Golden Rugalach Food

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.

GOLDEN RUGELACH

Steps:

• For the dough: Pulse the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor until combined. Add the butter and pulse until it resembles coarse sand with some pea-size pieces of butter, about 20 pulses. Add the cream cheese and sour cream and pulse until it comes together in a rough dough, with some uneven pebble-size pieces. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and divide into four equal portions. Pat each portion into a flat square and wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze for 15 minutes.
• For the filling: Meanwhile, chop the hazelnuts in a clean food processor. Add the preserves, raisins and salt and puree to make a very smooth paste.
• Roll a portion of dough into a 6- by 14-inch rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. (Don't worry about slightly rough edges; these will be rolled inside of the rugelach.) Spread one-quarter of the filling over the surface with a small spatula. Starting with a long side, roll the dough up into a tight cylinder, ending with the seam on the bottom. Press the top slightly to flatten and wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze for another 15 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. (The cylinders can be frozen for up to a month.)
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and evenly position the racks. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
• Slice the cylinders into 1 1/2-inch pieces and place seam-side down on the prepared sheets. Whisk the egg yolks together and brush over the tops. Sprinkle with sugar and bake until pale golden and crispy on top, about 25 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the baking sheets. Carefully transfer the rugelach to a rack to cool. Store in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days.

RUGALACH

Steps:

• Dough: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Mix butter with dry ingredients until sandy. Crumble yeast into cream and stir in the yolks. Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients to make a dough and chill it for 3 to 4 hours or more. Roll out 1/3 of the pastry thin, into a circle.
• Filling: Combine sugar, cinnamon and nuts and sprinkle onto the dough. Dot with golden raisins.
• Cut into triangles and roll up starting at the wide end and place on a greased cookie sheet, point side down. Repeat with remaining dough. Let rise 30 minutes at room temperature. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until light golden brown.

RUGALACH

Steps:

• Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until combined. Add the butter, and pulse 10 times. Add the cream cheese; pulse until the mixture is just combined. Drizzle in the buttermilk; pulse until the mixture just comes together when you press it with your fingers.
• Transfer dough to a clean work surface, and shape into a flat disk; cover with plastic, and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment; set aside. In a small bowl, combine filling ingredients of your choice. Set the filling aside.
• Divide chilled dough into three pieces. Flatten one into a disk, and return other two to refrigerator. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the disk to an 1/8-inch thickness. Cut dough into a 6 1/4-inch circle. Using a pizza cutter, divide the dough in half, then into quarters, then into eighths.
• Brush each triangle lightly with jam, then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon filling mixture, being careful not to cover the narrow ends. Starting at the wider end, roll up each cookie; transfer to a baking sheet. Brush each cookie with egg white, then sprinkle with nuts and sanding sugar. Chill until firm, about 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining two-thirds of dough.
• Bake cookies until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 2 days.

GOLDEN RUGALACH

Steps:

• For the dough: Pulse the flour, sugar and salt in food processor until combined. Add the butter and pulse until it resembles coarse sand with some pea-sized pieces of butter, about 20 times. Add the cream cheese and sour cream, and pulse until it comes together in a rough dough (with some uneven pebbles sized-pieces). Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a floured work surface and divide into 4 equal portions. Pat each portion into a flat square and wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze dough for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the nuts in a clean food processor. Add the preserves, raisins and salt; puree to make a very smooth paste. Roll a portion of dough into a 6 by 14-inch rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. (Don't worry about slightly rough edges; these will be rolled inside of the rugalach.) Spread 1/4 of the filling over the surface with a small spatula. Starting with a long side, roll the dough up into a tight cylinder ending with the seam on the bottom. Press the top slightly to flatten; wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze for another 15 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. (The cylinders can be frozen for up to a month.) Meanwhile, evenly position the racks in the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats. Slice the cylinders into 1 1/2-inch pieces, and place rugalach seam-side down on the prepared pans. Whisk the egg yolks together and brush this glaze over the top of the rugalach. Sprinkle with sugar and bake until pale golden and crispy on top, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly on the baking sheet. Carefully transfer rugalach to a rack to cool. Serve.