Sun-Dried Tomato and Pepperoni Crescent Bites
Savory treats such as these go so well with holiday cocktails and round out a cookie assortment. See the vegetarian VARIATION, below.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days; freeze for up to 1 month.
Refrigerate the dough for at least 25 minutes and up to 24 hours. The filling can be refrigerated up to 3 days in advance.
Ingredients
For the dough
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick/113 grams) unsalted butter, at a cool room temperature, cut into chunks
- A scant 6 tablespoons (3 ounces/85 grams) cream cheese, at a cool temperature, cut into chunks
- 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt or onion salt
- 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons or more as needed, divided
- 1/2 cup (50 grams) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus 3 tablespoons for garnish
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
For the filling
- 1/2 cup (55 grams) drained, chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/3 cup finely diced pepperoni
- 1/4 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika (pimenton) or sweet paprika
- Water (optional)
- 1/2 cup (50 grams) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Directions
Step 1
Make the dough: In a food processor, combine the butter, cream cheese, oregano, baking soda and garlic salt or onion salt and; pulse until well blended.
Step 2
Sprinkle in 1 cup of the flour and 1/2 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and pulse until evenly incorporated. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
Step 3
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of flour over a big piece of wax paper. Turn the dough out onto that surface, then sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of flour over the dough. Knead just until smooth, working in a bit more flour as needed if the dough seems too soft/sticky.
Step 4
Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a flat disk. Working with one disk at a time, place them between sheets of parchment paper and roll out to a 10-inch round. Transfer (in the paper) to a baking sheet, smoothing out any wrinkles in the parchment and refrigerate for at least 25 minutes, until firm.
Step 5
Make the filling: While the dough is chilling, in a food processor, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, pepperoni and paprika and process until very smooth. Add a little water if the mixture seems stiff.
Step 6
Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and pulse until evenly distributed; add water in 1-teaspoon increments if the mixture seems dry.
Step 7
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with (fresh) parchment paper.
Step 8
Peel off the top piece of parchment from one of the refrigerated dough rounds, then pat the paper back into place (to make it easier to handle later); leave that round in the refrigerator. Transfer the other chilled dough round to the countertop and remove its top parchment.
Step 9
Invert the round on the countertop (on its loosened parchment), then remove that second piece of parchment. Using an offset spatula, spread half of the filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch margin all around.
Step 10
Use a large, sharp knife to cut the round into quarters, then cut each quarter into 4 equal wedges. Working from wide edge, roll each wedge of dough tightly toward the narrow end to form crescents. Arrange them on the baking sheets, spacing the crescents 1 1/2 inches apart.
Step 11
In a small bowl, whisk the egg with1 tablespoon of water. Brush the top of each crescent with the mixture and sprinkle each one with some of the remaining 3 tablespoons of Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Step 12
Bake one sheet at a time for 19 to 24 minutes, or until the crescents are well browned; do not underbake. Let cool for 3 minutes, then transfer the crescents to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 13
Repeat with the remaining 10-inch round, filling, egg wash and cheese.
Step 14
VARIATION: In a medium bowl, whisk together 2/3 cup of the prepared olive tapenade and 1/3 cup of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and use this as the filling instead.
