Guava Shortbread Cookies

You may have noticed that I love posting recipes for Valentine’s Day. I swear I’m not one of those lovey-dovey cheeseballs. But, I can’t help but get excited about a holiday that’s semi-revolved around sweets. Frankly, I can use all the excuses I can to bake. And, uuum, eat.

In the past I’ve made lots of delicious sweet treats like…

Conversation Heart Cookies..

Brownie Marshmallow Sandwiches with Strawberry Sauce…

and His n’ Hers Ice Cream Floats.

All of these were fun, but this year I recreated my Chocolate Dipped Macadamia Nut Shortbread recipe with a new twist: the sweet and tangy flavor of guava. And with that, I give you… drumroll… Guava Shortbread Cookies. Ta dah!

These treats are essentially thumbprint cookies made with guava paste instead of  traditional jam. Guava paste is thicker than jam, but packed with the delicious flavor of fresh guava fruit. It sounds pretty exotic, but guava paste is fairly easy to track down these days. I found a container in the cheese section at my local grocery store, but you can also try a Latin American grocery store, or of course, ordering online. Amazon carries just about every brand and price range imaginable. And on that note, guava paste is really delicious with cheese and crackers, too (not just Guava Shortbread Cookies!) - so go ahead and buy the larger box!

Whether you choose to use a heart-shaped cookie cuter or keep these in traditional thumbprint cookie format, your valentine is going to love these cookies! xo