Why It Works
- Cream cheese provides the dough tangy taste, makes it simpler rolling, and produces a sturdy pastry that holds its form.
- Sprinkling contemporary breadcrumbs over the filling prevents the jam from being overly runny.
- Baking the rugelach on stacked baking sheets prevents the bottoms of the cookies from turning into too darkish.
My grandmother was well-known for her rugelach: She saved them on the prepared underneath a cake dome the place us children may simply attain them, and she or he provided them at bake gross sales and events. Hers have been the “American-style.” She made the dough with cream cheese, and all the time included a secret ingredient: contemporary breadcrumbs sprinkled over the filling to maintain it in place and stop the jam from being overly runny. Whereas I really like basic rugelach, I additionally take pleasure in filling the pastry with raspberry jam, Nutella, or savory onion jam.
My grandmother all the time rolled her cookies into crescents, which takes a bit extra time, however it’s also possible to select spirals. (You possibly can learn extra concerning the important strategies to creating nice rugelach dough and tips on how to greatest form it in my recipe for basic rugelach.)
Nevertheless you select to form it, make sure you bake them on two stacked baking sheets, which tempers the warmth and ensures you get golden, caramelized bottoms as a substitute of burnt ones.
For this raspberry-almond model, I add a whisper of orange zest to the dough, which shines alongside a jammy raspberry filling studded with nuts. You possibly can substitute any jam, nut, or citrus right here—this recipe is sort of a roadmap to rugelach. Add the citrus zest to your wealthy, flaky cream cheese dough, let it chill, then wrap it across the filling. It is value selecting a great high quality jam for this—only a scant half cup will do the trick.
December 2017
These Buttery Raspberry-Almond Rugelach Are a Vacation Should-Bake
Prepare dinner Mode
(Maintain display awake)
For the Dough:
4 1/4 ounces all-purpose flour (118g; about 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons), plus extra for dusting
4 ounces unsalted butter (113g; 8 tablespoons), reduce into giant cubes
4 ounces chilly cream cheese (113g; 8 tablespoons), reduce into giant cubes
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest from 1 medium orange
1/8 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for desk salt, use half as a lot by quantity
For the Filling and to End:
1 ounce almonds (28g; about 1/4 cup), toasted and finely chopped
1 tablespoon granulated sugar (about 1/2 ounce; 15g)
2 tablespoons contemporary breadcrumbs (1/2 ounce; 14g)
6 ounces raspberry jam (170g; 1/2 cup), do-it-yourself or a good-quality store-bought model, corresponding to Bonne Maman
1 egg yolk whisked with 1 teaspoon (5ml) cool water
1 teaspoon glowing sugar
For the Dough: Within the bowl of a meals processor, mix flour, butter, cream cheese, orange zest, and salt. Pulse 4 to five occasions, then flip the processor on and course of till the dough kinds a shaggy ball, about 1 minute.
Switch dough to a calmly floured sheet of plastic wrap and calmly flour your arms. If making crescent cookies, gently type a disk 5 inches in diameter. If making sliced cookies, type dough right into a 3- by 4-inch rectangle. Mud floor with flour and wrap tightly. Flippantly press with a rolling pin to clean, then calmly faucet the disk or rectangle’s edges on the counter. The smoother the perimeters, the much less susceptible they are going to be to cracking in a while. Chill till the dough registers 40°F (4°C) on an instant-read thermometer, about 1 hour. The dough could also be frozen for 3 months; defrost in a single day within the fridge to proceed.
In the meantime, regulate oven rack to center place and preheat to 375°F (190°C). Stack 2 baking sheets and line the highest one with parchment paper; put aside.
For the Filling: In a small bowl, mix almonds and sugar.
For Crescent-Model Rugelach: On a calmly floured floor, roll dough right into a 9-inch circle, utilizing a dinner plate and paring knife to trim edges. Unfold jam over floor of dough utilizing an offset spatula, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle almond combination evenly over jam, then high with bread crumbs. Utilizing a pointy knife, pastry wheel, or pizza cutter, reduce disk into 16 equal wedges. Ranging from the broad finish of every lengthy triangle, roll up and press on the sharp finish to seal. Place seam aspect down on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining triangles, working shortly and putting cookies about 2 inches aside. Switch baking sheet to the freezer for no less than 20 minutes earlier than continuing. Alternatively, freeze onerous and switch to freezer baggage or containers for as much as 6 months; defrost within the fridge in a single day to proceed.
For Sliced Rugelach: On a calmly floured floor, roll dough right into a 4- by 12-inch rectangle. Unfold jam over floor of dough utilizing an offset spatula, leaving a 1/2-inch border alongside the 2 12-inch edges. Sprinkle almond combination evenly over jam, then high with bread crumbs. Beginning at one 12-inch edge, tightly roll dough right into a spiral. Intention to make 3 full revolutions, urgent seam firmly to seal. Place roll on baking sheet and freeze or refrigerate for no less than 30 and not more than 45 minutes. (If chilled for longer, permit dough to heat very barely at room temperature, so it won’t crack when sliced.) Utilizing a pointy knife, pastry wheel, or pizza cutter, reduce roll into 12 cookies, every the form of an isosceles trapezoid. Maintain the smaller fringe of the trapezoid a minimum of 1/2 inch in size, and the bigger edge not more than 1 1/2 inches in size. Place seam aspect down on baking sheet and switch to freezer for no less than 20 minutes earlier than continuing. Alternatively, freeze onerous and switch to freezer baggage or containers for as much as 6 months; defrost within the fridge in a single day to proceed.
To End and Bake: Brush cookies’ floor with egg wash utilizing a small pastry brush. Sprinkle with glowing sugar. Bake cookies till browned and flaky, about 22 to 25 minutes. Some filling might squish out; that’s okay. The bottoms of the rugelach must be caramelized, not blackened. Switch the cookies (nonetheless on the parchment) to a rack to chill utterly, about 1 hour. Retailer in an hermetic container, layered between sheets of wax paper, for as much as 3 weeks, or freeze for as much as 1 month.
Particular Tools
Meals processor, rolling pin, instant-read thermometer, two rimmed baking sheets, offset spatula, pastry brush, wire rack
Notes
It’s completely regular for the filling to squish out when the cookies bake, but when there are burnt puddles surrounding the cookies, go away a much bigger border on the fringe of the dough. The dough, unbaked cookies, or baked cookies might all be frozen.