These pastries are best when freshly baked, so if you plan on giving them to someone who may not be able to serve them within a day or two, you should deliver them frozen, along with the baking instructions.
• Dough can be chilled, wrapped well, up to 1 day.
• Filling can be made 4 days ahead and chilled, covered.
• Unbaked filled crescents (without egg wash brushed on top) can be frozen, wrapped well in plastic wrap, 2 weeks. Thaw, then brush with egg wash before baking.
Recipe information
Total Time
2 1/2 hr
Yield
Makes about 5 dozen small pastries
Ingredients
For pastry dough
For filling
For egg wash
Special Equipment
Preparation
Make pastry dough:
Step 1
Pulse butter, cream cheese, sugar, salt, and flour in a food processor just until a dough forms. (Do not overwork dough, or pastry will be tough.)
Step 2
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 6 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough and form into 2 balls, then flatten each ball into a 6-inch disk. Chill disks, each wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.
Make filling:
Step 3
Pulse walnuts, prunes, sugar, cinnamon, and Sherry in food processor until nuts are finely chopped and filling forms a thick paste.
Form and bake crescents:
Step 4
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Step 5
Roll out 1 disk of dough (keep the other chilled) into a roughly 14-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick) on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Cut out rounds with floured cookie cutter. Chill scraps.
Step 6
Put 1/2 teaspoon of filling in center of 1 dough round. Brush some of egg wash halfway around pastry, near edge, then fold dough over filling, forming a half-moon shape. Pinch edges to seal. Make more crescents in same manner, rerolling scraps (but only once).
Step 7
Arrange crescents 1/2 inch apart on 2 buttered large baking sheets and lightly brush tops with egg wash. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, in middle of oven until tops are pale golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool.
