Cream Cheese Pastry Dough

If you need a dough that’s quick and easy, look no further than this cream cheese pastry dough. The whole thing comes together in a food processor, and it couldn’t be more versatile. The cream cheese adds tangy richness and also makes the dough soft, pliable, and easier to work with than a butter-only recipe. It bakes up tender and flaky thanks to milk solids in the cream cheese that help prevent the formation of gluten, warding off any chance of tough, dense pastry.

So just how versatile is this magic pastry dough? We recommend using it for rugelach, as the top layer for chicken pot pie, or as a base for quiches and tarts, such as this classic Gourmet Stilton and walnut number. For pies with a heavier filling, such as juicy fruit pies, opt instead for Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Flaky Cream Cheese Pie Crust recipe, which has a little more strength, or Anna Stockwell’s multipurpose cream cheese pastry dough if you need a gluten-free version. You can also double or triple this recipe to make a big batch and then portion it out—it freezes beautifully for future projects.

Editor’s note: This recipe was originally published in the October 1988 issue of ‘Gourmet’ and first appeared online December 31, 2014.