Golden Rugalach Recipes

RUGELACH

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to cream cheese mixture and mix well. Divide dough into fourths. Wrap each portion; refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle., Roll out each portion between 2 sheets of waxed paper into a 12-in. circle. Remove top sheet of waxed paper. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Brush each circle with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Sprinkle each with 3 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar and 2 tablespoons pecans. Cut each into 12 wedges., Roll up wedges from the wide end; place pointed side down 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Curve ends to form a crescent shape. , Bake at 350° for 24-26 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks. Brush warm cookies with remaining butter; sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-sugar.

GOLDEN RUGALACH

Steps:

• For the dough: Pulse the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor until combined. Add the butter and pulse until it resembles coarse sand with some pea-sized pieces of butter, about 20 pulses. Add the cream cheese and sour cream, and pulse until it comes together in a rough dough; (with some uneven pebbles sized-pieces). Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and divide into four equal portions. Pat each portion into a flat square and wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze for 15 minutes.
• Foe the filling: Meanwhile, chop the hazelnuts in a clean food processor. Add the preserves, raisins and salt; and puree to make a very smooth paste.
• Roll a portion of dough into a 6- by 14-inch rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. (Don't worry about slightly rough edges; these will be rolled inside of the rugalach.) Spread one-quarter of the filling over the surface with a small spatula. Starting with a long side, roll the dough up into a tight cylinder; ending with the seam on the bottom. Press the top slightly to flatten and wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze for another 15 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. (The cylinders can be frozen for up to a month.)
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven 375 degrees F and evenly position the racks. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
• Slice the cylinders into 1 1/2-inch pieces, and place seam-side down on the prepared sheets. Whisk the egg yolks together and brush over the tops. Sprinkle with sugar and bake until pale golden and crispy on top, about 25 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the baking sheets. Carefully transfer the rugelach to a rack to cool. Store in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days.

APRICOT ALMOND RUGALACH

Steps:

• To Make Pastry: Place the flour in a bowl. Cut the butter into the flour and blend until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Cut the cream cheese into small cubes and rub into the flour-butter mixture. Knead until the dough forms a ball. Cut dough in half, wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
• To Make Filling: Stir the apricot jam until it is spreadable. In a bowl combine the sugar with the chopped nuts and grated lemon peel.
• To Assemble: On a lightly floured surface roll out each half of dough. The larger and thinner the circle the crisper the cookies will be. Each circle should be at least 9 inches in diameter. Spread each circle with jam and sprinkle with the almond mixture.
• Cut each circle into twelve wedges. Roll each wedge up tightly from the outside edges. Turn edges slightly to form a crescent. Place crescents on a parchment lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Repeat until all cookies are shaped.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Beat egg and brush cookies with beaten egg. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake cookies for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cookies cool on wire wracks then dust with sifted confectioners' sugar.

CHOCOLATE RUGELACH

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add sour cream and 2 tablespoons sugar, mix until combined. Gradually beat in flour. Divide dough into four portions. Shape each into a disk; wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes or until easy to handle. , Preheat oven to 350°. Place chocolate, nuts, currants, cinnamon and remaining 3 tablespoons sugar in a food processor; cover and process until finely chopped. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine jam and 2 tablespoons water. Microwave on high until thinned, 5-10 seconds; whisk., Working with one portion of dough at a time, roll each into a 10-in. circle on a well floured surface. Brush with one fourth of the jam mixture. Sprinkle with one fourth of the chocolate mixture (about a half cup), pressing lightly to adhere. Cut each into 12 wedges. Roll up wedges from the wide ends; place 2 in. apart on parchment-lined baking sheets, point side down. In a small bowl, whisk egg white and remaining 2 teaspoons water; brush over pastries. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar., Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

RUGALACH

Steps:

• Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until combined. Add the butter, and pulse 10 times. Add the cream cheese; pulse until the mixture is just combined. Drizzle in the buttermilk; pulse until the mixture just comes together when you press it with your fingers.
• Transfer dough to a clean work surface, and shape into a flat disk; cover with plastic, and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment; set aside. In a small bowl, combine filling ingredients of your choice. Set the filling aside.
• Divide chilled dough into three pieces. Flatten one into a disk, and return other two to refrigerator. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the disk to an 1/8-inch thickness. Cut dough into a 6 1/4-inch circle. Using a pizza cutter, divide the dough in half, then into quarters, then into eighths.
• Brush each triangle lightly with jam, then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon filling mixture, being careful not to cover the narrow ends. Starting at the wider end, roll up each cookie; transfer to a baking sheet. Brush each cookie with egg white, then sprinkle with nuts and sanding sugar. Chill until firm, about 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining two-thirds of dough.
• Bake cookies until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 2 days.

RUGALACH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the sugar with the cinnamon; set aside. In a separate small bowl, combine the agave nectar and coconut oil and stir until thoroughly incorporated. Set aside.
• Dust a clean work surface and a rolling pin with the rice flour. Place about one quarter of the dough on the work surface and roll it out to form a 1/4-inch-thick rectangle. Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment and place it in the refrigerator to chill while you roll out the remaining dough in the same fashion. Place the second rectangle of dough in the refrigerator to chill.
• Place 1 portion of chilled dough on the work surface with a long side facing you. Spread 1/4 cup of the preserves or jam onto the dough. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the raisins over it, followed by 1/4 cup of the walnuts, if using, and 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Roll the dough into a tight log. Transfer it to a baking sheet, then pinch the ends closed. Repeat with the remaining dough, arranging the logs 1 inch apart on one of the prepared baking sheets. Brush the logs with the agave mixture and sprinkle each with the remaining cinnamon sugar. Using a sharp knife, make 3/4-inch-deep cuts crosswise in the dough at 1-inch intervals, making sure not to cut through to the bottom. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Bake for 15 minutes, rotate, and continue to bake for another 10 minutes, or until the logs are golden brown. Let stand on the baking sheets for 20 minutes, then transfer the logs to a cutting board and slice the cookies all the way through.