These little bites have a flaky, buttery shell and a soft, sweet center filled with red bean. They only require a few simple ingredients are are perfect for potlucks or parties.

Mix together butter, cream cheese, flour, and a touch of salt and you get something that resembles a pie crust or tart shell. Flaky, crumbly and delicious.

When I made these in elementary school, I used to mash together the butter, cream cheese and flour with just my fingers and end up with globs of dough stuck all over my hands. They were such a pain to clean. Now, I use a food processor and gloves to make the dough. Using a food processor to cut together the flour and cold butter prevents the butter from melting due to the heat from your hands. Keeping the butter cold will lead to a flakier pastry.

When a dough ball forms, stop kneading. It’s not bread dough. Stop it.

Let the dough chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Divide into 30 equal portions. If the pastries are the same sizes, they will bake more evenly.

Flatten each disk with your palm and fingers. Make sure that the edges of the disk are thinner than the center so when we go to pinch it close, you don’t end up with too much dough at the seal.

 

Line them up on a parchment lined baking sheet and coat with egg wash.

Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit, middle rack for 25 minutes until golden brown.

Let them cool for a few minutes before eating. Don’t be like me and be impatient and burn myself.

Red Bean Pastries

Prep Time:  1 hr 40 min | Baking Time: 25 min | Makes 30

Ingredients:

4 oz. unsalted, cold butter

2 cups all purpose flour

8 oz. cream cheese

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 canned sweetened red bean. I used Shirakiku Ogura Sweetened Red Bean purchased at my local Asian supermarket.

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon milk or heavy cream.

Directions

1. Blend flour, cold butter, and salt in food processor until they resemble a coarse meal. Transfer the mixture into a bowl and add the cream cheese in chunks. Use a silicone spatula, then your hands (gloves recommended) to mix in the cream cheese until well incorporated and a smooth dough forms. The bowl should look clean. Do not over-knead the dough.
2. Cover the bowl with cling film and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
3.  Preheat oven to 375 Fahrenheit and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Open the canned red bean. In a small dish, whisk together the egg yolk and cream/milk to make an egg wash. Set aside.
4. After 30 minutes, remove dough from refrigerator. Split the dough in half. Roll each half into a rod and cut 15 equal pieces from each rod. As if by magic, you now have 30 equal pieces.
5. Flatten each piece into a disk. Press down on the edges more to make them thinner than the center. Use a spoon or butter knife to deposit 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of sweetened red bean onto the center of the disk. Pinch close the opening. I start by bringing the top and bottom of the dough over the red bean and pinching shut at the center point, then I bring in the left and right “flaps” to the center and pinch shut. With the remaining corners, I pinch, pull and smooth until the seams disappear. Be careful not to tear the dough.
6. Place pastries seam-side down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Leave about 2 inches between each pastry. With a pastry brush (alternatively, use a piece of paper towel pinched between chopsticks), brush egg wash on each pastry.
7. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit, middle rack for 25 minutes until golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving.

Enjoy!

 S