Walnut Rugelach Food

ORANGE WALNUT RUGELACH

Steps:

• To make the dough, combine the flour, sugar and kosher salt in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle. Add the cubed butter, distributing it all over the top of the dry ingredients, and dollop in the cream cheese (1-inch dollops should do it, but it doesn't need to be perfect). Turn the mixer on low and stir until the mixture is mostly mealy and there are still some larger clumps of butter and cream cheese intact. Continue mixing and add the yolks, vanilla and almond extract if using. Continue mixing until the dough comes together. Divide the dough in half and shape into discs. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
• Mix the marmalade, cinnamon and cloves in a small bowl and set aside.
• To form the rugelach, working with one dough disc at a time, roll it out on a lightly floured surface, dusting with flour as needed to prevent it from sticking, until it is a wide rectangle, 18-by-9-inches. Use an offset spatula to spread on half of the marmalade in a thin even layer, leaving a 1-inch border along the long edge that's furthest from you. Sprinkle on 1/2 cup of the walnuts. Brush the 1-inch border with a thin layer of egg wash and then start on the end closest to you and roll the dough into a long tight log, placing it seam-side down. Transfer to a cutting board or baking sheet and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to 2 days (depending on fridge space, you might want to cut the log in half so you're dealing with 4 shorter logs as opposed to 2 really long ones). If you're only refrigerating for an hour or 2, no need to cover the logs. If longer than that, cover with plastic wrap.
• To bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Brush the logs with a thin layer of egg wash, sprinkle with a few pinches of flaky salt, the remaining 1/4 cup walnuts and the colorful sugar or sprinkles if using. Cut into 1 1/2-inch slices and transfer to the baking sheets, 1-inch apart. Bake until golden brown on top; begin checking for doneness at 24 minutes. (You might notice that the cookies seem to sweat and leak out some fat while in the oven, this is completely normal.) Let cool on the pans for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Or enjoy them warm! Leftovers can be stored at room temp for several days.

WALNUT RUGELACH

Steps:

• Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together onto a sheet of waxed paper.
• Beat 1/4 cup white sugar, butter, and cream cheese together in a bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla.
• Stir flour mixture into butter mixture until dough is just combined. Divide dough into 3 equal portions; shape each portion into a disk, wrap disks in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Beat egg white in a bowl with an electric mixture until frothy. Mix walnuts and 1/2 cup white sugar into egg white.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Remove dough from plastic wrap and roll each disk out into a 7-inch circle. Spread 1/3 the egg white mixture onto each dough circle, leaving a 1/4-inch border around the edge of each circle. Cut each circle into 12 wedges. Roll up each wedge from the edge to the point and place, point-side down, on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool and dust with confectioners' sugar.

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.

CHOCOLATE CHIP, CHERRY AND WALNUT RUGELACH

Steps:

• For dough:
• Blend first 3 ingredients in processor. Add butter and cream cheese and cut in using on/off turns until dough begins to clump together. Gather dough into ball. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces; flatten into disks. Wrap each in plastic and refrigerate 2 hours. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated. Let soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.)
• For filling:
• Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. Roll out 1 dough disk on floured surface to 9-inch round. Spread 3 tablespoons cherry preserves over dough, leaving 1-inch border. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons dried cherries, then 2 tablespoons chocolate chips, 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar and 2 tablespoons walnuts. Press filling firmly to adhere to dough.
• Cut dough round into 8 equal wedges. Starting at wide end of each wedge, roll up tightly. Arrange cookies, tip side down, on prepared baking sheet, spacing 1 1/2 inches apart and bending slightly to form crescents. Repeat 3 more times with remaining dough disks, preserves, dried cherries, chocolate chips, cinnamon sugar and walnuts. Place baking sheet in freezer 30 minutes.
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Brush cookies lightly with whipping cream. Bake frozen cookies until golden brown, about 40 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks and cool completely. (Can be made ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week or freeze up to 1 month.)

DATE WALNUT RUGELACH

Steps:

• Make dough:
• In a food processor blend butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add flour and salt and pulse just until mixture forms a ball. Form dough into a log. Chill dough, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.
• Make filling:
• Finely chop dates and walnuts and in a bowl with your hands toss together dates, walnuts, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla until combined well.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Cut dough crosswise into 8 equal pieces and work with 1 piece at a time, keeping remaining pieces covered and chilled. On a work surface sprinkled with confectioners' sugar using a rolling pin dusted with confectioners' sugar, roll out piece of dough into an 8-inch round. Cut round into 8 wedges, keeping round intact.
• Sprinkle 1/3 cup filling in a ring around outer portion of round, leaving a 1-inch border around edge, and press filling gently into dough. Working with 1 wedge at a time, fold outer edge of pastry over filling and roll up filling in pastry, jelly-roll fashion, folding sides under pastry to enclose filling. Transfer rugelach, as formed, pointed ends down, to ungreased baking sheets. Make more rugelach in same manner.
• Bake rugelach in batches in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until golden, 15 to 20 minutes total. Transfer rugelach to racks to cool completely. Rugelach keep in an airtight container at room temperature 3 days.

CINNAMON, RAISIN & WALNUT RUGELACH

Steps:

• Beat the soft cheese and butter together using electric beaters or in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the 50g of caster sugar, the salt and vanilla extract, and beat to combine.
• Add the flour gradually, beating on a low setting until just combined. Do not overwork it or the dough will become tough and chewy. Add a little more flour if it's very sticky.
• Press the dough into a ball and divide it into quarters. Wrap each ball of dough and press into a flat disc. Chill for at least 30 mins to firm up a little.
• Meanwhile, mix together the 30g of caster sugar, the brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins and walnuts. If you prefer a less chunky finish, give them a quick whizz in a food processor or chop them very finely.
• Take one of the discs from the fridge, and on a well-floured board, roll out the first ball into a large circle of at least 23cm diameter.
• Cut out a 23cm circle and spread the circle thinly with a tablespoon of the apricot jam, then sprinkle evenly with about 2-3 tablespoons of the filling, so the circle has a fine covering.
• Using a pizza cutting wheel or sharp knife, divide the circle into 8 or 12 wedges, depending how large you want your biscuits to be - 12 wedges makes mini rugelach.
• Roll each wedge up from the wider, outside edge to the thinnest point, tucking the point under. Arrange on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment, allowing at least a centimetre or two between them.
• Put the tray in the fridge while you repeat with the remaining balls of dough. You should have enough dough left over to make a fifth circle, and you may need to bake them in batches.
• Chill the formed rugelach for at least 30 mins. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and mix the last 2 tbsp of caster sugar with the 1 tsp cinnamon.
• Brush each rugelach with the egg wash, then sprinkle with a little cinnamon sugar and bake for 25 mins until lightly browned. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

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.

CHOCOLATE WALNUT RUGELACH

Steps:

• In a food processor, or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine all the dough ingredients. Process or beat until it becomes dough-like. (In a food processor the mixture will form a ball, and stick together. With a mixer, it just turns into dough. Don't over beat.) Put aside.
• Now, in your food processor, combine all the filling ingredients and process until finely chopped. If you don't have a processor, you can do this in a blender -- just make sure you stop and scrape and sides down several times so that everything is evenly ground.
• Cut the dough into 4 pieces and dust each one with flour. Dust the counter or tabletop with flour, too. Roll a piece of dough into a circle, approximately 10 inches (25 cm) in diameter. Handle the dough gently, and don't be afraid to sprinkle it with more flour to prevent it from sticking to the counter or the rolling pin. Cover the entire surface of this circle with some of the filling in a thin, even layer. Using a pizza cutter (or a sharp knife) cut the circle into 8 wedges, pizza-style. Roll each wedge up -- starting at the wide, outside edge -- rolling firmly toward the point. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, bending slightly to form a crescent. Repeat with the rest of the dough and filling.
• Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned on top, but not burnt on the bottom.

RUGELACH

Steps:

• Make the dough: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and cream cheese at medium speed. Add sugar, and beat until fluffy. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time, beating to combine after each addition. Add vanilla and salt, and beat to combine. Reduce speed to low, and beat in flour. Remove from bowl, and divide into 3 pieces on a lightly floured surface. Pat into disks, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, and up to overnight.
• Make the filling: In a food processor, combine walnuts, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pulse until fine.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with Silpats (French nonstick baking mats). On a lightly floured surface, roll one piece of dough into a 12-inch round, less than 1/8 inch thick. Brush evenly with jelly. Sprinkle with one-third of the walnut mixture and one-third of the chocolate chips. Using the rolling pin, gently roll over filling to press ingredients into dough.
• Cut the round into 16 equal-sized wedges. Beginning at the base of each wedge, roll to enclose filling, forming crescent shapes. Pinch to seal. Place on prepared baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough and filling ingredients. Brush tops with beaten egg, and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

WALNUT AND BROWN-SUGAR RUGELACH

Steps:

• In a food processor, blend butter, cream cheese, granulated sugar, and salt until well combined. Add flour, and pulse just until a dough forms. Divide dough in half; flatten into disks, and wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days, or freeze up to 3 months (thaw before baking).
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks set in upper and lower thirds. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In a small bowl, combine egg with 1 teaspoon water to make an egg wash.
• Working with one disk at a time, place dough on lightly floured parchment paper, and roll out into an 11-inch circle (about 1/4 inch thick), dusting lightly with flour as needed. Using a large dinner plate as a guide, cut around dough to make a perfect circle; trim off and discard scraps. Brush circles with egg wash; dividing evenly, sprinkle with walnuts and brown sugar.
• Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut each circle into 16 equal triangles. Starting from the wide end, roll up each triangle of dough; place on lined baking sheets, seam side down. Brush rolls with egg wash.
• Bake until golden brown, 30 to 32 minutes. Transfer rugelach to a wire rack to cool completely.