Cottage Cheese Rugelach With Walnuts Recipes

RUGELACH

Steps:

• Cream the cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the salt, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour and mix until just combined. Dump the dough out onto a well-floured board and roll it into a ball. Cut the ball in quarters, wrap each piece in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• To make the filling, combine 6 tablespoons of granulated sugar, the brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, the raisins, and walnuts.
• On a well-floured board, roll each ball of dough into a 9-inch circle. Spread the dough with 2 tablespoons apricot preserves and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the filling. Press the filling lightly into the dough. Cut the circle into 12 equal wedges?cutting the whole circle in quarters, then each quarter into thirds. Starting with the wide edge, roll up each wedge. Place the cookies, points tucked under, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Brush each cookie with the egg wash. Combine 3 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle on the cookies. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack and let cool.

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.

WALNUT AND BROWN-SUGAR RUGELACH

Steps:

• In a food processor, blend butter, cream cheese, granulated sugar, and salt until well combined. Add flour, and pulse just until a dough forms. Divide dough in half; flatten into disks, and wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days, or freeze up to 3 months (thaw before baking).
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks set in upper and lower thirds. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In a small bowl, combine egg with 1 teaspoon water to make an egg wash.
• Working with one disk at a time, place dough on lightly floured parchment paper, and roll out into an 11-inch circle (about 1/4 inch thick), dusting lightly with flour as needed. Using a large dinner plate as a guide, cut around dough to make a perfect circle; trim off and discard scraps. Brush circles with egg wash; dividing evenly, sprinkle with walnuts and brown sugar.
• Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut each circle into 16 equal triangles. Starting from the wide end, roll up each triangle of dough; place on lined baking sheets, seam side down. Brush rolls with egg wash.
• Bake until golden brown, 30 to 32 minutes. Transfer rugelach to a wire rack to cool completely.

COTTAGE CHEESE RUGELACH WITH WALNUTS

Steps:

• Mix cheese and 2/3 cup margarine in medium bowl. Stir in flour. Knead in bowl until dough is smooth, about 1 minute. Divide dough into 2 balls. Flatten into disks. Wrap each in plastic; freeze until firm enough to roll, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, vanilla and 3 tablespoons margarine in processor. Blend until almost smooth paste forms.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll out 1 dough disk on lightly floured surface to 10-inch round. Spread half of brown sugar mixture evenly over. Cut round into 16 wedges. Starting at wide ends, roll up wedges. Bend ends in, forming crescents. Place on ungreased heavy baking sheet. Repeat rolling, filling and shaping with remaining dough disk.
• Beat egg and milk to blend in small bowl. Brush glaze over crescents. Bake until cooked through and light brown, about 25 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks and cool. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)

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.

CINNAMON, RAISIN & WALNUT RUGELACH

Steps:

• Beat the soft cheese and butter together using electric beaters or in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the 50g of caster sugar, the salt and vanilla extract, and beat to combine.
• Add the flour gradually, beating on a low setting until just combined. Do not overwork it or the dough will become tough and chewy. Add a little more flour if it's very sticky.
• Press the dough into a ball and divide it into quarters. Wrap each ball of dough and press into a flat disc. Chill for at least 30 mins to firm up a little.
• Meanwhile, mix together the 30g of caster sugar, the brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins and walnuts. If you prefer a less chunky finish, give them a quick whizz in a food processor or chop them very finely.
• Take one of the discs from the fridge, and on a well-floured board, roll out the first ball into a large circle of at least 23cm diameter.
• Cut out a 23cm circle and spread the circle thinly with a tablespoon of the apricot jam, then sprinkle evenly with about 2-3 tablespoons of the filling, so the circle has a fine covering.
• Using a pizza cutting wheel or sharp knife, divide the circle into 8 or 12 wedges, depending how large you want your biscuits to be - 12 wedges makes mini rugelach.
• Roll each wedge up from the wider, outside edge to the thinnest point, tucking the point under. Arrange on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment, allowing at least a centimetre or two between them.
• Put the tray in the fridge while you repeat with the remaining balls of dough. You should have enough dough left over to make a fifth circle, and you may need to bake them in batches.
• Chill the formed rugelach for at least 30 mins. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and mix the last 2 tbsp of caster sugar with the 1 tsp cinnamon.
• Brush each rugelach with the egg wash, then sprinkle with a little cinnamon sugar and bake for 25 mins until lightly browned. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

DATE WALNUT RUGELACH

Steps:

• Make dough:
• In a food processor blend butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add flour and salt and pulse just until mixture forms a ball. Form dough into a log. Chill dough, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.
• Make filling:
• Finely chop dates and walnuts and in a bowl with your hands toss together dates, walnuts, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla until combined well.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Cut dough crosswise into 8 equal pieces and work with 1 piece at a time, keeping remaining pieces covered and chilled. On a work surface sprinkled with confectioners' sugar using a rolling pin dusted with confectioners' sugar, roll out piece of dough into an 8-inch round. Cut round into 8 wedges, keeping round intact.
• Sprinkle 1/3 cup filling in a ring around outer portion of round, leaving a 1-inch border around edge, and press filling gently into dough. Working with 1 wedge at a time, fold outer edge of pastry over filling and roll up filling in pastry, jelly-roll fashion, folding sides under pastry to enclose filling. Transfer rugelach, as formed, pointed ends down, to ungreased baking sheets. Make more rugelach in same manner.
• Bake rugelach in batches in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until golden, 15 to 20 minutes total. Transfer rugelach to racks to cool completely. Rugelach keep in an airtight container at room temperature 3 days.