Star Spangled Pastries
Why I Love This Recipe
I originally named these Star Bangled Pastries because they were developed from the results of a mess. But the flavor was so good I just couldn't stop there....and thus they were born.
Ingredients You'll Need
Four Corner Hats Pastry:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chilled butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon lemon zest (original recipe called for orange zest)
2 tablespoons water
Cream Cheese Filling:
8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
3 tablespoons beaten egg
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Assorted fresh berries.
Directions
Four Corner Hat Pastry Instructions:
Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugars. Cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add remaining ingredients and knead to form a dough. Divide into 3 portions. Flatten each to about 1/2 inch thickness. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours. (I let mine chill over night).
Cream Cheese Filling instructions:
Combine all ingredients...not worrying about any minor lumps
Construction the Pastries in 12 ramekins:
Preheat the oven to 375' F. Remove 1/3 of the dough from the fridge. Divide dough into 4 equal portions and quickly roll on heavily floured surface to about 1/8 inch thickness. (keep all dough that is not currently being worked with, in the fridge)
Place a piece of pastry dough inside a greased ramekin. Work it in and trim off the excess. I had the pastry lined up with the little rim inside the ramekin that's about 1/2 inch from the top. The pastry will rise while baking and you don't want a mess after all this work.
Drop some berries in the bottom.
Add a couple of spoonfuls of cream cheese mix in there and top with some more berries.
If you have some dough leftover, cut into your favorite or holiday appropriate shape and place on the center.
Bake at 375' F for 23-25 minutes, until golden brown.