Cream Cheese Butterhorn Cookies aka Rugelach

Cream Cheese Butterhorn Cookies aka Rugelach

INGREDIENTS 

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup finely chopped walnuts (I prefer pecans)
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut cold butter or margarine and cream cheese into bits. In food processor pulse flour, salt, butter or margarine, cream cheese and sour cream until crumbly.
2. Shape crumbly mixture into four equal disks...wrap each disk and chill 2 hours or up to 2 days.
3. Combine sugar, cinnamon, chopped walnuts, and finely chopped raisins (may substitute miniature chocolate chips for raisins).
4. Roll each disk into a 9 inch round keeping other disks chilled until ready to roll them. Sprinkle round with sugar/nut mixture. Press lightly into dough. With chefs knife or pizza cutter, cut each round into 12 wedges. Roll wedges from wide to narrow, you will end up with point on outside of cookie. Place on ungreased baking sheets and chill rugelach 20 minutes before baking.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
6. After rugelach are chilled, bake them in the center rack of your oven 22 minutes until lightly golden. Cool on wire racks. Store in airtight containers...they freeze very well.
7. Variations: Before putting the filling on the dough, use a pastry brush to layer apricot jam as well as brown sugar. Then add the recommended filling. You may also make a mixture of cinnamon and sugar and roll the rugelach in this prior to putting them on the cookie sheets.