Chocolate Croissant Cookies

I hope everyone had a good holiday!  I had so much fun celebrating Christmas with my parents, sister, and grandma.  There was snow on the ground, so it was a white Christmas, but today we're really getting a crazy amount of snow from Winter Storm Euclid (since when did they start naming these things?!)  We also had a really delicious Christmas, with lots of different treats, including lots of kinds of Christmas cookies.

These cookies are a little fussy but well worth the effort.  As soon as I saw the recipe, I knew I wanted to try making them for Christmas.  Chocolate croissants are one of my favorite breakfast indulgences, so I knew they'd be good as a dessert.  Plus, they're so cute!  The cream cheese dough is really tender and flavorful, but not too sweet, a perfect combination with the chocolate filling.  The dough is fairly soft, so definitely follow the directions and stick the dough in the fridge when suggested...your patience will be rewarded with delicious and adorable cookies. My only complaint with the recipe is that it only made two dozen...next time maybe I will make a double recipe!

Chocolate Croissant Cookies (adapted from Rachel Ray Magazine)
Makes 2 dozen cookies

4 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 T sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt
1 cup plus 2 T flour
4 T unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
9 T mini chocolate chips
3 T granulated sugar
1 egg white, beaten

1. Cream together the butter, cream cheese, and sugar on high speed for 3 minutes.  Beat in the vanilla and salt.  Mix in the flour on low speed.
2. Divide the dough into three equal pieces, press into disks, and wrap in plastic.  Chill 15 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment.  Starting with the first dough disk, place the dough on a piece of wax paper or parchment and place another piece on top.  Roll out into an 8-inch round.  Repeat with the other pieces of dough, and then stack them between sheets of wax paper or parchment.  Chill 15 minutes.
4. Remove one dough round from the refrigerator.  Spread with 1 T plus 1 tsp of the melted butter, sprinkle with 3 T mini chocolate chips, and then sprinkle with 1 T sugar.  Press gently on the chocolate.  Cut the circle into 8 equal wedges.
5. Starting from the wide end, roll up each wedge.  Transfer to the cookie sheet.  Repeat with the remaining dough.
6. Brush the cookies with egg white.
7. Bake 22-24 minutes, until golden.  Transfer to racks to cool.