rugelach

i’m not sure if it’s the weather, but lately i’ve been craving christmas cookies. it actually snowed here a few days ago, and since i’ve associated being cold 24/7 with stuffing my face with festive baked things, it’s been a delicious week. although rugelah are decidely jewish, we always had them on christmas morning with breakfast as a treat.

i don’t mention my day job very often, but i’m privileged enough to work a place where i can use my passion for food every day. i don’t want to get into much more detail, but one of my perks is occasionally getting free cookbooks, like  joan nathan’s The Jewish Holiday Kitchen. i’m especially excited because her challah recipe was my first yeast bread.

does this look like a lot of extra filling? it is. i accidentally halved the dough recipe but kept the filling recipe the same, so not only were the cookies stuffed, there was a bunch of spill-over. luckily, when sugar coated raisins and nuts get baked, the result is an incredible caramelized trail mix (minus any redeeming health benefits). i’ve been eating it by the handful since.

i’ve had trouble in the past with doughs that need to be refrigerated and then rolled out later, but this one seemed to hold together perfectly. it didn’t stick to the table when i rolled it out, and it puffed and crisped every so slightly and perfectly in the oven. don’t like raisins and nuts? try any kind of jam or preserves and whip up a batch. then eat them in front of a roaring fire with big cup of hot cocoa to stave off freezing. spring, get here NOW!

rugelach
makes 24. from joan nathan’s The Jewish Holiday Kitchen.

dough
1/2 lb (2 sticks) butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 cups flour

filling
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup chopped nuts (i used walnuts and pecans)
1/4 cup decorating sugar (for sprinkling)

1. in a large bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese together. beat in the flour, little by little. knead the dough slightly until all the flour is incorporated. refrigerate for 1 hour.

2. combine the filling ingredients (except for the 1/4 cup decorating sugar) and set aside.

3. prehead the oven to 350F. remove the dough from the fridge and divide into two portions. roll out one of the portions of dough in a circle about 1/16 inch thick. spread half of the filling on the dough. using a knife or pastry wheel, cut the dough into 16 pie-shaped wedges. roll the the dough wedges starting from the wide edge and ending at the point.

4. place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with decorating sugar. bake for 15 minutes, remove, brush with 1 Tbsp melted butter, and bake for another 10 minutes until golden brown.