In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy (about three minutes on high speed).
Mix in the sugar, salt, and vanilla.
Mix in the flour until just combined.
Place the dough on a floured board and form it into a ball.
Divide into two roughly equal pieces, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Cherry Pie Filling Instructions
In a small saucepan on medium heat, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low and cook for another ten minutes, stirring frequently. The mixture should thicken considerably.
Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
Assembly and Baking Instructions
Remove one of the wrapped sections of dough from the refrigerator.
Roll out to a roughly 10" square. The dough is sticky, so be sure to flour your surface and your rolling pin really well.
Cut the rolled dough into 25 2" squares.
Place approximately one teaspoon of cherry pie filling in the center of each square.
Fold the squares diagonally to create little triangles and use a fork to crimp the edges of the triangle.
Cut a tiny slice in the top of each triangle. This lets the steam out during baking and also makes the turnovers look pretty because there will be a little cherry filling peeking through the top.
Place the turnovers on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat.
Repeat for the other section of dough.
Chill the formed turnovers for about 10 minutes in the freezer to help them hold their shape during baking.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Remove cookie sheets from the freezer.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the turnovers are golden brown. It may take longer than 20 minutes if your turnovers are particularly cold. Although you can eat them before they brown (you won't get sick), they are so much better when they have time to get a little crispy. You don't want them to burn, but they should achieve the golden brown color that you see in my photo.
Notes
The cherry turnover dough recipe is adapted from Ina Garten's cream cheese-based rugelach recipe.For the best results, make sure that the butter and cream cheese are at room temperature.You can also double the size of the turnovers and the amount of filling in each if you prefer a more substantial dessert.