2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut in pieces
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg yolk
8 oz cream cheese, room temp
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp grated lemon zest
powdered sugar
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, salt and butter. Using your fingertips, pinch ingredients together until you have a sandy, crumbly mixture. (it's similar to making a pie crust). In another bowl using a hand mixer, mix the sour cream and egg yolk until smooth. Add the flour mixture and mix until dough comes together. (the dough may feel a little dry. Divide dough in two pieces and form into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 4 hours or overnight.
In a bowl, mix the cream cheese, egg, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest. Set aside. When dough is chilled, take out and roll out into a rectangle shape on a thickly dusted surface of powdered sugar.. It should be about 1/8 inch thick. Using the tip of a sharp knife, cut into 3 by 3 inch squares.
1. Place a teaspoon of cream cheese filling in the center of each square.
2. Lift up one square, gathering the center of the square around the filling into a cup.
3. Hold it in the fingers of one hand and the the fingers of the other hand to gently push the midpoints of the sides inward so that the 4 corners become the points of the petals. The cookie should look like an opening flower.
4. Place cookie in mini muffin cup. Refrigerate about 30 mins. and then bake in a 375 degree oven until light golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool and enjoy room temperature or refrigerated! See below for how it should look: