Apricot Cream Cheese Pinwheels

Source: Good Housekeeping

Yields: 4 dozen cookies

Cream Cheese Dough
1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened (no substitutions)
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Apricot Filling
1/2 cup apricot preserves
1/2 cup dried apricots
2 tablespoons white sugar crystals (optional)
6 candied red cherries, each cut into 8 strips (optional)

Prepare Cream Cheese Dough:
In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat butter and cream cheese until creamy, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Beat in granulated sugar and salt until mixed. Reduce speed to low; gradually beat in flour until blended. Divide dough into 3 equal pieces; flatten each into a disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight until dough is firm enough to roll. (Or, place dough in freezer 1 hour.)

Meanwhile, prepare Apricot Filling:
If preserves have any large pieces of fruit, finely chop. Finely chop dried apricots. In small bowl, combine preserves and apricots.

Preheat oven to 350° F. Remove 1 disk of dough from refrigerator; let stand 5 minutes to soften slightly. On lightly floured surface, with floured rolling pin, roll dough into 10 1/2-inch square. Trim edges to make a 10-inch square. With sharp knife, cut dough into 4 strips, then cut each strip crosswise into 4 squares. Place squares, 2 inches apart, on ungreased large cookie sheet. With knife, make 1-inch cut from each corner of each square toward center (do not cut all the way to center). Spoon 1 scant measuring teaspoon filling in center of each square. Fold every other corner tip of dough in to center to form a pinwheel, pressing tips to hold in place. If you like, sprinkle cookies with sugar crystals and place cherry strip on center of each.

Bake cookies 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough, filling, and, if you like, sugar crystals and candied cherries. Store cookies in tightly covered container, with waxed paper between layers, at room temperature up to 4 days, or in freezer up to 3 months.