The Ultimate Mood Boosters

At the start of almost every Autumn I find myself weeping over a loss of my beloved season. However, sooner or later, I'm usually lucky enough to come across a dessert recipe which is guaranteed to uplift even the most despairing soul. Take these scrumptious Cream-Filled Rolls for example... Wouldn't you feel instantly cheered up if given a chance to bite into a crisp and buttery flavored pastry packed with loads of fluffy whipped cream? Well, I thought so!

Cream-Filled Pastry Rolls
Pastry:
2 1/2 cups flour
200g butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
1 cup sour cream
Egg Wash:
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk

To prepare the pastry, start by sifting all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Using a knife or a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles really coarse breadcrumbs. Add just enough sour cream (about 1 cup) and knead a couple of times so that the dough comes together. Gather it into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least two hours. After the dough has chilled sufficiently, remove it from the fridge and place it on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry into a large rectangle, then cut into strips 2-3 centimetres wide and about 25 centimetres long. Wrap the dough strips around lightly buttered metal tubes. Brush one side of each prepared roll with the eggwash and sprinkle with some granulated sugar. Bake the rolls in a preheated oven for about 15 minutes, or until they are golden in colour. Let them cool completely. If you happen to be crazy about chocolate, dip the ends of your baked pastries in some melted chocolate before filling them with whipped cream.

Filling:
2 cups cold heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Simply beat all the ingredients until stiff peaks form.