What You Need:

1 1/3 C of flour
3 1/2 oz. almond paste, cut small
2/3 C + 2 tbsp light brown sugar, packed and divided
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1 C almonds, toasted and chopped very fine
1 C of fresh cranberries, chopped very fine3
3/4 tsp cinnamon, divided
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp sugar

How to Make It:

Place the flour into the food processor or blender.
Add the almond paste, 2 tbsp of brown sugar and the salt.
Blend just until the almond paste is blended into the flour.
Add the butter and cream cheese and pulse until a moist crumb mixture forms.
Transfer the mixture to a flat surface and knead until it forms dough.
Lightly flour the surface and divide the dough into thirds.
Shape each third on the floured surface into a 1/2 inch thick disk.
Cover each disk with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
Set the oven to 350 degrees and preheat and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
Place the almonds and cranberries into a bowl.
Add the remaining brown sugar and 1/2 tsp of the cinnamon and mix well.
Lightly flour a flat surface and roll out one disk of the dough into a 9 inch circle.
Place 1/3 of the filling onto the dough circle and press it into the dough.
Cut the dough into 12 wedges and slide each wedge out with a spatula.
Roll the wedges into croissants beginning at the wide end and rolling to the point.
Place the croissants point down on the prepared baking sheet.
Repeat with the other 2 pieces of dough.
Brush the top of each croissant with a little bit of the egg.
Mix the sugar and remaining cinnamon together and sprinkle each croissant with the mixture.
Bake 22 minutes or until a light golden brown then cool on wire racks.

Makes 36 croissant cookies

These tasty little cookies are great for an after dinner dessert, when company is coming or with a nice cup of coffee in the middle of the afternoon. You can use any type of filling you like such as cherries and pecans or peaches and walnuts. Experiment to find the perfect filling that fits you and your family.

Preparation Time: approximately 15 minutes
Chilling Time: approximately 1 hour
Baking Time: approximately 22 minutes
Total Time: approximately 1 hour 37 minutes

Nutritional Information: (approximate values per cookie)
Calories 105; Fat 5g; Saturated Fat 2g; Carbohydrates 12g; Protein 2g; Fiber 1g;
Cholesterol 14 mg; Sodium 28 mg