Day 15 - Rugelach

Today we made a classic Jewish pastry.  The dough is made with cream cheese and butter which makes the cookie so light and flaky.  The filling is a cinnamon-sugar nut mixture and raspberry jam.  The combination is great and the shape of cookie looks like you spent the day in the kitchen baking even though it is really not that difficult to make.  Well to be honest, rolling the dough is a challenge for me but I had a great helper in Marissa, who rolled it out effortlessly.  Glad, I waited to make these until she was home.


1 cup cream cheese (8 ounces), softened to room temperature
1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened

Cream together cream cheese and butter until smooth and thoroughly blended.  Beat in

1 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoon sugar
dash or so salt
1 cup unbleached white flour

When smooth, stir in

1 additional cup of flour

Turn dough out onto lightly floured board and knead just a few times, til dough just comes together.  Divide dough into thirds (I divide into 4 pieces) and pat each third into a thick flattened circle.  Refrigerate dough wrapped in saran wrap for about an hour.

For filling 
1/2 cup sugar
1 and 3/4 tablespoons cinnamon
2/3 cup very finely chopped walnuts or almonds ( I use pecans)

Working with the dough circles one at a time, remove one from the refrigerator and roll out into a circle about 14 inches in diameter and about 1/8 inch thick (the diameter might be a little less since we divided the dough into 4 pieces.  Dough will be soft and smooth.  Leaving a 1 inch blank border at the perimeter of the dough, spread the circle very lightly with jam (I use raspberry, but you could use plum, or apple butter also) and then sprinkle with a fourth of the nut-cinnamon mixture.  Cut into 12 slices and roll each slice starting with the wide end.  Place rolled wedges on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper with the rolled end facing down so it doesn't open up during baking.   Repeat with the other three dough rounds.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until Rugelach are golden brown (I did a little more than 20 minutes).  Let them cool on rack.  Sprinkle the cooled Rugelach with a generous amount of powdered sugar.