Rugelach Fingers Recipes

RUGELACH

Steps:

• Cream the cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the salt, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour and mix until just combined. 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 tablespoons of granulated sugar, the brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, the raisins, and walnuts.
• On a well-floured board, roll each ball of dough into a 9-inch circle. Spread the dough with 2 tablespoons apricot preserves and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the filling. Press the filling lightly into the dough. Cut the circle into 12 equal wedges?cutting the whole circle in quarters, then each quarter into thirds. Starting with the wide edge, roll up each wedge. Place the cookies, points tucked under, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Brush each cookie with the egg wash. Combine 3 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle on the cookies. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack and let cool.

RUGELACH

Steps:

• Cut cold butter or margarine and cream cheese into bits. In food processor pulse flour, salt, butter or margarine, 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.
• Combine sugar, cinnamon, chopped walnuts, and finely chopped raisins (may substitute miniature chocolate chips for raisins).
• Roll each disk into a 9 inch round keeping other disks chilled until ready to roll them. Sprinkle round with sugar/nut mixture. Press lightly into dough. With chefs knife or pizza cutter, cut each round into 12 wedges. Roll wedges from wide to narrow, you will end up with point on outside of cookie. Place on ungreased baking sheets and chill rugelach 20 minutes before baking.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
• After rugelach are chilled, bake them in the center rack of your oven 22 minutes until lightly golden. Cool on wire racks. Store in airtight containers...they freeze very well.
• Variations: Before putting the filling on the dough, use a pastry brush to layer apricot jam as well as brown sugar. Then add the recommended filling. You may also make a mixture of cinnamon and sugar and roll the rugelach in this prior to putting them on the cookie sheets.

WALNUT AND BROWN-SUGAR RUGELACH

Steps:

• In a food processor, blend butter, cream cheese, granulated sugar, and salt until well combined. Add flour, and pulse just until a dough forms. Divide dough in half; flatten into disks, and wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days, or freeze up to 3 months (thaw before baking).
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks set in upper and lower thirds. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In a small bowl, combine egg with 1 teaspoon water to make an egg wash.
• Working with one disk at a time, place dough on lightly floured parchment paper, and roll out into an 11-inch circle (about 1/4 inch thick), dusting lightly with flour as needed. Using a large dinner plate as a guide, cut around dough to make a perfect circle; trim off and discard scraps. Brush circles with egg wash; dividing evenly, sprinkle with walnuts and brown sugar.
• Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut each circle into 16 equal triangles. Starting from the wide end, roll up each triangle of dough; place on lined baking sheets, seam side down. Brush rolls with egg wash.
• Bake until golden brown, 30 to 32 minutes. Transfer rugelach to a wire rack to cool completely.

RUGELACH FINGERS

Steps:

• Make dough: Place butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the cream cheese is broken down but butter is still chunky. On low speed, add flour and salt, and mix until crumbly and just beginning to come together, about 20 seconds. There should still be some small pieces of butter visible. Divide dough into two equal parts. Form each part into a flattened rectangle, and wrap well in plastic. Refrigerate 5 hours or up to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
• Make filling: Place the chocolate in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the chocolate is very finely chopped, about 7 seconds. Transfer to a large bowl. Finely chop toasted walnuts by hand, and add to bowl. Add granulated sugar, cinnamon, currants, zest, corn syrup, and melted butter, and stir to combine.
• Place one rectangle of dough between two large pieces of waxed paper; roll dough into a 9 by 13-inch rectangle. Line prepared baking pan with dough. Spread dough evenly with walnut mixture. Roll remaining rectangle of dough into another 9 by 13-inch rectangle; place on top. Trim the edges of the dough so they are even.
• Make egg wash: Beat egg yolk with the water in a small bowl. Brush the top of dough with egg wash; sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake until golden, about 35 minutes, rotating halfway through. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into fifty to sixty 2 1/2 by 3/4-inch rectangles. Cookies can be stored in single layers in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

EASY RUGELACH

Steps:

• Whisk together flour and salt in a medium bowl. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and cream cheese until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; beat to combine. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a ball; wrap in plastic. Chill until firm, about 6 hours or up to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk together sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Divide dough into quarters. Working with one piece at a time, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to an 8-by-12-inch rectangle. With long side facing you, spread with 3 tablespoons preserves, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup each walnuts and currants, 2 tablespoons raisins, and about 2 tablespoons sugar mixture. Starting with a long side, tightly roll dough into a log; place, seam side down, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Brush each log with cream, dividing evenly; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar mixture. Bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool 15 minutes. Slice into 1-inch-thick slices. Rugelach can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container up to 2 days.

RUGELACH

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to cream cheese mixture and mix well. Divide dough into fourths. Wrap each portion; refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle., Roll out each portion between 2 sheets of waxed paper into a 12-in. circle. Remove top sheet of waxed paper. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Brush each circle with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Sprinkle each with 3 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar and 2 tablespoons pecans. Cut each into 12 wedges., Roll up wedges from the wide end; place pointed side down 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Curve ends to form a crescent shape. , Bake at 350° for 24-26 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks. Brush warm cookies with remaining butter; sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-sugar.