Today’s cookie is rugelach, in honour of the Jewish side of my family. I will pretend this recipe is for Chanukah, even though in reality I make it every December, whether it is currently Chanukah or not.
Rugelach are delicious, no matter what holiday you celebrate. And they are versatile. They are little packets of dough you can fill with pretty much anything you like. My favourite is apricot jam. A cinnamon/sugar/raisin/walnut mixture is traditional. This year I filled some with pistachio paste, and some with Nutella. I’ve even been known to make them savoury, with black olive tapenade.
My favourite recipe uses a cream cheese dough, which makes a lovely, tender, cookie. How you handle the dough is important here, though. Do not over mix it once you add the flour, or they will be tough.
Rugelach
- 8 oz. cream cheese
- 8 oz. butter
- 1/4 c. sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- Jam, Nutella, or whatever else you want to fill them with
- Beat the cream cheese with the butter until well blended.
- Beat in the sugar, salt, and vanilla.
- Stir in the flour until just blended.
- Divide the dough into 4 pieces and wrap each piece in plastic.
- Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Remove dough from the ridge, and roll each piece into a circle, about 1/8 inch thick.
- Spread the filling of your choice over the dough, right to the edges.
- Using a sharp knife, cut each round into 12 wedges, like you were cutting a pizza.
- Roll each wedge up into a little crescent shape. Start at the thick end and roll towards the point.
- Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned on top.
Abby Made Me Do It 