Lora Brodys Rugelach 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.

LORA BRODY'S RUGELACH

Steps:

• Food Processor Method:
• Into a food processor with the metal blade, place the cream cheese. Cut the butter into a few pieces and add it with the motor running. Process until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and process until incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl. Add the flour and the optional salt and pulse in just until the dough starts to clump together.
• Electric Mixer Method:
• Soften the cream cheese and butter. In a mixing bowl, cream the cream cheese and butter until blended. Beat in the sugar and vanilla extract. On low speed, beat in the flour and the optional salt until incorporated.
• For Both Methods:
• Scrape the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and press it together to form a ball. Divide the dough into 4 portions and cover each with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
• Filling:
• In a medium bowl, combine the sugars, cinnamon, raisins, and walnuts and stir with a spatula or fork until well mixed.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to sit on the counter for about 15 minutes or until it is malleable enough to roll.
• Place 2 oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Using a floured rolling pin, on a lightly floured board, roll out each dough portion, one at a time, into a 9-inch circle to a 1/8-inch thickness, rotating the dough often to be sure that it isn't sticking. A great method that keeps additional flour to a minimum is to roll out the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap, well floured on the bottom. Flip it over, remove the bottom sheet of plastic wrap, and dust off any excess flour. Using the back of a tablespoon, spread the dough evenly with 2 tablespoons of the apricot preserves. Sprinkle about 1/2 cup of the raisin-walnut filling over the preserves. Press the filling firmly and evenly over the dough. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough circle into 12 triangles or pieces of "pie."
• Use a thin knife, if necessary, to loosen the triangles from the board. Starting at the wide end, roll up the triangle and bend the ends around to form a slight crescent shape. Place the rugelach, point underneath, about 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, for at least 30 minutes or until firm.
• Clean the work surface of excess filling before rolling each batch.
• For the topping, brush the rugelach with milk. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle the rugelach with it.
• Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned. For even baking, rotate the cookie sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking period.
• Use a small, angled metal spatula or pancake turner to transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
• Store:
• In an airtight container at room temperature or in the freezer.
• Keeps:
• 5 days at room temperature, 3 months frozen.
• Smart Cookie:
• • If the raisins are not soft, soak them first in 1/2 cup of boiling water for 1 hour and drain them thoroughly.
• • The apricot is stirred instead of strained because straining thins it too much and it tends to ooze out the sides of the rugelach.
• • Unbaked rugelach dough freezes brilliantly. This is a great dough to have on hand in the freezer. Simply add on about 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time. The rugelach are especially delicious still warm from the oven and are at their best when freshly baked.
• • The dough is chilled before baking to maintain the most even shape.
• • Lining the cookie sheets with parchment or foil keeps the sticky filling from baking onto the pan and makes cleanup easier.
• • Allow the cookie sheet(s) to cool completely before using for the next batch.
• • Distribute the cookies evenly around the cookie sheet. Avoid crowding the cookies into one section of the cookie sheet, leaving a large area bare.

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.

LORA A. BRODY'S CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Position the rack in the center of the oven.
• To prepare the cake, put the six egg yolks and one-half cup of the sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on high speed until the yolks are thick and lemon-colored. Beat in the three tablespoons of instant espresso coffee.
• Start beating on low speed while adding the flour and cocoa.
• Put the six egg whites in a clean bowl and, using a clean beater, beat them until they are partly stiff. Add the remaining one-quarter cup of sugar and continue beating until the whites are stiff but not dry.
• Fold the whites into the yolk mixture.
• Line a heavy-duty 17-by-11-inch jellyroll pan with a sheet of parchment or aluminum foil.
• Pour and spread the cake mixture into the prepared pan, smoothing over the top. Place in the oven and bake 12 to 15 minutes, reversing the pan once, front to back, during the baking time.
• When the cake is cooked, spread a second sheet of parchment or aluminum foil on top of the cake. Gently place a baking sheet on top and quickly flip the cake over and onto the baking sheet. Peel off the parchment or foil on which the cake baked.
• Lightly oil two seven-cup loaf pans. Line the pans with clear plastic wrap, letting the wrap extend outside the pans. Carefully place the pan on top of the cake and, using a knife, cut and trace it around the bottom of the pan. Cut out a rectangle of cake to fit inside each loaf pan. The rest of the cake will be used later.
• To prepare the mousse, pour the cream into a two-quart saucepan and bring to a simmer. Let simmer about 30 minutes or until the cream is reduced to two cups. Stir in the three tablespoons of instant espresso coffee.
• Put the bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate into the container of a food processor and blend well. Or chop the chocolate as finely as possible by hand. Add the chocolate to the cream mixture and stir over low heat until blended.
• Pour and scrape this mixture into the container of a food processor and gradually add the butter, bit by bit. Add the egg yolks one at a time and process until smooth. If a food processor is not used, this can be done in an electric blender in two batches.
• Beat the egg whites with one- half cup of sugar until they are stiff but not dry. Pour the chocolate mixture into the whites and fold over and over with a spatula until no whites show.
• Pour an equal portion of the mousse into each of the prepared loaf pans. Make more cutouts of the cake to cover the mousse. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Unmold and serve sliced.