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Rugelach Recipe

Rugelach Recipe with Three Fillings

Keryn Means/ Walking On Media LLC
Rugelach originated in Poland, morphing out of the Hungarian kifli, Austrian kipfel and Polish rogal. It's a cross between a pastry and a cookie, and a favorite Jewish treat found at delis and bakeries in Israel, as well as across the United States. Whip up a batch for the holidays, or your next brunch with friends. It's so easy and will impress everyone at your table.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Cooling Time 2 hours 3 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 38 minutes
Course Recipes
Cuisine Dessert, Pastry, cookies
Servings 36
Calories 143 kcal

Equipment

  • King Arthur Flour, 100% Organic All-Purpose Flour Unbleached
  • Tiptree Apricot Preserve
  • Stonewall Kitchen Gluten-free Seedless Blackberry Jam
  • Sweet Strawberry Jam by Good Good 
  • McCormick Organic Ground Saigon Cinnamon, 10 oz
  • Organic Walnuts
  • KRAFT PHILADELPHIA CREAM CHEESE BRICK ORIGINAL 8 OZ
  • Baking Trays Half Sheet (2 Pack)
  • DOMINO GRANULATED PURE CANE WHITE SUGAR
  • Food and Baking Scale
  • KitchenAid Stand Mixer
  • Cuisinart 6-Color Knife Set with Blade Guards
  • IF YOU CARE FSC Certified Parchment Baking Paper, 70 sq ft
  • Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls
  • Silicone Pastry Brush Set
  • Nielsen-Massey Pure Vanilla Extract
  • Domino Dark Brown Sugar 2 Lb (Pack of 2)
  • Domino Powdered Sugar

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks
  • 8 oz cream cheese 1 block of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, chilled and cubed
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 egg yolk save the egg white for meringues
  • Powdered sugar for dusting work surface
  • Granulated sugar for sprinkling or a cinnamon sugar blend
  • Egg wash whisk together one 1 egg with 2 tbsp water

Walnut Filling

  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup butter melted
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla

Jam Filling

  • 1/4 cup of jam raspberry, apricot, blackberry, etc.
  • 1 tbsp sugar

Instructions
 

  • Rugelach Directions
  • In a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, combine flour and salt.
  • Add the cold cream cheese and butter, which you already cubed and is still chilled.
  • Pulse in the food processor about 12 times until a nice crumb forms.
  • Whisk together the egg yolk and vanilla in a separate bowl.
  • Add the egg mix to your cream cheese crumb mixture and pulse until larger clumps form.
  • Dump your dough out onto a your work surface dusted with powdered sugar.
  • Knead the rugelach dough a few times (or roll the dough) into a ball.
  • Divide the dough into four equal pieces and wrap in plastic wrap (each piece separately).
  • Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or up to two days).
  • Preheat oven to 350°F
  • Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  • Take one dough pack out of the fridge and stick on the counter.
  • Dust your counter with powdered sugar.
  • Using a rolling pin, roll your first batch of rugelach dough into a circle (or as close to a circle as possible).
  • Spread the walnut mixture (recipe below), lightly pressing the filling into the dough, or spread your jam of choice over the surface of the circle.
  • Use a knife or a pizza cutter to cut equal wedges (8 wide or 16 thin triangles)
  • Roll each wedge, starting at the wider side, rolling down until you have a cute little rugelach (kind of like a Pillsbury crescent roll is rolled).
  • Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet, brush with egg wash, making sure the tip of your rugelach is tucked under the bottom of the rugelach.
  • Sprinkle tops of walnut rugelach with cinnamon and sugar (1 tsp cinnamon + 4 tsp sugar) or granulated sugar on jam rugelach.
  • Stick your rugelach in the freezer for 5 minutes.
  • Bake rugelach for 20- 30 minutes, until golden brown on top (bake times depend on your oven).
  • While your first batch bakes, take out your second dough round and repeat the steps above, moving onto the third and forth dough discs as each previous dough goes in the oven.
  • Try switching up your rugelach fillings between rounds.
  • NOTE: You can freeze rugelach dough for up to 3 months, allowing dough to thaw in the refrigerator and then come back up to room temperature before rolling out).
  • Walnut Filling
  • Place your walnuts, sugar and cinnamon in a food processor.
  • Pulse until you get a nice crumb.
  • Transfer crumb to a bowl.
  • Stir in melted butter and vanilla.
  • Set aside until ready to assemble walnut rugelach, allowing filling to cool to room temperature.
  • Jam Filling
  • Spoon jam into a microwave safe bowl.
  • Add 1 tablespoon of sugar to your jam.
  • Microwave in 30 second increments until your jam is liquid.
  • Give it a good stir and set aside to cool.

Notes

Keyword cinnamon, cookie recipes, cookies, eastern european, holiday recipes, israel, jewish, pastry recipes, poland, polish pastry, rugelach, walnuts