ENJOY BUTTERY, FLAKY, JUST-THE-RIGHT SWEETNESS COOKIES? We mixed, rolled, spread, and dipped the art of making traditional Rugelach – a flaky pastry crescent-shaped cookie filled with sweet fruits, chocolate, cinnamon and nuts.
by Carrie Paul (Adapted from Linda Shapiro)
Servings: 4 dozen
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup fruit preserve (raspberry, apricot, strawberry, cherry), divided
- ½ cup chocolate chips
Directions:
- Cut butter and cream cheese into 1/4 inch pieces. In food processor pulse flour, salt, butter, cream cheese and sour cream until crumbly.
- Shape crumbly mixture into four equal disks. Wrap each disk and chill 2 hours or up to 2 days (In a pinch, chill in freezer for 30 minutes).
- Combine sugar, cinnamon, chopped walnuts.
- Generously flour dry work surface and rolling pin. Roll one disk into a 9 inch round, keeping other disks in refrigerator until ready to roll. Spread 2 Tbsp. of fruit preserve onto disk. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp. sugar/cinnamon/nut mixture. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut each round into 12 wedges. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp. chocolate chips. Roll wedges from wide to arrow, ending with the point on the outside. Place on parchment lined baking sheet and chill in refrigerator for 20 minutes before baking. (If you are in a pinch, you may skip this step; however your rugelach will be slightly flatter).
- Repeat step 4 with the other three disks.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- After rugelach are chilled, bake on center rack for 22 minutes until lightly golden. Cool on wire racks.
Do ahead: Store room temperature cookies in airtight container in freezer for 2 weeks and then defrost in refrigerator. Store in refrigerator for up to 5 days.
The Longest Fork 