#26. Rugelach

This cookie is one of my very favorites, and this is a good recipe. The dough is buttery and not too sweet, there is a tartness from the apricot preserves, a crunch from the sugar in the raw that is sprinkled and baked on top, and a slightkick from the marsala-soaked raisins. You can fill the rugelach with anything you desire really. Give this one a try and then experiment for yourself!

Ingredients:

Dough:

8 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)

1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)

1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt

Filling:

1/4 cup sugar

1.4 cup (firmly packed) light brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 cup raisins

1/2 cup sweet marsala

1 cup walnuts (toasted and coarsely chopped)

1/2 cup apricot preserves

Topping:

1/4 cup milk

3 TB sugar in the raw granules

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour and set aside. Prep sheetpans with parchment paper or foil and spray the paper or foil with pan spray.

In a mixing bowl using a handheld mixer or standing mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese, butter and sugar together until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in the vanilla and salt. On low speed, slowly add in the flour and mix only until combined. Divide the dough into 4 pieces and scrape each of the pieces onto a piece of plastic wrap and form each into a ball and refrigerate for 2 hours. While the dough is chilling, prep the filling.

In a small bowl, combine the sugars and cinnamon and mix together until blended.

Place the raisins and sweet marsala in a small saucepan and heat just to a boil. Remove from heat and let the raisins plump about 1 hour. Drain and set aside.

Toast walnuts in the oven on a sheetpan for 7-8 minutes. When cooled, coarsely chop and set aside.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to sit on the counter about 15-20 minutes.

On a floured wooden board, roll out 1 ball of dough using a floured rolling pin. Roll into a 9 inch circle until the dough is about 1/8 inch thick. Rotate the dough often to prevent sticking. Spread the round with enough apricot preserved to coat the entire round. Then sprinkle with 1/4 sugar mixture, 1/4 raisins and 1/4 walnuts and press firmly into the dough. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 12 pieces like a pizza. Starting at each wide end, roll the dough up to the point, and if you'd like, bend the ends around to form a cresent shape. Place 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Repeat until all the dough and filling is used up.

For the topping, brush each rugelach with milk and sprinkle with the sugar in the raw. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until lightly browned. When cooled, store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.