RUGELACH
Makes 32 cookies
I first ate rugelach in New York City, and I have never forgotten it. Part flaky pastry, part bite-size cookie, and all delicious, this sweet is often served at Hanukkah. Think super-easy croissant with any filling you wish. This recipe owes its structure to the wonderful Dorie Greenspan, who is one of my favorite baking gurus and such a lovely person. If Dorie thinks you should eat these, you should listen to her. We just made them gluten-free for you.
- 4 ounces cold cream cheese
- 8 tablespoons (115 grams) cold unsalted butter
- 575 grams All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour Blend
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅔ cup apricot jam
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (100 grams) chopped walnuts
- 1 large egg, beaten
Prepare to bake. Set the cream cheese and butter out on the counter 10 minutes before you intend to start working with them. Cut the cream cheese and butter into 4 pieces each.
Combine the dry ingredients. Put the flour blend and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Whirl them up.
Form the dough. Drop the cream cheese and butter pieces into the flour. Pulse the dough 5 to 10 times to break up the pieces of fat, then turn on the processor. At first, the flours will spin round and round and you’ll think you need some liquid to make them stick. Be patient. After a few moments, you’ll see the forces start to gather. Watch carefully. Stop the processor when the dough looks like giant curds, before it has formed a solid ball.
Chill the dough. Form 2 balls of dough. Cover them in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
Make the filling. Set a small pot over low heat. Add the jam and cinnamon and stir together. Heat the jam until it turns to liquid. Set aside.
Roll out the dough. Pull one of the balls of dough out of the refrigerator. Roll out the dough between two pieces of lightly greased parchment paper to an even 10-inch circle.
Peel off the top layer of parchment paper and spread half of the jam and walnuts onto the dough, leaving at least 1 inch of space around the edges. Press the parchment paper lightly onto the filing to press it into the dough, then remove the parchment again.
Make the crescents. Cut the dough into 16 triangles. (A pizza wheel is the best tool for this.) Start with the widest part of each triangle as the base and roll up the triangle into a little crescent roll. Put the rollups onto a baking sheet, tucking the point at the end of the crescent under the roll. When the baking sheet is filled, put it in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Repeat with the remaining dough and another baking sheet.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake the rugelach. Pull the rugelach out of the freezer. Brush some of the beaten egg gently over the cookies. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, then rotate the baking sheet 180 degrees. Bake until the rugelach are deeply golden brown and slightly puffed, about 10 minutes more. Cool the rugelach on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack.
You may eat the rugelach when they have cooled to room temperature.
