Rugelach

By norsegal8

These are probably the most abundantly stuffed, generously sized rugelach you'll ever come across - the most delicious too. The dough for these rolled-like-a-jelly-roll, filled-to-bursting cookies is a cream cheese dough, rich, sweet, flaky and a pleasure to work with - made quickly, it rolls easily and can be used to line tartlet pans for both sweet and savory fillings ot to make turnovers. And the filling - layer after layer of wonderful dried fruits and fruit butter. Don't skimp on the quality of the dried fruits you use for the filling, nor on the variety, for this is what makes the cookies so remarkable. The dough is spread with a very thick prune or apricot butter (known as lekvar), either homemade or store-bought, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, studded with nuts and strewn with moist pieces of dried fruit. Absolutely excessive, but exceedingly good.

Ingredients

• CREAM CHEESE PASTRY
• 3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• FILLING AND TOPPING
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
• 3 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 3 1/2 cups coarsely chopped assorted toasted nuts (your choice)
• 2 cups thick apricot or prune lekvar, homemade or store-bought
• 2 cups assorted dried fruits (such as dates, figs, apricots, raisins and/or cherries), diced if large, plumped if dry
• 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon cream or milk, for egg wash

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

MAKE THE PASTRY
Beat the butter, cream cheese and salt together until smooth in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mixing on medium-low, gradually add the sugar and beat until light. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour, mixing only until the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto the counter and work it gently into a ball. Divide the dough in half and press each half into a rectangle.

CHILLING THE DOUGH
Wrap each half in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. The dough can be wrapped well and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. It can also be frozen for a month. Thaw, still wrapped in the refrigerator.

THE FILLING AND TOPPING
Whisk together 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar, the brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of the cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.

Put the remaining 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1 1/2 cups of the nuts into the work bowl of a food processor and pulse until the nuts are finely chopped. Turn into a bowl and reserve for topping the rugelach. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.

ROLLING AND FILLING
Working with one piece of the chilled dough at a time, place it on a lightly floured surface or pastry cloth and let it soften for a few minutes. Flour your rolling pin and roll the dough into a rectangle 14 inches by 10 inches and 1/4 inch thick. Don't be tempted to roll the dough thinner - you need a sturdy wrapper for all the chunky filling ingredients. Trim the edges of the dough and, using a long knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough in half lengthwise, to make two 14- by 5-inch rectangles. Leave the halves in place.

Spread each half generously with one-quarter of the prune or apricot lekvar. Sprinkle with one-quarter of the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture, pressing it lightly with your fingers to spread it evenly if necessary, then finish by strewing 1/2 cup of the remaining chopped nuts and 1/2 cup of the dried fruit over each dough half. Starting with the long edge of dough, roll up each rectangle jelly-roll fashion, tucking in any fruit or nuts that fall our along the way.

CHILLING THE DOUGH
Transfer the rolls to the paper-lined baking sheet, and roll and fill the remaining dough. Cover the rolls with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
Position the oven racks so that they divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. If possible, use two baking sheets, a precaution against burning the sugar on the bottom of the rugelach. Push the egg wash through a sieve and reserve.

SLICING AND BAKING
Although you can bake two rolls at a time, you will probably have to bake these in batches, so work with one roll of dough at a time. Brush the rolls all over with the egg wash. Using a serrated knife and a sawing motion, slice the roll into pieces that are 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide. Toss each slice in the cinnamon sugar-nut mixture to coat generously (you may need to press the topping onto the rugelach with your fingers). Transfer the rugelach to the prepared baking sheets, cut sides down, leaving an inch between each pastry. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pans top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking period. The rugelach are done when the tops are golden and the bottoms caramelized. Cool the pastries on the pans for 5 to 10 minutes, then release them from the parchment by running a thin spatula under them. Cool to room temperature on a rack. Repeat with the remaining rolls of dough.

STORING
The rugelach will keep for a week in an airtight container.