Easy cream cheese pastry

1 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 cup Unsalted butter; room temp
8 ounces Cream cheese; room temp
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 cups To 2-1/3 cups flour
¼ cup To 2/3 cup powdered sugar
Optional
... 12 to 15 small tarts.

Directions

The dough for this melt-in-your-mouth pastry is very easy to handle as long as it is first thoroughly chilled. The pastry is perfect for any fruit pie or fruit/jam filled turnover.

DIRECTIONS: Cream the butter, cream cheese and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Gradually sift 2 cups of the flour into the bowl, mixing with a fork until the dough forms a ball. Add a little more flour if the dough is too sticky. Divide the dough in half. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 45 minutes or overnight.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Lightly sprinkle a work surface with some of the remaining flour or powdered sugar. Flatten one dough ball into a thick disk. Lightly dust the dough and a rolling pin with a little flour or powdered sugar. Using short even strokes, roll the dough from the center into a circle 2 inches larger than the pie pan you plan to use, turning the dough every few strokes and dusting it with flour or powdered sugar as needed. roll to about ⅛ inch thickness.

Lift the dough off the working surface with a pastry scraper and fold it in half and then into quarters to form a triangle. Place the pointed end of the triangle into the center of the pie pan and unfold so the dough drapes about ½ inch beyond the rim of the pan. (Or carefully roll the dough onto the rolling pin and transfer to the pie pan.) With your fingertips, firmly press the dough into the pan.

Prick the bottom all over with a fork. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, just until pale golden.

Freeze the remaining dough for another use. To make a double crusted pie, fill the shell. Roll the remaining dough to fit the top of the pie pan. Brush the rim of the shell with water and place the dough over the filling. Crimp with your finger or press the tines of a fork dipped in flour into the dough around the rim to seal.

Makes one 8 or 9 inch double pie crust, OR ... one 10 inch single pie crust, OR ... six 8 inch triangular turnovers, OR Source: Cobblers, Crumbles and Crisps by Linda Zimmerman and Peggy Mellody

As published in the Oregonian FoodDay 1995; typos by Dorothy Flatman

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