Rons Date Rugelach Recipes

RON'S RASPBERRY RUGELACH

Steps:

• For the classic cream cheese dough: Combine the butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Switch to low speed and gradually add in the flour. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl and beater to make sure it is well mixed. The dough will be sticky. Divide the dough into three portions, wrap each in plastic wrap and flatten to a disk. Refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight.
• For the filling: Mix together the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Chop the almonds to small bits and toss with the raisins and sugar-cinnamon mixture.
• To assemble the rugelach: Dust the work surface with the flour and roll each dough portion to a 10-inch circle. Lightly brush each circle with the melted butter. Spread a third of the preserves or jam on each circle, leaving a clearance of 1/4-inch on the perimeter so the filling won't ooze out while baking. Sprinkle a third of the almond-raisin-sugar mixture on top of the preserves and press in slightly to help adhere.
• Using a pizza wheel, divide each circle into four quarters. Divide each quarter into three thin triangles, for a total of 12 wedges. Roll each triangle from the curved side to the point and place on a parchment-lined or nonstick baking sheet. Refrigerate the sheets for 30 minutes while preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Note: The rugelach can be frozen on the trays and then stored in a zip-top bag in the freezer for baking fresh later.
• Carefully brush each rugelach with the egg wash, trying to avoid drips. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until deep golden. Cool on a rack and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

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.

DATE-FILLED RUGELACH

Steps:

• Place first four ingredients in a small heavy saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Cool completely., Place flour, 2 tablespoons sugar and salt in a food processor; pulse to combine. Add butter; pulse until butter is the size of peas. Add cream cheese; pulse just until a dough forms. Divide dough in half; shape each into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate 1 hour., Preheat oven to 350°. Mix cinnamon and remaining sugar. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough into a 12-in. circle. Spread each with half of the date mixture and sprinkle with 1/3 cup sugar mixture and 3 tablespoons walnuts. Cut each into 16 wedges. Roll up wedges from the wide ends; place 2 in. apart on parchment-lined baking sheets., Bake until light golden brown, 25-28 minutes. Cool on pans 10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.

RUGELACH

Steps:

• To make the dough: Let the cream cheese and butter rest on the counter for 10 minutes - you want them to be slightly softened but still cool.
• Put the flour and salt in a food processor, scatter over the chunks of cream cheese and butter and pulse the machine 6 to 10 times. Then process, scraping down the sides of the bowl often, just until the dough forms large curds - don't work it so long that it forms a ball on the blade.
• Turn the dough out, gather it into a ball and divide it in half. Shape each half into a disk, wrap the disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 1 day. (Wrapped airtight, the dough can be frozen for up to 2 months.)
• To make the filling: Heat the jam in a saucepan over low heat, or do this in a microwave, until it liquefies. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together.
• Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. (Silicone baking mats are great for rugelach.)
• To shape the cookies: Pull one packet of dough from the refrigerator. If it is too firm to roll easily, either leave it on the counter for about 10 minutes or give it a few bashes with your rolling pin.
• Working on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 11- to 12-inch circle. Spoon (or brush) a thin gloss of jam over the dough, and sprinkle over half of the cinnamon sugar. Scatter over half of the nuts, half of the currants and half of the chopped chocolate. Cover the filling with a piece of wax paper and gently press the filling into the dough, then remove the paper and save it for the next batch.
• Using a pizza wheel or a sharp knife, cut the dough into 16 wedges, or triangles. (The easiest way to do this is to cut the dough into quarters, then to cut each quarter into 4 triangles.) Starting at the base of each triangle, roll the dough up so that each cookie becomes a little crescent. Arrange the roll-ups on one baking sheet, making sure the points are tucked under the cookies, and refrigerate. Repeat with the second packet of dough, and refrigerate the cookies for at least 30 minutes before baking. (The cookies can be covered and refrigerated overnight or frozen for up to 2 months; don't defrost before baking, just add a couple of extra minutes to the baking time.)
• Getting ready to bake: Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• To finish: Stir the egg and water together, and brush a bit of this glaze over each rugelach. Sprinkle the cookies with sugar.
• Bake the cookies 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until they are puffed and golden. Transfer the cookies to racks to cool to just warm or to room temperature.

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.