Rugelach is sold fresh everywhere you turn in Israel, so I never felt the need to make my own. But six months into running a Kosher Food site, the time arrived for me to give it a try. I researched a bunch of recipes, took ideas from each of them, and then compiled this rugelach recipe. I was surprised to find that making rugelach is quite easy, and homemade is so much better than bought rugelach.
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- DOUGH:
- 7 ounces (200 grams) butter
- 8 ounces (250 grams) cream cheese
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- APRICOT AND WALNUT FILLING:
- 1 cup apricot jam
- 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
- TOPPING:
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup sugar
Preparation:
1. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese together. Add sugar and vanilla, and mix until smooth. Add flour and mix lightly. Refrigerate dough for an hour or more.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
3. Divide the dough into four balls. On a floured surface, using a floured rolling pin, roll one ball out into a circle until about 1/8 inch thick.
4. Spread the apricot preserves in the center of the circle, and then sprinkle the walnuts on top.
5. Cut the pastry into pie-shaped wedges. For bite-size and nice looking rugelach, the thick end of the wedge should about an 1 to 1 1/2 inch wide.
6. Start at the wide edge of the wedge and roll the dough up toward the point.
7. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place each pastry, seam side down, on the paper.
8. Brush each pastry with the egg and sugar.
9. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) for 20-25 minutes or until golden.
TIPS:
1. For a softer dough, Joan Nathan suggests using 1/2 cup of confectioners' sugar in the dough instead of the 1/4 cup of sugar.
2. Using too much filling leads to messy looking rugelach.
3. A pizza cutter makes it easier to cut the dough into pie-shaped wedges.
4. If you don't want to use parchment paper, you can spray the cookie sheets with non-stick spray.
5. After rolling the dough up and placing on the parchment paper, you can stick them in your freezer. When you need fresh rugelach, take them right from the freezer into the oven and add a few minutes to the baking time.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
3. Divide the dough into four balls. On a floured surface, using a floured rolling pin, roll one ball out into a circle until about 1/8 inch thick.
4. Spread the apricot preserves in the center of the circle, and then sprinkle the walnuts on top.
5. Cut the pastry into pie-shaped wedges. For bite-size and nice looking rugelach, the thick end of the wedge should about an 1 to 1 1/2 inch wide.
6. Start at the wide edge of the wedge and roll the dough up toward the point.
7. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place each pastry, seam side down, on the paper.
8. Brush each pastry with the egg and sugar.
9. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) for 20-25 minutes or until golden.
TIPS:
1. For a softer dough, Joan Nathan suggests using 1/2 cup of confectioners' sugar in the dough instead of the 1/4 cup of sugar.
2. Using too much filling leads to messy looking rugelach.
3. A pizza cutter makes it easier to cut the dough into pie-shaped wedges.
4. If you don't want to use parchment paper, you can spray the cookie sheets with non-stick spray.
5. After rolling the dough up and placing on the parchment paper, you can stick them in your freezer. When you need fresh rugelach, take them right from the freezer into the oven and add a few minutes to the baking time.
