Small Cookies #3
Rugelach
Enjoy the fruits of summer with these traditional Jewish treats
These little rolled cookies are like tiny pies, made with a rich and delicious pastry dough. Rugelach is a Jewish pastry that is served at any time of year. We highlight Rugelach this month because they are a great way to celebrate and enjoy the rich fruit harvests of summer. Feel free to experiment with fresh strawberries, plums, blueberries, or cherries, in place of the dried fruits in this recipe. If you do, omit the water, and simmer only briefly. Or try using fresh fruit with a little sugar for the filling.
- 1 cup butter
- 8 oz. cream cheese
- 2 cups flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ c sugar
- for one pastry round
- ½ cup dried tart cherries
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup sugar
- pinch of salt
- ½ tsp almond extract
- ½ cup lightly toasted almonds
- for one pastry round
- 1 cup dried apricots
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- pinch of salt
- for two pastry rounds
- 1 cup chocolate chips, semi sweet
- 1 cup toasted hazelnuts
- ¼ cup (1/2 cube) butter, softened
- 2 Tbsp flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- pearl sugar
- pinch of salt
- Soften butter and cream cheese, mix together until blended.
- Stir together the dry ingredients and add to the butter mixture, mix with spoon and your hands until just holding together.
- Divide into 4 portions, flatten each portion into a disk, dust with flour and place, covered, in refrigerator for at least 20 minutes or overnight. Will keep refrigerated for 24 hours.
- in a saucepan, simmer the cherries, water, salt and sugar for about 5 minutes until syrupy. Add the almonds. Blend in a food processor or with a stick blender until a spreadable consistency; does not need to be smooth. Stir in the almond flavoring. Bring to room temperature before spreading on disk.
- In a saucepan, simmer the apricots, sugar and water for about 10 minutes until the apricots are soft. Blend in a food processor or with a stick blender until they have a spreadable consistency; does not need to be smooth. Bring to room temperature before spreading on disk.
- Using a stick blender or food processor, blend until the nuts and chocolate are in small chunks. Does not need to be smooth. Bring to room temperature before spreading on disks.
- Remove dough from refrigerator, allow to sit out for five minutes before rolling (do not wait any longer, it should be cold when you roll it out). Make sure pastry stays cold; keep in refrigerator if needed when not actively assembling. Roll each disk into 11.5” circle. Spread disk with filling, all the way out to the edges. Cut with a rotary pastry cutter into 16 pie-shaped triangles. It is especially nice to use a scallop-edged cutter for a decorative edge to your Rugelach.
- Carefully roll each triangle, starting at the wide end and ending at the point. Be careful to not get filling on the outside to keep them looking pretty.
- Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, 1” apart. Bake at 350 for 15 - 19 minutes. Rotate in oven halfway through cooking if needed.
- Brush with egg yolk beaten lightly with 1 tsp water, then sprinkle pearl sugar over the tops. A light touch is all that’s needed with the pearl sugar; just a few sprinkled on top really adds a nice touch. Bake at 350 for 16 - 18 minutes, rotating the tray 180 degrees halfway through cooking, until the pastries are light golden brown.
- You can freeze your prepared, unbaked Rugelach for up to 6 months, wrapped tightly. Just pull out what you want and bake as needed. You will need to bake them for a few minutes longer if you bake them from a frozen state. Just wait until they become golden brown before removing them from the oven.
For the packaging:
• Ballotin favor boxes, white, 1.75″ top, 2.875″ x 1.625″ base, 1.375″ deep
• Label shape 12, circle 2” round
• Kraft wax paper or parchment paper to line the inside of the boxes
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Jeanne and her husband David launched My Own Labels in January of 2000. It was a spin-off of their successful graphic design firm, plus it allowed Jeanne to incorporate her love of baking, making, sewing and creating. Today David and Jeanne continue to be the heart of the operation both creatively and practically.
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