Here’s a fun take on the traditional gujiya- Puff Pastry Gujiya Bites!

The same flavors of gujiya in bite size which is easy to make using store bought puff pastry.

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The only time gujiya was made in my house was during holi.

Yeah I know some people make it during Diwali too but the part of India I am from, gujiya was an exclusive holi dessert.

In fact, growing up for me gujiya and malpua pretty much summed up Holi in two words!

Continuing with mom’s tradition, I make gujiya too on Holi, however it takes time and is an elaborate process.

First, you make the dough, then the filling, then fill the gujiya and finally fry it. You know, the whole deal!

So for this Holi, I thought of sharing with you guys a recipe with which you can enjoy the taste of gujiya without going the whole nine yard.

I used store bought puff pastry to make these Gujiya Bites. These are so much simpler to make than traditional gujiya and taste just as good!

These Gujiya Bites

✔ are easy to make using store bought puff pastry

✔ enjoy the flavors of gujiya with less effort

✔ perfect to serve at your Holi party!

✔ a definite crowd pleaser

I love using puff pastry to make easy appetizers like these samosa or desserts.

They are so versatile and easy to use. In fact, I always a sheet or two of puff pastry in my freezer so that I can make something quickly in case I have unexpected guests at home.

Because puff pastry is so awesome, I thought of using them to make these gujiya bites.

These are filled with same filling that you would make for traditional gujiya. There’s mawa (milk solids), desiccated coconut powder, nuts, raisins, sugar and cardamom.

The filling is rolled with in the puff pastry and then that log of pastry is cut into pieces and baked.

Because I was making these for holi, I did the extra step of dunking them in a sugar syrup (flavored with kewra water) and then decorating them with all the beautiful garnishes like crushed dried rose petals, edible silver leaves.

They look so festive, isn’t it? You can skip the garnishes but I would still recommend dunking them in sugar syrup.

Gives them an extra flavor and after all it’s holi so it is worth the effort.

Can I make these in advance? These gujiya bites taste best when fresh, the puff pastry actually tastes the best then.

But here’s how you can make these in advance. Make the filling, fill the puff pastry and roll and seal it.

Then cover the pastry log with a cling sheet and freeze it. You can do this days in advance.

And on the day you want to bake them, take the pastry out of the freezer, cut into bites and bake.

You might have to bake extra few minutes since you are baking them straight out of the freezer.

If you want these gujiya bites to have a golden shine, use an egg wash. Mix 1 egg with 1 tablespoon milk or cream and then brush it onto these gujiya bites before baking.

I didn’t use it and just brushed them with milk since I wanted to keep these egg free, but you can most definitely do it.

Method

Thaw a 9 x 9 inch puff pastry according to instructions on package. Meanwhile work on the filling.

1- Heat ghee in a pan on medium heat. Once the ghee is hot, add the chopped raisins and nuts. Saute for 2 minutes, then remove on a plate.

2- To the same pan now add desiccated coconut powder and saute for 1 minute. Remove on a plate.

3- Now, to the same pan add the grated mawa.

4- Lower the heat and saute for around 4 to 5 minutes until golden brown.

5- Transfer the roasted mawa to a blender and add 1 teaspoon milk and blend. This is optional, I did it because my mawa was dry. If using fresh mawa, you might not need to do this step.

6- Transfer mawa to a bowl along with the roasted coconut, nuts, raisins. Allow it to cool a little, then add cardamom powder and sugar. Mix to combine everything, the filling is now ready. Set aside.

7- In a small bowl, make a paste of 1 tablespoon flour and 1.5 tablespoons water. Stir and set aside.

8- Unroll the thawed puff pastry. It will likely have two markings running length wise (where the pastry was folded), thus dividing the pastry into three parts. Using a knife, cut along those lines to divide the pastry into 3 parts.

Now, take one part of the pastry and roll it a little to make it wider using a rolling pin. Apply the flour-water paste, along with longer sides of the pastry.

9- Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the filling in the center, leaving an inch from both sides.

10 & 11- Fold one side over the filling and then apply the water-flour paste on top of the folded side (see pictures).

12- Then bring the other side on the top of the side with the flour-water paste to seal it and form a log.

Repeat with the remaining parts of the sheet to form a log. Place the pastry logs on a baking tray and freeze for 15 minutes. Meanwhile pre-heat oven to 400 F degrees.

13- After 15 minutes, take the logs out of freezer. Cut each log in 8 equal parts.

14- Arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the bites with milk (or use egg wash for golden shine). Bake at 400 F for 12 to 15 minutes until browned.

Remove the bites from oven. Raisins and bit of the filling might look a little burnt from outside for some of the bites, that’s okay simply scrape that.

Let them cool while you make the sugar syrup.

15- To a pan, now add 1/2 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water and put it on medium heat.

16- Add a splash of kewra water (or rose water). This optional and you may skip.

17- Once the sugar dissolves, let the mixture boil for 3 minutes. We are not looking for any consistency here, just for the syrup to get sticky.

18- Dip each gujiya bite into the sugar syrup using a fork and a spoon once the bites have cooled down a bit.

19- Coat from both sides and immediately remove from the sugar syrup and place on parchment paper.

20- Garnish with chopped cashews, pistachios. Decorate with crushed rose petals and chandi ka vark. Repeat with all gujiya bites.

Place them on parchment paper so that they don’t stick after dipping in the syrup. Let them dry out and then they won’t be sticky anymore.

Serve these gujiya bites at your holi party and enjoy!

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