Prune Rugelach 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.

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.

SPICED PRUNE RUGELACH

Steps:

• Make the dough: Whisk the flour, granulated sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour mixture until the dough just comes together. Increase the speed to medium high and beat until combined, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap; shape into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Combine the prunes and brandy in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until the prunes soften, about 1 minute; let cool slightly. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and add the apricot preserves, cinnamon and pepper; puree. Scrape into a
• small bowl and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes or overnight.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the dough in half; roll out each half into a 6-by-12-inch rectangle on a floured surface. Transfer the rectangles to the prepared pan; refrigerate until slightly firm, at least 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the prune mixture over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border on one long side of each rectangle. Starting with the opposite long side, gently roll each rectangle into a tight log and position seam-side down. (If the dough becomes too soft to work with, refrigerate briefly.) Brush the logs with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the coarse sugar. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Trim the ends of each log, then slice each into twelve 1-inch-thick rounds. Arrange 1 inch apart on the prepared pan, seam-side down. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until the cookies are golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool on the pan.

BEST-EVER RUGELACH

Steps:

• For the dough: Combine the melted butter, sugar, salt, baking powder, sour cream and flour in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer; beat on low speed until a ball forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll in a bit of additional flour, as necessary, to make a soft but manageable dough. Divide into 4 portions, press each into a flattened disk and wrap in wax paper. Place them in a large resealable plastic food storage bag; seal and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Stack 2 large baking sheets together and line the top sheet with parchment paper. You will need to repeat this procedure for each batch.
• For the filling: Roll out each portion of dough into a 12-inch circle on a well-floured work surface. Smear on the jam, covering the surface of the dough, and then evenly sprinkle on the brown sugar, cinnamon, nuts, if using, and raisins. (TIP: I CUT THE PIECES FIRST AND THEN SPREAD THE FILLING INGREDIENTS ON THEM INDIVIDUALLY, WHICH I FOUND REDUCES MESSINESS. EITHER METHOD WORKS, THOUGH.) Use a pastry or pizza wheel to cut the dough into 12 wedges. Roll up each wedge snugly and place on the lined baking sheet.
• For assembly: Whisk together the egg and sugar in a small bowl; brush the rugelach with the egg wash. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the pastries are nicely browned. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired.

CRANBERRY RUGELACH

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream the softened butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. , Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead for 3 minutes or until smooth. Divide into 8 portions. Roll each portion into a ball; flatten into a 4-in. circle. Wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour., In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cranberries, walnuts, melted butter, cinnamon and allspice. On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 portion of dough into an 8-in. circle. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of filling to within 1/2 in. of edges. Cut into 8 wedges. , Roll up wedges from the wide end and place point side down 2 in. apart on foil-lined baking sheets. Curve ends to form a crescent shape. Brush with egg; sprinkle with additional sugar. , Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.

PRUNE RUGELACH

Steps:

• Mix butter, cream cheese, and salt in a bowl with hands until crumbly. Add flour; mix until just combined. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface, and divide in half. Shape each half into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until cold, 4 hours or up to overnight.
• Stir together bread crumbs and 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl. Stir together remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon in another small bowl.
• Roll one disk to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out a 12-inch circle. Brush beaten egg in a 1-inch border around circle. Put half the prune filling in center, and spread out to beaten egg border. Sprinkle 1/2 cup bread crumb mixture over filling. With a pizza wheel, cut circle into 16 wedges. Starting at outside edge of each wedge, roll up into a crescent shape. Space 1 inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush with beaten egg, and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Repeat with remaining disk and filling. Refrigerate rugelach until cold, about 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Bake rugelach until golden brown and cooked through, about 40 minutes. Let cool completely on wire racks. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.
• Soak prunes and brandy in a small airtight container at room temperature overnight. Drain prunes. Puree in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl. Stir in bread crumbs and sugar. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to 1 day ahead.
• Spread the center of a round of dough with pureed fruit filling, then top with bread crumb mixture. With a pizza wheel, cut round into wedges. Tightly roll triangles inward, tucking tails underneath.

PERFECT RUGELACH

Steps:

• Making the Dough:.
• In a food processor, take 2 cups of your flour, add salt, lemon zest, and sugar. Add in cream cheese cut up in squares. Pulse until it comes together to form a ball.
• Remove from food processor, and roll out into 8 x 12-inch rectangle. Cover with plastic and chill for two hours.
• In the meantime, in a clean food processor bowl, take your butter that has been cut up into small squares and your remaining 1/4 of flour. Pulse until the flour and the butter have come together and the pieces of butter are about pea-sized.
• Roll in between two sheets of plastic wrap until it is 4x6 inch rectangle. Chill also.
• After two hours, use a probe thermometer to ensure that both the dough and the butter are at the same temperature. Roughly 60 F degrees.
• Remove from fridge, and place your dough on a floured, chilled slap of marble or chilled cookie sheet. Add your block of butter in the middle of the dough, so that you can wrap the dough around it, like you are making an envelope.
• Now, turn your envelope so that the shorter side is perpendicular to your body. Roll out gently with your rolling pin until it is 10 x 14 inches long. At this point you are going to fold it into another envelope. Again you will turn that envelope so that it is perpendicular to your chest, and you will wrap it in plastic and chill it for 10 minutes.
• Ten minutes later, again you will place the envelope perpendicular to your chest, roll it out again to 10 x14 inches long, and refold it again back into an envelope. Turn it once more so that it is perpendicular to your chest. Wrap it in plastic and chill once more for 10 minutes.
• Remove from fridge, place envelope perpendicular to your chest again. Roll out once again to 10 x 14 inches long. You are going to fold it one last time into an envelope, and this time you'll have to chill it for at least 6 hours.
• Filling I:.
• Combine your walnuts, spices, chocolate chips and orange zest in a small bowl set aside. Keep your apricot jam separate.
• Assembly:.
• You're going to take your envelope out of the fridge. You are going to place it perpendicular to your chest and you are going to cut in 3 equal parts.
• Take each of these parts, again place the shortest end perpendicular to your chest and roll them out until they are approximately 9 by 13 inch rectangles. Cut each in half length wise, and slice each length diagonally to make little triangles.
• If using filling I, you are going to brush apricot jam on these triangles and then add your nut/spice mixture on top. Then you roll the triangle into a crescent starting from the base. Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and chill for 10 to 15 minutes in fridge.
• Brush with eggwash, and place in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20-22 minutes, rotating the cookie sheet half way through the baking process.
• If you are using chocolate chips, simply put them on the squares and roll them up into crescents. Again, you will chill them, brush them with eggwash and bake them the same way.