Waaaay back in September, I decided I wanted to attempt to reproduce the rugelach A and I had in NYC for our Yom Kippur break-fast. For those who don't know, rugelach is Jewish pastry typically filled with raspberry jam, raisins, and walnuts.
A was skeptical, since the deliciousness we had in NYC was from a Jewish grandma whose bakery we happened to stumble into during a do-it-yourself walking tour of some of the ethnic neighborhoods. She forced us to buy a whole pound of rugelach, which was way too much for two people, so we decided to save some for S & D, A's sister and her husband. Unfortunately for them, we managed to finish it off by the time we caught the train to New Jersey. Whoops.
This particular rugelach has been held in high esteem in our memories for the past three years. I was under intense pressure to make something even half as tasty. Thankfully this recipe blew past our expectations! A gave it a perfect 10 (the second time around - we remembered to add walnuts). I made it a second time for dinner guests, and they also said it was quite delicious!
And... it's easy! Really! To get two foot-long rolls, here's what you do...
Combine 1 cup of flour and 1/4 tsp salt. Separately, beat together 1/2 cup of softened butter and 4 ounces of softened cream cheese. Add the flour mixture to the butter/cream cheese and stir until a soft dough forms. Press the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, then push down to flatten it. Chill in the fridge until firm. (I left it overnight.)
Preheat your oven to 350*. Get the dough out of the fridge and divide it in half. Unwrap the dough and roll it out on a floured surface. It'll be tough to work with at first, but keep rolling. I made mine around 1/4 inch thick.
Now it's time for filling! You can do whatever you think tastes best, but for a traditional rugelach: Sprinkle 1/4 cup raisins, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (I put them in the food processor), and 1 tablespoon each of cinnamon and sugar over the dough. Or whatever proportions you want. :) I also did one roll with all the above, but substituted chocolate chips for the raisins. Yum!
Roll up the dough into a log and place it seam-side down on a parchment-paper lined cookie sheet. Pinch the ends closed. Brush the top with milk and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Make 3/4-inch deep cuts crosswise in the dough (not all the way through) at 1-inch intervals. Chill the dough for a few minutes if it's too soft to cut.
Bake until golden on top - around 45 minutes. (Check out our antique oven!)
Cool the logs by placing the pan on a wire rack.
Slice up the cookies and eat them! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment