The Plans I Have For You

Nutella Rugelach and Apricot Jam and Pistachios Rugelach

Rugelach are Jewish pastry and they are holiday cookies traditionally baked on Hanukkah, a Jewish holiday. They are made in the form of a crescent by rolling a triangle of dough around a filling. It can be made of sour cream or cream cheese dough, the latter is more probably of American innovation.
 I have seen rugelach sold in bakeries in Europe and the United States but not in Singapore.  Perhaps specialty bake stores may have them, like bagels which are now more commonly found. Now that I have made rugelach, I would love to try shop made ones so I can make a comparison.

Nutella Rugelach

This rugelach recipe which is from Dorie Greenspan website is fabulous and I am so happy to have made them. This recipe yields 32 flaky,crumbly pieces.  Don't you halve the recipe because they're so so good. I had four warm ones with nutella fillings, paired with a cup of Osmanthus Sencha tea by Gryphon.
What I like about this recipe is that the dough can be made in less than a minute in a food processor and you can bake one half of the recipe and keep the other in the fridge for another day. You can also freeze and bake it straight in the oven. I made one half with nutella and the other half with apricot jam, pistachios and raisins. I baked the nutella first and kept the other half in the fridge to bake the next day.

The next day, I baked the jam and nuts fillings. This time I paired with Gryphon Ginger and Mint Tea.
I also warmed up the nutella batch and they tasted just like freshly baked. Both fillings are equally good! They are best eaten warm.


Rugelach

Dorie Greenspan
makes 32 pieces


Ingredients

Dough
4 ounces (113g)cold cream cheese, cut into 4 pieces
1 stick (113g) cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup chopped nut(1/4 cup chopped pistachios, toasted)
1/4 cup plump, moist dried currants (1/4 cup raisins)
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped, or 2/3 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips

Filling
2/3 cup raspberry jam,apricot jam or marmalade (1/4 cup apricot jam)
2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup nutella

To make the dough

• Let the cream cheese and butter rest on the counter for 10 minutes - you want them to be slightly softened but still cool.
• Put the flour and salt in a food processor, scatter over the chunks of cream cheese and butter and pulse the machine 6 to 10 times. Then process, scraping down the sides of the bowl often, just until the dough forms large curds - don't work it so long that it forms a ball on the blade.
• Turn the dough out, gather it into a ball and divide it in half. Shape each half into a disk, wrap the disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 1 day (wrapped airtight, the dough can be frozen up to 2 months)

To make the filling: Heat the jam in a saucepan over low heat, or do this in a microwave, until it liquefies. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together.

Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats 

To shape the cookies

• Pull one packet of dough from the refrigerator. If it is too firm to roll easily, either leave it on the counter for about 10 minutes or give it a few bashes with your rolling pin.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into an 11- 12 inch circle. Spoon or brush a thin gloss of jam over the dough, and sprinkle over half of the cinnamon sugar. Scatter over half of the nuts, half of the currants and half of the chopped chocolate. Cover the filling a piece of wax paper and gently press the filling into the dough, then remove the paper and save it for the next batch.(spread nutella)
• Using a pizza wheel or a shape knife, cut the dough into 16 wedges or triangles.The easiest way to do this is to cut the dough into quarters, then to cut each quarter into 4 triangles. 
• Starting at the base of each triangle, roll the dough up so that each cookie becomes a little crescent. Arrange the roll-ups on one baking sheet, making sure the points are tucked under the cookies, and refrigerate. 
• Repeat with the second packet of dough, and refrigerate the cookies for at least 30 minutes before (the cookies can be covered and refrigerated overnight or frozen for up to 2 months; don't defrost before baking, just add a couple of minutes to the baking time.)

Getting ready to bake

• Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350F (170C)

To Glaze

• Stir the egg and water together, and brush a bit of this glaze over each rugelach. Sprinkle the cookies with the sugar.

Bake the cookies for 20-25 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until and they puffed and golden. Transfer the cookies to racks to cool to just warm or to room temperature.

Storing: The cookies can be kept covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 2 months. They're are great for sharing! 

This post is linked to Bake Along 'Rugelach' organised by 3 great home bakers. Hop over to Zoe, Joyce and
Lena.

For I know the plans I have for you,"declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm yu, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11