Making rugelach isn’t about following a rigid recipe; it’s about seeing the cookie as an artist’s palette for any number of flavors. Although most Old World recipes combine sugar, nuts, dried fruit and jam, usually scented with cinnamon, allspice or nutmeg, there is no need to follow this religiously. The ingredients for the filling are flexible: flavor the dough to complement the nuts and fruit, and dust the cookies with sanding sugar before baking, or top them with a vanilla glaze once they’ve cooled.
How do you make Rugelach?
Ingredients:
Crust
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups King Arthur unbleached all-purpose flour
Filling
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped
- ½ cup dried cranberries, raisins or currants
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- water, for brushing dough
Topping
- Granulated sugar or coarse sparkling sugar
- Milk or cream
Directions
- To make the crust using a food processor: Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse briefly to combine. Cut the butter and cream cheese into pieces and add them to the bowl together with the sour cream. Pulse until the dough forms pieces and you can pinch it together.
- To make the dough with a mixer: Beat the butter, cream cheese, sour cream and salt until smooth. Add the flour and mix into a firm dough.
- Divide the dough into three equal portions. Gently press each into a disk. Make the disks as round as possible and smooth the edges; This allows you to roll the discs into a perfectly round circle, making the resulting rugelach more attractive. Wrap the disks in plastic and let the dough chill for about 1 hour, until it is firm but not rock hard. Or let it chill longer (up to overnight) and then reheat at room temperature for about 45 to 60 minutes, until the dough becomes soft enough to roll out without cracking.
- To make the filling: Process the sugar, walnuts, dried fruit, and cinnamon in a food processor or blender until finely chopped and well combined (but not pasty).
- Don’t have a food processor? Simply stir together the filling ingredients; your filling will be thick rather than smooth.
- Working with one piece of dough at a time, place it on a generously floured surface. Roll it into a 10-inch circle and brush it lightly with water. For a flavorful touch, brush the rolled out rugelach dough with a thin layer of cooked cider, warmed apple or berry jelly, or pureed fruit preserves, instead of water.
- Use your fingers to spread about 1/3 of the filling onto the round, all the way to the edges, and gently tap the filling to help anchor it to the dough.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal parts with a pizza cutter, baker’s knife or sharp knife. Roll up each wedge, starting with the wide end and ending with the narrow end. Place the rolls, point side down, on a baking sheet; Lining the baking sheet with parchment helps with cleanup. Repeat with the remaining two pieces of dough.
- Brush the rugelach with milk or cream; and sprinkle with granulated sugar or coarse white sparkling sugar.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the rugelach in the refrigerator while the oven is preheating.
- Bake the rugelach for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Remove it from the oven and let it cool directly on the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.
- Store leftover rugelach in an airtight container at room temperature for several days.
- Freeze for longer storage.
Source King Arthur Flour