Posts tagged ‘rugelach’

Dec 19

Cookies, Fruitcake and More Cookies

I am going to try to keep this short and sweet. I have been baking and packing gift boxes for the last week. My meals are take out or a quick sandwich. Have to say my new oven is amazing. It literally cuts baking time in half having an oven that actually works like it’s supposed to. My first attempt at convection baking wasn’t the best, not a disaster but not great, I read that it automatically converts the temperature and I didn’t realize you have to change the setting on the stove to convert the temp. Second round was perfect.

Got 3 gift boxes mailed, no small feat as I had to wait almost 2 hours in line at the post office. It’s been pretty busy around here, I volunteered as a foster for a rescue organization and they had an urgent need to foster a little chiweenie (chihuahua dachshund mix). He is about 7-8 yrs old and is named Gosha. He will stay with me until he finds a forever home much to the chagrin of Mr. Percy, he is not pleased and is moping around the house, won’t eat unless I hand feed him and is generally perturbed.

Christmas cards have been pouring in, for Percy, LOL! I have gotten 2 with over 30 cards for Percy from our friends on social media.

I found a great recipe for Chocolate thumbprint cookies, better than the recipe I have been using for the last few years. It’s from Martha Stewart and have to say it’s terrific. The cookies are soft and moist and I love adding the striped Hershey’s kiss in the center while the cookies are still warm.

chocolate thumbprint cookies

I’ve also made fruitcakes, chocolate chip cookies, rugelach and biscotti. This week I’m making Stollen, more cookies and more.

rugelach, chocolate, orange hazelnut

fruitcake

Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

Recipe from Martha Stewart

Makes 90 small cookies

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup plus 1 tbs dutch cocoa, unsweetened

2 tsp course salt

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter softened

1 1/3 cup sugar (plus more for rolling the cookies in)

2 large egg yolks

2 tbs heavy cream

2 tsp vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350 degree’s. Sift flour, cocoa powder and salt into a small bowl and set aside. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Reduce speed to medium and add egg yolks, cream and vanilla, beat until combined scraping sides when needed. Beat in flour mixture just until combined.

Scoop out approximately 2 tsp and roll into a ball, roll in sugar and place on parchment lined baking sheet. Use your thumb or the end of a wooden spoon to make an indent in each cookie. Bake for 5 minutes rotating the pan and then bake another 5 minutes (10 minutes total baking time).
Remove from oven and place a Hershey’s kiss in the center, let cool completely before packaging or storing.

Dec 21

52 Comments

Rugelach With Fig/Cognac Jam And Spiced Walnuts- Christmas Cookies

Ready to make the rugelach

I love making rugelach, and the possibilities are virtually endless when it comes to the filling for these lovely little buttery flaky beauties. Some of you may remember my Chocolate Hazelnut Rugelach that won a Whole Foods Contest a few years ago, it’s a lovely combination of orange marmalade, chocolate and hazelnut. There is the traditional with apricot jam, cinnamon and walnuts, love that too! I thought of doing something a little different this year, my good friend Bevi of Brussels Sprouts,Pears and Pistachio fame and an amazing cook on Food52 sent a jar of her homemade fig and cognac jam. I have been waiting for just the right use (other than eating out of the jar with a spoon) and thought rugelach would be the perfect use for this amazing jam. The walnuts are toasted and then you add some cardamom and ginger when you mix in the brown sugar. Spread the dough with the jam, sprinkle the walnuts and roll them up. It’s an amazing combination of flavors, a little on the exotic side but very subtle. I include rugelach in every gift box and hope the recipients enjoy these.

Slice and roll

Makes 4 dozen

The Dough and filling:

8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature

2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature

1/4 cup granulated sugar + more for sprinkling on cookies

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cup walnuts

1/4 tsp cardamom

1/4 tsp powdered ginger

1/2 cup fig jam

egg wash

sugar for sprinkling

1/4 cup light brown sugar packed
In stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment cream the cream cheese and butter until light. Add the sugar, salt and vanilla. With mixer on low add the flour and mix just to combine. Dump dough onto work surface form into a ball cut into four quarters and wrap each in plastic wrap, refrigerate for one hour
Place walnuts on parchment lined sheet pan and toast in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes (just until you can smell the nuts). Once the nuts have cooled enough to handle, chop and add the brown sugar cardamom and ginger. Set aside.

Remove one of the dough quarters from the refrigerator, roll into a circle on floured work surface. I use the lid of my dutch oven to cut an even circle. Spread jam on the dough round, sprinkle nut/sugar mixture on top of the jam and press down gently with your hand. Cut into quarters and cut each quarter into 3 pieces. Roll from widest end to smallest.

Ready for the freezer

Place each rugelach on parchment lined baking sheet, brush with egg wash and sprinkle some sugar on each. Put in freezer for 15 minutes before baking. While they are in freezer pre heat your oven to 350 degrees.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove to cooling rack.

Out of the oven

Dec 22

61 Comments

Rosemary Walnut And Plum Rugelach

Rugelach

I make rugelach every year for the holidays and every year I try to come up with a new flavor profile. Last year I did chocolate hazelnut which was really nice. This year I wanted a subtle herbal note and an altogether different jam I was kind of stuck on apricot. I thought that buttered walnuts and rosemary would make a nice combination and I made some spiced plum jam this summer, the combination sounded really good to me so I gave it a go. The walnuts have a very subtle rosemary taste (I am not a huge fan of strong rosemary) and the plum jam with gently spicing was wonderful with the walnuts. The crust is my standard cream cheese rugelach recipe, it never fails.

Rosemary Walnuts

1 1/2 cups walnuts

2 tbs butter melted

1 tbs fresh rosemary chopped

Pre heat oven to 350. place parchment sheet on small sheet pan. Mix walnuts, melted butter and rosemary in mixing bowl, pour onto sheet pan and roast for 15-20 minutes, they are done when you can smell the nuts. Remove from oven and let cool.

Makes 4 dozen

The Dough and filling:

8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature

2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature

1/4 cup granulated sugar + more for sprinkling on cookies

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cup rosemary walnuts

1/2 cup plum jam

1/4 cup light brown sugar packed

In stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment cream the cream cheese and butter until light. Add the sugar, salt and vanilla. With mixer on low add the flour and mix just to combine. Dump dough onto work surface form into a ball cut into four quarters and wrap each in plastic wrap, refrigerate for one hour
Chop walnuts and add brown sugar, mix together.
Remove one of the dough quarters from the refrigerator, roll into a circle on floured work surface. I use the lid of my dutch oven to cut an even circle. Spread jam on the dough round, sprinkle nut/sugar mixture on top of the jam and press down gently with your hand. Cut into quarters and cut each quarter into 3 pieces. Roll from widest end to smallest.

Looks like pizza right??

Place each rugelach on parchment lined baking sheet. Put in freezer for 15 minutes before baking. While they are in freezer pre heat your oven to 350 degrees.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove to cooling rack.

Yum!

Dec 4

25 Comments

Chocolate Hazelnut Rugelach-Day 4 Of 7 Days Of Holiday Cookies

Photo by Joseph De Leo for Whole Foods

I love rugelach and have eaten the traditional and non traditional varieties. I also love chocolate and hazelnuts together (nutella!!) and thought that it would be wonderful in rugelach, the combination is fantastic and the apricot jam with the chocolate and nuts takes it to a whole new level.

I entered this in the Whole Foods Holiday Cookie contest in 2011 and won, these are exceptional and it’s another cookie that is included in my gift box every single year.

Making rugelach is a bit labor intensive but so worth it, I am not very good at making each wedge evenly sized but it’s alright, part of the beauty of homemade baked goods is that they are not always perfect. I used the traditional apricot jam for these cookies but this year I think I will use orange marmalade, I think the orange with the chocolate and hazelnut will be a wonderful combination.

Makes 4 dozen

The Dough and filling:

8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature

2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature

1/4 cup granulated sugar + more for sprinkling on cookies

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cup hazelnuts

1/2 cup apricot jam(If you have preserves puree in food processor until smooth

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chopped into small pieces (or mini chips)

1/4 cup light brown sugar packed

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

In stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment cream the cream cheese and butter until light. Add the sugar, salt and vanilla. With mixer on low add the flour and mix just to combine. Dump dough onto work surface form into a ball cut into four quarters and wrap each in plastic wrap, refrigerate for one hour
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees, line a sheet pan with parchment and spread hazelnuts on pan. Toast in oven approximately 6-8 minutes take them out when you can smell the nuts. If you want to remove the skins you can do so by rubbing the nuts in a tea towel. I don’t do that. Chop the nuts and mix with the brown sugar and cinnamon and set aside.
If using preserves add to food processor and puree until smooth, remove and set aside. Chop chocolate into very small pieces, cover and set aside.

Making the rugelach:

dough

jam

hazelnuts

chocolate

1 egg beaten with a tsp of water for egg wash

sugar to sprinkle on rugelach

Take your dough out of the refrigerator working with one quarter at a time. On floured work surface roll dough into a 9 inch circle. (I use a lid from my dutch oven and cut around it making a neat circle) spread jam on dough, sprinkle with hazelnuts and chocolate. Press the nuts and chocolate lightly with your hand. Cut first into quarters and then each quarter into 3 equal wedges, you will have 12 when finished, Roll each wedge starting from the largest end rolling to the smallest end.
Place rugelach on parchment lined sheet. pan Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.Chill in the refrigerator before baking for 15 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Repeat with each quarter of the dough. Dough can be refrigerated for 2-3 days or frozen for later use.