Mocha Cream Cheese Phyllo Triangles

A few words: chocolate, coffee, whipped cream cheese, phyllo dough.

Okay, now that you're trying to wrap your mind around that here you go:

Mocha Cream Cheese Phyllo Triangles
     makes 20 triangles

• 1 roll of phyllo dough, defrosted
• 2 ounces whipped cream cheese
• 1 ounce semi sweet chocolate (I used mini chips)
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
• 1/2 tablespoon coffee or coffee liqueur
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• pinch of cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons melted butter & 1 tablespoon oil for brushing dough

Preparation & Cooking Instructions

I made my whipped filling first thing while the phyllo dough was still rolled in the plastic. It will dry out very fast so be careful if you're leaving it out; either leave it rolled of start brushing the sheets with butter and oil. For the filling add cream cheese, coffee, and half the sifted sugar to the bowl. Cream together with an electric beater. Melt chocolate in a bowl and then add to it a pinch of salt, cinnamon, and vanilla. Add the chocolate mixture to the bowl and whip up with remaining sugar. Set aside.

At this point you should preheat your oven to 350 F. On a cutting board lined with parchment paper take out the first sheet of phyllo dough, brush with  melted butter and oil mixture and then layer another sheet. Continue this process until you've layered 10 sheets (that's half of one roll of dough). Cut the stack of phyllo dough into 5 even strips. Here you have two options, if you want the pastry flaky and drier on top place a dollop of the filling in one corner of the strip about an inch from the top:

If you want the pastry a little more moist (my preference since the dough is so dry) then spread the mixture evenly on one strip using the back of a spoon:

Next you'll want to fold the strips into triangles, it's just like folding a flag.

Place the triangles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and puffed up. If some of them are drier on top, you can brush with additional butter or oil or spritz them with Pam.

When they come out of the oven (especially if they're as full as mine) they'll have a bit of chocolate oozing out, I just scraped away the excess with a spoon to keep them neat. Remove from baking sheet and cool on a rack. Serve warm but cool enough to handle.