balance of ingredients. The original recipe was delicious, just a bit on the dry side. These cookies originate from the city of Moron in central Cuba. The flavors of the guava paste paired with cream cheese, lime juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, sea salt and a bit of rum.

Author: Unstoppable Foodie
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 2 dozen (cookie sandwiches) 1x
Category: Dessert
Method: Bake
Cuisine: Cuban

Scale

Ingredients

3 cups of flour
1 1/2 tsp. of baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. of sea salt
2/3 cup of brown sugar
2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp. white rum
8 oz. of guava paste, warmed until soft (16 oz. if making sandwiches with two cookies)
2 oz. cream cheese
Sea Salt (Flour de sel) for sprinkling

Instructions

Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
In a separate bowl, beat sugar and butter on medium to high speed with a hand mixer until it appears pale and fluffy – approximately 3-4 minutes.
Add egg and beat until smooth.
Add dry ingredients, rum, and juice and mix until combined.
Transfer to work surface and shape into a disk.
Wrap with plastic and refrigerate overnight until firm.
Heat oven to 350F.
Transfer dough to a floured work surface and roll out with a rolling pin until 1/4″ thick.
Using a round cutter, cut out cookies. Bake until edges are lightly golden, around 15 minutes.
Let cool completely.
Whisk guava paste and cream cheese together in a bowl until smooth.
Transfer to a piping bag and pipe the mixture on top of each cookie and sprinkle with sea salt before squeezing two cookies together for a sandwich.

Notes

The original recipe for this cookie was a bit dry without adding more guava paste. We found for maximum flavor and taste, it is best to take to guave topped cookies and squeeze them into shortbread cookie sandwiches.

Cuban Shortbread Cookie Sandwich with Guava Paste (Torticas de Morón)