Sunday, May 4, 2008

Rugelach




I admit it - I have an affinity for Ina Garten. Actually, I've been such a great supporter of both her t.v. show on FoodTV and at the bookstore buying her books, I'm surprised I haven't received a personal invitation to visit in the Hamptons. Hmm...I had another thought - maybe she really thinks I'm bastardizing her intellectual property. At the end of the day, who cares!!! I like her recipes - I'll continue to make them and I'll give her the credit for it all. Win-win.

Today I decided to reproduce her Rugelach recipe. This was born of my stopping into my local bagel shop that also sells rugelach and they sell them for a totally prohibitive price. These little bite sized cookies are made of a cream cheese dough and filled with an endless number of variations of fillings. Today I made them with a seedless raspberry preserve but there are many varieties of fillings you can use. Even Nutella makes a good filling for these so your mind's eye is the limit.

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 lb. unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar plus 9 tblsp (divided)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1/2 cup raspberry preserves (seedless)
1 egg eaten with 1 tbsp milk, for egg wash

Process:

1. Cream the cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light.
2. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the salt, and vanilla.
3. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour and mix until just combined.
4. Dump the dough out onto a well-floured board and roll it into a ball. Cut the ball in quarters, wrap each piece in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour.



To make the filling, combine 6 tbsp of granulated sugar, the brown sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, the raisins and walnuts.

5. On a well-floured boaord, roll each ball of dough into a 9-inch circle.
6. Spread the dough with 2 tblsp preserves and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the filling.




7. Press the filling lightly into the dough. (I did this by covering the filling with the plastic wrap and pressing the rolling pin down on it.


8. Cut the circle into 12 equal wedges (I used a pizza cutter) - cutting the whole circle in quarters, then each quarter into thirds.



9. Starting with the wide edge, roll up each wedge. Place the cookies, points tucked under, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill in fridge for 30 minutes.



Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

10. Brush each cookie with the egg wash.
11. Combine 3 tblsp granualted sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon and sprinkle on the cookies
12. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack and let cool. (in my oven it took about 22 minutes to brown)



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18 comments:

Pixie said...

Oh momma g, come over and make these for me! (shall try to look into 'printable recipe'- good idea, though, I haven't a clue either)

grace said...

oh me. rugelach is good enough with the usual fillings, but i think tossing on some raspberry preserves is a stroke of genius. they're gorgeous--kudos to you (and ina). :)

Elly said...

Ina's rugelach have been on my to-try list forever! I just keep forgetting to get to them. These look so delicious. Mmm.

Deborah said...

I have been eyeing this recipe - and now I really want to make them!

Neen said...

Those are really cute :). I've never had rugelach before, but I've seen them at the local deli... where they look more like croissants than cookies! (Of course, the same deli makes Hamantaschen the size of Do's hand. er.). And our Ina Garten was, I believe, the first cookbook we bought after moving in together. She got us from the "Kitchen? We have a kitchen?" stage to the swanky dinner party stage (well, somewhat swanky). :)

Do said...

I am by no means a baker, but those cookies look fantastic. I may try to convince Neen that we should have a baking weekend and try to make those cookies!

Vicarious Foodie said...

I've never had rugelach, but these look so good! And you know an Ina recipe is always gonna be a winner.

giz said...

Pixie - I have a care package under my arm, I'm taking the bus to the east coast, for you I'll swim across the Atlantic and I'll have your rugelach there by August. After all isn't that what any mother would do?

Grace, Elly, Deborah, Vicarious Foodie - Ida always just makes it so easy - you won't be disappointed

Do & Neen - assembly goes really fast - the longest yard is waiting the 30 minutes for a)dough to cool and b)rugelach to sit in fridge prebaking. I got 48 out of this recipe and too easy to put down 6 at a time.

OhioMom said...

OMG ... those are gorgeous ! Pack them up and send them on:)

Elle said...

I'm not one for rolling out cookies, but I think even I could make these! they look so good--especially with the raspberry preserves!

Melissa said...

ohhh my grandmother used to make the most amazing rugelach. now I haven't had it for probably 10 years. thanks for the nostalgia. yours look AWESOME. the golden hue, the sweetness inside, just perfect.

Cakelaw said...

Wow, these look delicious. Rugelach are not really seen here, so it would be fun to make them to se what they are like.

Anonymous said...

Oh I HAVE to make these. My hubby reminds me constantly how wonderful his mother's Rugelach was and that he wishes I would try to make it. I had no idea Ina had a recipe for this. I think I will surprise him for Father's Day!

Lori said...

Good choice! I must say that the rasberry flavored rugelach is my favorite! Really is there any other kind because it really is my favorite. I have a recipe for rugelach dough that calls for almond paste. It is a good dough. I use it in my tarts sometimes as well. Goes great with fruit. I will post on it probably as soon as I get my hands on some fresh strawberries.

RecipeGirl said...

Boy does that look great! I made a Raspberry Rugelach during holidays last year. Ina's version is probably better.

Jaime said...

i LOVE this recipe! i made it back in december and included it in my gift baskets :) i found that cut the dough into strips instead of triangles was easier and i actually liked the way they looked that way better

test it comm said...

Those Rugelach look good. I like the way these come together.

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

Great job with the rugelach. I tried duplicating them once...enough said:D

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