- 6-8 oz full-fat cream cheese 3/4 to 1 package, cut into chunks (Note 1)
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, cut into chunks
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup = 150 g (Note 2); a guide, not a rule, the dough should stay VERY soft (Note 3)
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 2 cups pitted prunes packed
- 1/2 cup water do not add more (Note 4)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 whole lemon, juiced
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar for tossing, be generous
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Microwave the prunes 2 minutes, in a bowl, until hot and softened (Note 5). A metal blade cannot go in the microwave, so warm them first.
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Load the food processor. Warm prunes, sugar, water, lemon juice and vanilla go in together (a NutriBullet works in a pinch). Make exactly one batch and do not add extra water (Note 4).
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Blend until smooth. The puree is very thick and the motor works hard; that is correct. Scrape into a bowl and cool to room temperature. (See post above for the photo tutorial.)
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With a pastry cutter: cut the butter, cream cheese, flour and baking powder together in a large bowl until it looks like coarse crumbs, then press into a soft ball by hand.
In a stand mixer: beat softened cream cheese and butter until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes, then mix in the baking powder and flour on low just until a soft dough forms.
Either way it should feel very soft (Note 3). -
Divide, wrap, refrigerate. Two balls, wrapped in plastic, 1 hour in the fridge (optional, but very beneficial, Note 3). Work with a quarter of the dough at a time and keep the rest chilled.
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Roll and cut squares. A quarter of the dough into a 12x12-inch square, about 1/8 inch thick, on a well-floured counter; cut 6 strips each way with a pastry wheel for 36 two-inch squares. Save the scraps.
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Fill and pinch. About 7 g (a rounded teaspoon) of plum butter in the center of each square, then pinch two opposite corners together tightly over the filling. The other two corners stay open. Set on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
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Roll and cut wedges. One piece into a 12-inch round, trimmed with a pot lid or plate, then cut into 16 wedges. Save the scraps.
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Fill and roll. About 7 g of plum butter at the wide end of each wedge, roll to the point and set point-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Re-roll all scraps and cut more of either shape.
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Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 18 to 22 minutes, until the bottoms are light golden; the tops stay pale (Note 6). Cool on the pan 5 minutes, then completely on a rack.
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Roll in powdered sugar, a handful at a time in a bowl, and shake off the excess. Only when completely cool (Note 7).
Recipe Video
1. Cream cheese: 6 oz (170 g), three quarters of the package, gives a flakier pastry. The full 8 oz (227 g) gives a sturdier, more pie-pastry-like cookie. Same butter and flour either way.
2. Measuring flour: 1 cup = 150 g. Fluff the flour, scoop, and level. Weigh it if you can.
3. Dough: it should feel soft, close to Play-Doh. You flour the counter generously while rolling and it picks up plenty more that way, and it firms up in the fridge as the butter cools and the flour absorbs moisture. Stiff dough means dry, tough pastry. The hour in the fridge is optional, but very beneficial: the flour hydrates, the butter hardens, and the cookie bakes flakier.
4. Food processor: it is made for thick mixtures like this one. A NutriBullet works in a pinch but strains its motor; a big blender only if it is powerful. The puree is very thick by design, so do not double or halve the batch: too much strains the motor and too little leaves the blades spinning above it. Never thin it with extra water or the filling oozes out and burns.
5. Microwave: warm prunes blend smooth; cold ones fight the blades. If your prunes are very soft and fresh, you can skip it.
6. Color: this dough does not brown on top. Judge by the bottoms.
7. Powdered sugar: completely cool, not warm. Warm pastry melts the sugar into a sticky film. Roll them in a bowl; do not dust from above. The sugar coat also pulls in moisture and keeps the pastry from drying out.
8. Yield: about 144 squares, or 72 crescents, once the scraps are re-rolled. Mix the shapes and you land in between. The filling batch comes out about even with the dough.
9. Variation, puffier: 1/2 tsp baking powder instead of 1/4 tsp gives a noticeably puffier pastry, closer to puff pastry.
10. Other fillings: Nutella straight from the jar is the kid favorite. Dried cranberries, blueberries or cherries blend the same way as prunes; walnuts or pecans are good added in. Any filling must be THICK.
11. Storage: weeks at room temperature in an airtight container. To make ahead, freeze shaped and unbaked, then bake from frozen adding 2 to 3 minutes.