Chef Joeys Vegan Rugelach Recipes

RUGELACH

Steps:

• Cut cold butter or margarine and cream cheese into bits. In food processor pulse flour, salt, butter or margarine, cream cheese and sour cream until crumbly.
• Shape crumbly mixture into four equal disks. Wrap each disk and chill 2 hours or up to 2 days.
• Combine sugar, cinnamon, chopped walnuts, and finely chopped raisins (may substitute miniature chocolate chips for raisins).
• Roll each disk into a 9 inch round keeping other disks chilled until ready to roll them. Sprinkle round with sugar/nut mixture. Press lightly into dough. With chefs knife or pizza cutter, cut each round into 12 wedges. Roll wedges from wide to narrow, you will end up with point on outside of cookie. Place on ungreased baking sheets and chill rugelach 20 minutes before baking.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
• After rugelach are chilled, bake them in the center rack of your oven 22 minutes until lightly golden. Cool on wire racks. Store in airtight containers...they freeze very well.
• Variations: Before putting the filling on the dough, use a pastry brush to layer apricot jam as well as brown sugar. Then add the recommended filling. You may also make a mixture of cinnamon and sugar and roll the rugelach in this prior to putting them on the cookie sheets.

VEGAN RUGELACH

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• In a bowl of an electric mixer (or using a bowl and a hand held mixer), combine the margarine, sugar, and salt and mix on low-medium speed until combined. Then, add in the whip topping to the margarine mixture and mix on medium-low speed again. Slowly add one cup of flour in on low speed until combined. Repeat this step for the rest of the three and a half cups of flour.
• *Only add the last cup of flour if your dough is still sticky.
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or cover the bowl and place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
• Remove the dough from the bowl and knead.
• Roll out the dough and cut into a rectangle.
• Cut large triangles down your dough.
• Variation #1: To make cinnamon ruglach, spread a thin layer of apricot jam over the dough triangles. Then spoon on the cinnamon-sugar. Roll up the dough.
• Variation #2: To make the raspberry jam rugalach, spread jam over the dough and then roll up.
• Bake both variations for 25-30 minutes.
• Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 1 1/2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months.

CHEF JOEY'S VEGAN RUGELACH

Steps:

• Prepare the pastry by placing the flour in the bowl of a food processor. Give it a pulse to fluff it up. Add the cut up margarine and pulse again.
• Add the cold vegan cream cheese. I use Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese in this.
• Pulse the flour, margarine and cheese mixture until a ball forms and then remove. Form into a disc. Cut in half and wrap each disc in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for one to 24 hours.
• Once the pastry is chilled, preheat your oven to 350'F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• Put your jam into a small bowl and stir it to get any lumps out of it.
• Once the oven is heated up, roast your nuts. I did mine at 350 for 7-10 minutes. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn.
• Remove the nuts and set aside until cool. Add them along with your lemon zest and sugar into the bowl of a small food chopper and process until the nuts are about 1/3 their original size.
• Set this aside.
• Remove one of your pastry discs from the fridge. Lightly flour your counter top and roll the pastry out to a large circle. Make the dough very thin as it will crisp up much better if you do.
• Spread the jam on the pastry, then sprinkle 1/2 the nut mixture. Cut the rolled out pastry in 4 equal sections, then cut each of the 4 sections into 3 equal sections.
• Roll from the outside in and place with seam side down on your covered cookie sheet.
• Brush with the soy creamer and sprinkle with some sugar.
• Bake for about 20 minutes. Keep an eye on these, they can burn easily.
• Cool on a metal cookie rack.
• Repeat with the second batch of cookies.
• You can also sprinkle other sugars on these, icing, or fruit might be nice.
• Bon Appetit.

RUGELACH WITH CURRANTS AND WALNUTS

Steps:

• Combine butter and cream cheese for pastry in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until completely blended and smooth. Beat in sugar and salt. Add flour gradually, mixing on low speed to incorporate until smooth. If the dough starts to run up on the beaters while adding flour, you can stir it by hand.
• Flour your hands lightly and form dough into a short, fat roll. Cut the roll into 3 equal pieces. Form each piece into a round ball, flatten slightly, and wrap individually in plastic wrap or waxed paper. Transfer to the refrigerator, 8 hours to overnight.
• Position the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, and preheat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with foil.
• Prepare filling ingredients by placing melted butter in a small bowl. Mix sugar and cinnamon for filling in a second bowl. Mix walnuts and currants in a third bowl. Set aside.
• Remove pastry dough from the refrigerator. Place 1 ball of dough on a floured surface. Pound the ball firmly with a floured rolling pin to soften it slightly. Roll out the dough to a 12-inch circle; the edges can be slightly uneven.
• Brush the circle with 1/3 of the melted butter, then quickly sprinkle with 1/3 of the cinnamon-sugar mixture followed by 1/3 of the nut-currant mixture. Gently roll over the filling to press toppings into the dough. Cut dough into 12-pie-shaped wedges and roll each one in jelly-roll fashion, from the outside in toward the point. Place each roll, point-side down, on a cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and filling ingredients.
• Mix sugar and cinnamon for glaze together in a small bowl. Stir egg yolk and water together with a fork in a small cup. Brush egg wash over the top of each pastry then sprinkle cinnamon-sugar on top.
• Bake 2 sheets at a time in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 30 minutes, reversing sheets halfway through to ensure even browning. Remove from the oven and immediately transfer to a cooling rack with a wide metal spatula.

CHEF JOEY'S VEGAN CORNMEAL-THYME COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350'F.
• Put the oven racks in upper and lower thirds.
• Line two baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper; set aside.
• Whisk together flour, baking soda, cornmeal, and salt in a medium bowl.
• Put margarine and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle and cream on medium speed until pale and fluffy for about 3 minutes.
• Mix in the egg replacer. Add the flour mixture into this on low speed until just combined.do not over mix. Hand mix in the currants and thyme.
• Using a tablespoon or a 1 1/2 inch ice-cream scoop drop rounded balls of dough onto the parchment lined cookie sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.
• Bake rotating and switching positions of sheets about 1/2 way through the cooking process.
• The cookies should be a pale golden shade. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer cookies on parchment to a wire rack and cool completely.
• Bon Apetit!

CHEF JOEY'S VEGAN BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350'F.
• Put the margarine in a bowl big enough to accommodate 2 cups of milk.
• Put the sugar, cinnamon and salt into another bowl and mix well.
• Put the milk in a saucepan and heat until just before the boiling point.
• Pour the heated milk into the bowl with the margarine in it. Mix until the margarine is completely melted.
• In a 9x13" oven safe dish add the bread and raisins.
• Mix the egg replacer with water. I use 1 1/2 teaspoons of egg replacer and two tablespoons of warm water. Stir to incorporate.
• Gradually add the egg replacer to the milk mixture.
• Add in the cinnamon, sugar and salt mixture into the milk mixture. Mix this well.
• Pour the milk mixture over the bread and raisins and carefully move the bread around so that ll the pieces are soaked in the milk.
• Put the dish with the prepared bread pudding into a larger dish and put it into the preheated oven.
• Pour the hot water into the outer dish being careful not to get any in the pudding dish.
• Bake for 40-45 minutes.
• The custard should be creamy. Remember you didn't use eggs here so it won't be set exactly the same. As it cools it will firm up a bit.
• Serve either warm or cold, plain or with your favourite sauce.
• Bon Appetit.

CHEF JOEY'S VEGAN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350'F.
• Spray a cookie sheet with spray oil. I used my silpat sheets in place of the oil to keep the fat content down. You could probably use parchment paper as well.
• In a large bowl stir the flour and baking powder with a whisk to lighten up the mixture.
• In a medium bowl mix the apple sauce, agave syrup and vanilla. Using a whisk mix this all together then add to the flour baking powder mixture. Stir it very well.
• The batter will be very stiff. Add the chips, nuts and seeds and fold them into the batter to distribute.
• Drop by tablespoonful onto the cookie sheet and flatten with a fork. Dip the fork in water if the batter sticks to it.
• Make sure if you like round cookies you shape them accordingly because they will stay in what ever shape they are in when you flatten them.
• Bake for 12 minutes. The edges of the cookies should be golden in color. Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer them to a cooling rack immediately. These cookies are pretty sturdy so they can handle being moved off the cookie sheet right away. Then pop the next batch into the oven.
• Serve with a nice tall glass of non-dairy milk.
• Bon Appetit!

CHOCOLATE-APRICOT RUGELACH

Steps:

• Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add cream cheese and cold butter; pulse until butter is the size of peas. Add 1 tablespoon ice water and pulse until combined. Continue adding water as needed until dough stays together when squeezed.
• Divide dough in half. Form each piece into a disc, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray the paper with nonstick spray.
• Remove dough from the refrigerator and let rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
• Mix apricot preserves and orange zest together for filling.
• Roll both discs of dough into 1/4-inch thick circles. Spread apricot preserve mixture over top of each circle and sprinkle with chocolate chips.
• Cut each circle into 12 wedges. Start at the wide edge and roll each wedge toward the point to create a crescent. Brush beaten egg over each crescent and sprinkle with sugar. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until light golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool before serving.

BEST EVER RUGELACH

Steps:

• Combine cottage cheese and 1 cup of butter in a bowl. Mix thoroughly, then gradually stir in the flour. Dough will be sticky. Divide dough into thirds and wrap with waxed paper. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
• Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
• Combine the remaining 1/4 cup of butter with the brown sugar, cinnamon, pecans, and raisins. Set aside. Roll one ball of dough at a time to a 9 inch circle on a floured surface, while keeping the remaining dough chilled. Spread 1 tablespoon of the optional orange marmalade over the circle. Gently press 1/3 of the nut mixture into the dough. Cut the circle into 16 wedges. Roll each wedge tightly, starting with the wide end. Place the cookie point-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. Beat the egg white with the water in a small bowl, then brush the mixture onto each cookie.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes.