Walnut Cream Cheese Rugalach with Port Steeped Figs

Cream together butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add flour and salt and mix until dough just comes together. Wrap and chill dough for at least 2 hours.

Chop walnuts and dried cherries finely. Mix together with sugar, cinnamon, milk and vanilla extract until evenly blended.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cut dough into 8, and shape each into rounds. On a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar, roll a ball into a disc, about 6 to 8 inches. Cut disc into eight.

Sprinkle filling at widest end of each triangle. Roll each wedge from widest end, creating a croissant-like cookie. Pull ends together to touch and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake cookies for 15-20 minutes.

Slice figs in an “x”, without slicing all the way through them. Open figs to expose their centers.

Place in a pot closely together and pour port over figs and add cinnamon sticks. Heat on low for 15 minutes until warm. Remove from heat and let figs sit in port until ready to serve.

Serve figs in a shallow dish, drizzle with the port, with walnut rugalach on the side.