Orange Walnut Rugelach Recipes

ORANGE WALNUT RUGELACH

Steps:

• To make the dough, combine the flour, sugar and kosher salt in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle. Add the cubed butter, distributing it all over the top of the dry ingredients, and dollop in the cream cheese (1-inch dollops should do it, but it doesn't need to be perfect). Turn the mixer on low and stir until the mixture is mostly mealy and there are still some larger clumps of butter and cream cheese intact. Continue mixing and add the yolks, vanilla and almond extract if using. Continue mixing until the dough comes together. Divide the dough in half and shape into discs. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
• Mix the marmalade, cinnamon and cloves in a small bowl and set aside.
• To form the rugelach, working with one dough disc at a time, roll it out on a lightly floured surface, dusting with flour as needed to prevent it from sticking, until it is a wide rectangle, 18-by-9-inches. Use an offset spatula to spread on half of the marmalade in a thin even layer, leaving a 1-inch border along the long edge that's furthest from you. Sprinkle on 1/2 cup of the walnuts. Brush the 1-inch border with a thin layer of egg wash and then start on the end closest to you and roll the dough into a long tight log, placing it seam-side down. Transfer to a cutting board or baking sheet and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to 2 days (depending on fridge space, you might want to cut the log in half so you're dealing with 4 shorter logs as opposed to 2 really long ones). If you're only refrigerating for an hour or 2, no need to cover the logs. If longer than that, cover with plastic wrap.
• To bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Brush the logs with a thin layer of egg wash, sprinkle with a few pinches of flaky salt, the remaining 1/4 cup walnuts and the colorful sugar or sprinkles if using. Cut into 1 1/2-inch slices and transfer to the baking sheets, 1-inch apart. Bake until golden brown on top; begin checking for doneness at 24 minutes. (You might notice that the cookies seem to sweat and leak out some fat while in the oven, this is completely normal.) Let cool on the pans for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Or enjoy them warm! Leftovers can be stored at room temp for several days.

AYLENISH RUGELACH WITH ORANGE, WALNUTS AND CINNAMON

Steps:

• Soak raisins in rum and 1/2 cup very hot water. In a medium bowl, combine both sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, walnuts and a pinch of salt. Drain raisins (discard soaking liquid) and mix them into sugar mixture. In a saucepan, melt marmalade until runny. Remove any large chunks orange peel.
• Cut about a 4-ounce piece of puff pastry and roll out on a floured board into a rectangle, about 17 inches by 7 1/2 inches. The pastry should be thin and supple enough to drape, but not so thin that holes start to appear when rolling.
• Brush a 2 1/2-inch-wide stripe of marmalade down the long center of the rectangle. Sprinkle marmalade with filling and fold top edge down over filling. Brush the top of filled section with marmalade and sprinkle marmalade with filling. Fold bottom edge up over the filling to make a kind of flattened roll; do not press. Cut in half crosswise and refrigerate rolls for 20 to 30 minutes, or freeze for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees; use the convection setting if you have it. Cut rolls across into 1/2-inch-wide slices. Place slices, seam side down, on baking sheet lined with parchment paper or nonstick liners. Brush tops with egg yolk and sprinkle with sugar.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and puffed. Let cool slightly before removing to a cooling rack. Meanwhile, repeat with remaining pastry and filling. Store at room temperature in layers separated by parchment paper, in airtight containers.

WALNUT RUGELACH

Steps:

• Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together onto a sheet of waxed paper.
• Beat 1/4 cup white sugar, butter, and cream cheese together in a bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla.
• Stir flour mixture into butter mixture until dough is just combined. Divide dough into 3 equal portions; shape each portion into a disk, wrap disks in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Beat egg white in a bowl with an electric mixture until frothy. Mix walnuts and 1/2 cup white sugar into egg white.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Remove dough from plastic wrap and roll each disk out into a 7-inch circle. Spread 1/3 the egg white mixture onto each dough circle, leaving a 1/4-inch border around the edge of each circle. Cut each circle into 12 wedges. Roll up each wedge from the edge to the point and place, point-side down, on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool and dust with confectioners' sugar.

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.

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.

CRANBERRY ORANGE RUGELACH

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and extracts. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well., Divide dough into four portions. Shape each into a ball, then flatten into a disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap; refrigerate 2 hours or until firm., Preheat oven to 350°. Place cranberries, raisins and juice in a food processor; cover and process until finely chopped. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough into a 12-in. circle; spread each with 1/2 cup cranberry mixture. Cut each circle into 12 wedges., Roll up wedges from wide end and place point side down 1 in. apart on greased baking sheets; brush with egg., Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Drizzle with melted chocolate if desired. Store in an airtight container.

CHOCOLATE WALNUT RUGELACH

Steps:

• In a food processor, or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine all the dough ingredients. Process or beat until it becomes dough-like. (In a food processor the mixture will form a ball, and stick together. With a mixer, it just turns into dough. Don't over beat.) Put aside.
• Now, in your food processor, combine all the filling ingredients and process until finely chopped. If you don't have a processor, you can do this in a blender -- just make sure you stop and scrape and sides down several times so that everything is evenly ground.
• Cut the dough into 4 pieces and dust each one with flour. Dust the counter or tabletop with flour, too. Roll a piece of dough into a circle, approximately 10 inches (25 cm) in diameter. Handle the dough gently, and don't be afraid to sprinkle it with more flour to prevent it from sticking to the counter or the rolling pin. Cover the entire surface of this circle with some of the filling in a thin, even layer. Using a pizza cutter (or a sharp knife) cut the circle into 8 wedges, pizza-style. Roll each wedge up -- starting at the wide, outside edge -- rolling firmly toward the point. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, bending slightly to form a crescent. Repeat with the rest of the dough and filling.
• Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned on top, but not burnt on the bottom.

WALNUT AND DRIED CHERRY RUGELACH

Steps:

• Combine dough ingredients in food processor or blender until smooth dough forms.
• Divide dough into 4 pieces, forming each piece into a 5-inch disk.
• Wrap each disk in plastic and refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.
• Preheat overn to 375°F.
• On lightly floured surface, roll out piece of dough into an 8-inch circle, 1/8-inch thick.
• Spread 2 Tbsp of jam onto each circle.
• Sprinkle each circle with 1/4 of walnuts and 1/4 of cherries.
• Cut each circle into 8 wedges using a sharp knife or pastry wheel.
• Starting with the outside edge, roll each wedge, enclosing the filling.
• Place point side down onto greased cookie sheet.
• Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle onto each pastry.
• Bake until golden brown, approximately 35 minutes.
• Let pastries rest approximately 10 minutes before removing from cookie sheet.