Apricot Almond Rugelach Food

APRICOT ALMOND RUGELACH

Steps:

• Stir together the flour and the salt and set aside.
• Beat together the butter, cream cheese, vanilla and lemon zest with an electric mixer until well blended and fluffy, about 3 minutes. On low speed, mix in the flour mixture just until combined.
• Divide the dough in half, shape each into a small disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or two. You want the dough to be firm, but not hard. (The dough may be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Just set it out on the counter to soften about 45 minutes before you want to use it.)
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Spread the almonds in a baking pan and toast in the oven for about 15 minutes, until lightly browned and fragrant. Turn out into a medium bowl or plate and let cool to room temperature.
• Combine all the filling ingredients in a small bowl. (This can be done ahead of time. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Bring to room temperature before using.)
• Liberally sprinkle a work surface with powdered sugar. Remove one portion of dough from the refrigerator and roll out into a 12-inch circle. Use as much powdered sugar as you need to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface and the rolling pin. As you roll, slide a large spatula or dough scraper underneath the dough to ensure it's not sticking to your work surface.
• Spread half the filling over the top of the dough to within a 1/4 inch of the edge.
• Using a large, sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into quarter wedges, then slice each quarter into 4 wedges.
• Beginning with the wide end, roll up each wedge and place point side down on your parchment lined baking sheet. Pat each down slightly. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
• Generously dust the rugelach with powdered sugar and bake in the center of the oven for 10 minutes. Dust again with powdered sugar and bake an additional 5 - 10 minutes. When done, the dough will look "set", will be very lightly tinged with brown on top. *It's better to err on the side of slightly underdone than slightly over done.
• Transfer the rugelach to a wire rack and let cool completely
• Store in an airtight container for a week or freeze.

APRICOT-ALMOND RUGELACH

Steps:

• Dough: In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, salt, and butter until butter breaks into pea-size pieces. Add cream cheese and process just until incorporated and a mass of dough is formed. Do not overmix or dough will be tough.
• Turn dough out onto a work surface and knead a couple times to bring dough into a cohesive mass. Divide dough in half and form two flat, round discs; wrap each in plastic and refrigerate for 45 minutes. (At this point, dough can be frozen for several months.)
• Filling: Lightly flour a work surface and a rolling pin, then roll one disc of dough into a 16-inch round (add more flour to prevent sticking). Evenly spread half the jam in a thin layer, stopping 1 inch from the edge of the dough. Sprinkle half the sugar over the top, followed by half the almonds.
• Assembly: Trim the outer edge of the dough to make a clean circle all around. Cut dough like a pizza into 12 triangles. Beginning at the wide end, roll up each triangle; place formed rugelach on parchment-lined sheet trays, pointed edge down. Repeat with remaining disc of dough. Freeze for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Bake rugelach until golden, 25-35 minutes. Remove to a wire rack, let cool, and serve.

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.

APRICOT ALMOND RUGALACH

Steps:

• To Make Pastry: Place the flour in a bowl. Cut the butter into the flour and blend until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Cut the cream cheese into small cubes and rub into the flour-butter mixture. Knead until the dough forms a ball. Cut dough in half, wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
• To Make Filling: Stir the apricot jam until it is spreadable. In a bowl combine the sugar with the chopped nuts and grated lemon peel.
• To Assemble: On a lightly floured surface roll out each half of dough. The larger and thinner the circle the crisper the cookies will be. Each circle should be at least 9 inches in diameter. Spread each circle with jam and sprinkle with the almond mixture.
• Cut each circle into twelve wedges. Roll each wedge up tightly from the outside edges. Turn edges slightly to form a crescent. Place crescents on a parchment lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Repeat until all cookies are shaped.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Beat egg and brush cookies with beaten egg. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake cookies for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cookies cool on wire wracks then dust with sifted confectioners' sugar.

RASPBERRY AND APRICOT RUGELACH

Steps:

• In large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat margarine or butter with cream cheese until blended and smooth. Beat in vanilla extract, salt, 1 cup flour, and 1/4 cup sugar until blended.
• With spoon, stir in remaining flour. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Wrap each with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.
• To Prepare Filling: In medium bowl, with spoon, stir walnuts, apricots, brown sugar, 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons white sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon until well mixed.
• Line 2 large baking sheets with foil and grease foil.
• On lightly floured surface, with floured rolling pin, roll 1 piece of chilled dough into a 9-inch round, keeping remaining dough refrigerated. Spread dough with 2 tablespoons raspberry preserves. Sprinkle with about 1/2 cup apricot filling; gently press filling onto dough. With pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut dough into 12 equal wedges. Starting at curved edge, roll up each wedge, jelly-roll fashion. Place cookies on foil-lined cookie sheet, point-side down, about 1/2 inch apart. Repeat with remaining dough, one-fourth at a time.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• In cup, mix remaining 2 tablespoons sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon. With pastry brush, brush rugelach with milk. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.
• Bake rugelach at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) on 2 oven racks about 30 to 35 minutes until golden, rotating cookie sheets between upper and lower racks halfway through baking time. Immediately remove rugelach to wire racks to cool. Store in tightly covered container.

APRICOT-WALNUT RUGELACH

Steps:

• Pulse the flour, 3 tablespoons of the granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt in a food processor until combined. Add the butter and pulse until a few pea-size clumps of butter remain. Add the cream cheese and vanilla and pulse just until the dough forms a ball.
• Divide the dough in half and place on 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Shape into 1 inch thick disks. Wrap and chill until completely firm, for 2 hours and up to 2 days.
• Combine the walnuts, brown sugar, nutmeg, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll on a floured surface into a 13-inch round. Top with 1/4 cup of the jam and sprinkle with half of the walnut mixture. Cut the round into 12 equal wedges, like pizza slices. Roll up each wedge, starting at the outer edge. Repeat with the remaining dough, jam and walnut mixture.
• Place the rugelach 1 1/2 inches apart on 2 rimmed baking sheets lined with parchment. Brush with the egg and sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of granulated sugar. Bake, rotating the sheets halfway through, until golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

RUGELACH WITH RAISINS, ALMONDS AND APRICOT

Steps:

• We're starting with the dough here. Grab your two sticks of butter and cream cheese, and pile it into a large bowl. Beat these until they are light. You can use an electric mixer or get in a good workout and use a wooden spoon.
• Next you'll want to add your sugar and your salt, and beat it until it becomes fluffy. Again, an electric mixer is preferred, but you can always opt for the workout and use a wooden spoon!
• This part you will need a wooden spoon no matter what. Stir your flour into your mixture, then gather the dough into a ball and knead it until it's smooth and all the flour is fully mixed.
• Divide your dough ball in half, then divide each half into halves. Do you see where this is going? Now, take your four quarters and half each of them. You should now have 8 little dough balls.
• Flatten each of your 8 dough balls into thick disks, and wrap them with plastic wrap, or "Cling film" as my friend likes to say. Let these guys chill out in your fridge for at least an hour. The longer, the better! (Note: You could stop here if you wanted to, and continue another day or such.).
• When you're ready to continue, or after at least 1 hour, preheat your oven to 350°F Lightly grease (Or parchment) two baking sheets (Three is even better!). Use parchment! It's better. These cookies will ooze as they cook, and with parchment there's much less cleanup.
• Now let's move on to the filling. If you have a food processor, you can add all the filling ingredients except for the apricot jelly (Your raisins, sugar, butter, cinnamon, almonds, and salt) and pulse a few times. If you're like me you don't have a food processor, so finely dice your Raisins and Almonds (There's a lullaby called that, did you know that?). Then add your sugar, butter, cinnamon and salt and mix well.
• Shaping the cookies: Work with only one dough disk at a time, and keep the others refrigerated while you do this. Here's where your team of helpers, if you have any, will come in handy. On a piece of parchment or a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough into an 8 inch circle. Take the top off of your apricot jam and place it (Or a the lid to a salad dressing bottle, or something similar) smack in the middle of your dough circle.
• Spread a thin layer of the apricot jam into the dough circle, making sure to leave about a 1/2 inch uncovered border on the outside. Then, sprinkle 1/4 cup of your filling over the dough, again staying within your 1/2 inch boundaries (And that lid in the center!).
• Carefully remove the lid, and use a sharp knife or a pizza wheel to cut your circle into 8 equal wedges.
• Starting at the wide (Outside) Edge of each wedge, roll it toward its narrow edge, just like you would on a crescent roll. Place these rolled wedges, tips down (Filling up!) onto one prepared baking sheet, then carefully bend the tips into a crescent shape. Remember the crescent roll.
• Now for the topping. Crack your egg into a small bowl and add about 1 tsp of water. Brush this egg wash onto your rugelach, and top them with that granulated or coarse sugar. Bake them for 20 minutes. Set your timer. Once they're done, carefully remove them from the oven and remove from the baking sheet(s), setting them on a wire rack to cool.
• While one batch is cooking, repeat the same steps with the remaining dough disks. If you have a team of helpers, you can get an assembly line going so you never have to stop! It makes it all the easier, also.
• Enjoy!

RUGELACH

Steps:

• Make the dough:
• Combine the butter and flour in the bowl of a food processor and process until the chunks of butter are broken up and the mixture has taken on the consistency of wet sand, about 30 seconds.
• Transfer the butter-flour mixture to a large mixing bowl and add the salt, cream cheese, and sour cream. Mix the ingredients together vigorously with your hands, breaking up the cream cheese and working it into the f lour with your fingers until the mixture is crumbly and only pea-size chunks of the cream cheese remain.
• Turn out the dough onto a sheet of aluminum foil, press it down slightly into a thick disk, and wrap it very tightly in the foil. Refrigerate it for at least 20 minutes or overnight. Meanwhile, make the filling.
• Make the cherry-almond filling:
• Combine the cherries, sugar, water, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce the heat and simmer until syrupy, about 5 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and add the almond extract. Let the mixture rest until it's cool enough to handle. Place the almonds in the bowl of a food processor and process until crushed, about 10 seconds. Transfer the almonds to a bowl and add the reserved cherry mixture to the food processor; process until the mixture has a jam-like consistency, scraping down the sides of the machine as necessary. Add the almonds back in and process for a few seconds, until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. The filling can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
• Make the chocolate-hazelnut filling:
• Combine all the filling ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process until crumbly. The filling can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
• Make the apricot filling:
• Combine all the filling ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring them to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Set the mixture aside until it is just cool enough to handle, then transfer it to the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Refrigerate the filling until it's completely cooled before using. The filling can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
• Shape, fill, and bake the rugelach:
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 10-by-15-inch baking sheet with parchment paper, grease it with oil or cooking spray, and sprinkle it with a small handful of decorative sugar.
• Unwrap the dough and divide it into 2 equal-size portions. On a well-floured surface, press and work one of the dough portions into a ball, then press the ball into a disk that's about 3/4 inch thick. The dough will be very firm at first and may crack around the edges, so keep working it and bringing the cracks together until you have a smooth-sided disk, adding more flour as needed to keep your hands from sticking to the dough.
• Roll out the dough into a 10- to 12-inch circle of even thickness. Fold the circle into a half moon and use a knife or dough cutter to trim away any uneven or protruding edges, then unfold the dough so it's a circle again.
• If you're using the chocolate-hazelnut filling, brush a little of the egg wash over the dough. Use a spatula to spread a heaping cup of the filling of your choice evenly over the dough. Then use a dough cutter or pizza cutter to cut the circle into 16 equal-size wedges, just as you would a pizza.
• Then, working with one wedge at a time, roll a wedge up to make the rugelach, starting with the wide end and rolling toward the pointy end. Transfer the rugelach to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
• Brush the tops of the rugelach with the egg wash, sprinkle lightly with more decorative sugar, and bake, rotating the tray 180 degrees halfway through cooking, until the pastries are light golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

APRICOT RAISIN RUGELACH

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until well blended. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to butter mixture and mix well. Shape into four 5-in. logs; cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight., On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 log into a 12x8-in. rectangle. Spread with about 1/4 cup spreadable fruit; sprinkle with 5 tablespoons walnuts and 1/4 cup raisins. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle 2 tablespoons over the top. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side. Repeat with remaining logs. Chill., Place rolls, seam side down, 4 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Brush with cream; sprinkle with remaining sugar. With a serrated knife, make 1/2-in.-deep cuts 1 in. apart on roll-ups. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a cutting board; cut each roll into 12 slices. Cool on wire racks.