Sour Cream Butterhorns

Thanksgiving and Christmas mornings wouldn't be the same without Sour Cream Butterhorns for breakfast. For as long as I can remember that has been the Debenham family tradition. My mom is the queen of making them and I have to admit I am still a novice. Mom told me that the recipe came from a family friend from when she was growing up. She is the only one of her siblings to continue the tradition and we are so glad she did. We LOVE these yummy pastries! 

When I made them for Christmas I meant to take photos of every step but totally spaced it. I baked them Christmas Eve at my parents house this year because our oven was still broken. It is now fixed and if I get around to it, I'll make a batch just for a step-by-step photo instruction of how to make these. For now a few photos and a recipe will have to do. 

 

Sour Cream Butterhorns...or as my mom calls them Manna from Heaven 

Dough:

4 cups flour 

2 T sugar

1 1/4 cups butter, softened
1/2 tsp salt
1 oz. cake yeast crumbled (or 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast)
1 small carton sour cream (8 ounces)
3 egg yolks- save whites
1 tsp vanilla

Place butter, sour cram, egg yolks, yeast and vanilla in mixer fitted with dough hook. Mix on low until ingredients begin to come together. Add flour and sugar and mix until dough is smooth and satiny and all flour has been incorporated. Wrap in plastic and chill several hours or overnight.

Filling:
Beat 2 egg whites until stiff. Make sure they are very still before adding the sugar.  Beat in 1/2 cup sugar slowly.  Add 1/2 cup chopped nuts (we use slivered almonds) and 1/2 tsp each cinnamon and vanilla

Divide dough into 4 parts.   Roll out one part at a time onto a powdered sugar covered surface.   Circle should be about 14" in diameter.   Cut into 8 pie shaped pieces.   Put a spoonful of filling at the wide end and roll up without squeezing the filling.  Form into a crescent shape.  Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 375 degrees for 16-20 minutes.   

Make a thick frosting of powdered sugar and a little milk and almond flavoring.   Frost while still warm.

This is what the dough should look like after coming out of the fridge.

This is what they look like right out of the oven. My filling didn't get beaten enough so it oozed out a bit too much. You also have to be careful with the filling because when the nuts get mixed it, it makes the egg whites less stiff. I am still working on mastering the filling!