Rugelach Two Ways

Classic flaky rugelach cookies filled with your choice of raspberry + toasted almonds or tahini, ginger + lemon.

Ingredients:

For the dough

• 1 + 1/4 cups (175 grams) all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 9 tablespoons (125 grams) cold unsalted butter
• 4 + 1/2 ounces (125 grams) cold cream cheese
• seeds of 1/4 vanilla pod, a dab of vanilla paste or 1/2 teaspoon extract

For Raspberry + Almond filled:

• 1/4 cup raspberry jam
• 6 tablespoons finely chopped almonds
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom

For Tahini + Lemon filled:

• 1/4 cup tahini
• 2 teaspoons runny honey (or a little more to taste)
• pinch cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped candied peel
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallised ginger
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped almonds

To finish:

• beaten egg
• large crystal/demerara sugar

– If using metric cups, reduce volume measures by 1 tablespoon for every cup of dry or liquid ingredients – 

Equipment:

• Food Processor
• Rolling pin
• Cookie sheets lined with baking paper

Directions:

In a food processor combine the flour, baking powder, salt, lemon zest and vanilla seeds. If you are using vanilla extract add it along with the cream cheese.

Dice the cold butter and add to the processor. Pulse until it looks like breadcrumbs. Give it short zaps so you can check on it regularly and it doesn’t get too warm.

Add the cream cheese and pulse until it just comes together. Use short pulses just like before. It will help the ingredients turn over better – no soggy bottom and dry top to the dough – and you can judge exactly when to stop.

Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and bring it together with your hands.

Divide the dough into two pieces and press each into a disc. Work quickly so it doesn’t warm up.

Wrap and chill the dough for at least an hour.

While the dough is chilling you can get your fillings ready. For the raspberry + almond we need to toast the almonds. Chop them finely then toast them gently in a small non-stick pan until they are just golden. Remove from the heat and sprinkle over the cardamom. Toss to distribute the spice in the nuts.

For the tahini, ginger + lemon you need to mix the tahini, honey, lemon zest and cinnamon. Taste it to see if the sweetness is right for you. Add a little more honey if you need to.

Finely chop the ginger, candied peel and nuts. Mix all three together and set aside.

Heat the oven to 200C (395F). When the dough has chilled roll each disc out into a large 10-12 inch circle. It should be very thin (about 2mm).

Spread the jammy part of the filling evenly over the circles. Sprinkle each evenly with the dry part of the filling.

Cut each circle into 12 wedges using a sharp knife. Starting at the wide end, roll each wedge up into a scroll.

Place the rugelach onto baking sheets lined with baking paper. Brush them with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar. A crunchy sugar like demerara is best but if you don’t have it use the largest crystal you have.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until thoroughly golden all over. Rotate the trays halfway through so the cookies bake evenly..

Cool the rugelach on a wire rack before bringing them out to impress you friends with your mad skills.

Cook’s Notes:

• It will seem like there isn’t enough flour in the recipe. It totally works I promise
• You can fill a rugelach with anything you like. Remember that there needs to be something a bit sweet in there as there is no sugar in the dough. You can even flavour the dough with a complementary spice depending on what you want to put inside. You need about 2 tablespoons of jammy filling and 3 tablespoons of sprinkling filling per circle of dough.
• I also recommend a filling of marmalade and chopped almonds.

 – These cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 to 5 days. If you don’t think you can eat them all freeze half the unbaked cookies and make more another day – 

Adapted from Sweet by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh.

© 2017 The Winsome Baker. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe.