The Costco Cheesecake We Wish Was Easier To Find

Costco is a heavenly place for grocery shoppers for many reasons, from its food court bursting with delicious options (including the $1.50 hot dog meal that stubbornly resists a price increase) and two different membership types to best fit your needs to its wide selection of high-value items. Among these excellent items are regional-exclusive offerings, such as South Korean Costco food courts offering bulgogi bakes instead of the common American chicken bake. Another regional exclusive we wish were easier to find is the guava cheesecake.

Seemingly located only in Hawaii (though some accounts have also placed it in Miami), Costco's guava cheesecake appears to be one of its plain cheesecakes topped with a layer of guava jelly. Considering guava tastes like a tropical combination of strawberry, pineapple, and pear, it's hard to think of a better match with cheesecake. But, since we're not likely to find this delicious but unhealthy Costco baked good in stores, we'll have to make a copycat to try it.

Costco's cheesecake appears to take after the New York style, with a graham cracker crust and a baked center that contains some sour cream. You could grab a pre-made crust if you don't want to mess with this step, but making it yourself gives you an excuse to add a salty flourish to it with saltines. You could also go crustless or even make a basque cheesecake instead. This is your recipe, so make whatever kind of cheesecake you like best.

With the cheesecake settled comes the guava. Just as the guava cheesecake is regional, the star fruit might not be easy to track down. However, there are many kinds of guava items you can find at a store besides fresh guava. You might find canned guava nectar, for example, or some guava paste. As long as you can find something, you should be able to turn it into a jam, jelly, or syrup to top your cheesecake with or perhaps mix into it instead. If you can find fresh guava, pick ones that give a bit under pressure.