Savory Rugelach Recipes

HAZELNUT AND OLIVE RUGELACH

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Toast hazelnuts in a shallow baking pan in oven until golden, about 10 minutes. (Leave oven on.) Cool slightly, then rub off any loose skins in a kitchen towel while nuts are still warm. When nuts are cool enough to handle, very finely chop.
• Whisk together flour, thyme, pepper, and salt in a bowl. Beat together butter and cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer until combined well. Add flour mixture and mix at low speed until a soft dough forms. Gather dough into a ball, then halve dough and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Flatten each half (in plastic wrap) and form each half into a 4-inch disk. Chill until firm, about 6 hours. Bring dough tocool room temperature (this will take 15 to 20 minutes) before rolling out.
• Remove and discard plastic wrap from 1 half of dough, keeping other half wrapped and chilled. Put unwrapped dough in center of 1 sheet of floured parchment paper. Dust dough with flour and cover with another sheet of parchment, then roll out dough into a 9-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick). Carefully peel off top sheet of parchment and set aside. (If dough is too sticky to remove parchment cleanly, chill until firm, 10 to 20 minutes.) Repeat procedure with remaining half dough. Sprinkle hazelnuts and olives evenly over rounds of dough, then reposition top sheets of parchment on dough and press gently to help nuts and olives adhere.
• Remove and discard top sheets of parchment and cut each round into 16 wedges. Beginning with shortest side of 1 wedge, roll up dough as tightly as possible toward pointed end and transfer to an unlined large baking sheet. Repeat procedure with remaining wedges of dough. (If dough becomes too soft to roll up, chill until firmer.)
• Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on baking sheet on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

RUGELACH

Steps:

• Cut cold butter or margarine and cream cheese into bits. In food processor pulse flour, salt, butter or margarine, cream cheese and sour cream until crumbly.
• Shape crumbly mixture into four equal disks. Wrap each disk and chill 2 hours or up to 2 days.
• Combine sugar, cinnamon, chopped walnuts, and finely chopped raisins (may substitute miniature chocolate chips for raisins).
• Roll each disk into a 9 inch round keeping other disks chilled until ready to roll them. Sprinkle round with sugar/nut mixture. Press lightly into dough. With chefs knife or pizza cutter, cut each round into 12 wedges. Roll wedges from wide to narrow, you will end up with point on outside of cookie. Place on ungreased baking sheets and chill rugelach 20 minutes before baking.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
• After rugelach are chilled, bake them in the center rack of your oven 22 minutes until lightly golden. Cool on wire racks. Store in airtight containers...they freeze very well.
• Variations: Before putting the filling on the dough, use a pastry brush to layer apricot jam as well as brown sugar. Then add the recommended filling. You may also make a mixture of cinnamon and sugar and roll the rugelach in this prior to putting them on the cookie sheets.

RUGELACH

Steps:

• Make the dough: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and cream cheese at medium speed. Add sugar, and beat until fluffy. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time, beating to combine after each addition. Add vanilla and salt, and beat to combine. Reduce speed to low, and beat in flour. Remove from bowl, and divide into 3 pieces on a lightly floured surface. Pat into disks, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, and up to overnight.
• Make the filling: In a food processor, combine walnuts, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pulse until fine.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with Silpats (French nonstick baking mats). On a lightly floured surface, roll one piece of dough into a 12-inch round, less than 1/8 inch thick. Brush evenly with jelly. Sprinkle with one-third of the walnut mixture and one-third of the chocolate chips. Using the rolling pin, gently roll over filling to press ingredients into dough.
• Cut the round into 16 equal-sized wedges. Beginning at the base of each wedge, roll to enclose filling, forming crescent shapes. Pinch to seal. Place on prepared baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough and filling ingredients. Brush tops with beaten egg, and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

SAVORY RUGELACH

Steps:

• In a food processor, pulse flour, butter, cream cheese, and 1/2 teaspoon salt until dough leaves sides of bowl.
• Divide dough into 8 equal portions; wrap separately, and chill at least 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, prepare the pesto by baking the pine nuts in a shallow baking pan at 350F, 5 minutes or until toasted, stirring occasionally.
• Pulse pine nuts, basil leaves, Parmesan cheese, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor until smooth, stopping once to scrape down sides.
• Pour oil through food chute with processor running, and process until blended. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll one dough portion at a time into an 8-inch circle.
• Spread each circle with 3 Tablespoons pesto filling, leaving a 2-inch circle of uncovered dough in the center.
• Cut each into 8 wedges and roll up wedges, starting at wide end.
• Place, point side down, on a lightly greased baking sheets.
• May be frozen at this point for up to one week.
• Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.