Joan Nathan's Rugelach (Cinnamon, Chocolate, or Apricot)

Name: Joan Nathan's Rugelach (Cinnamon, Chocolate, or Apricot)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 64 cookies
Ingredients: 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature; 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature; 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour; 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional); 1 cup thick apricot preserves; 3/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped; 8 ounces shaved bittersweet chocolate (optional); 1/4 cup sugar (optional); 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (optional); 1/2 cup sugar (optional); 2 teaspoons cinnamon (optional); confectioners' sugar (optional)

Submitted by blucoat

"This is a straightforward and reliable cookie/pastry recipe from "Joan Nathan’s Jewish Holiday Cookbook" by Joan Nathan. The original recipe doesn't call for any salt, but I think it enhances the flavour. You can play around with the fillings, substituting raspberry preserves for the apricot, pecans for the walnuts, or adding a little orange zest, raisins, or currants to the cinnamon-sugar filling. The dough can also be used to make hamentashen. Dough needs 2 hours refrigeration time."

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Ready In:: 55mins
Ingredients:: 12
Yields:: 64 cookies

ingredients

Dough
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt (optional)
Apricot filling
1 cup thick apricot preserves
³⁄₄ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
Chocolate filling
8 ounces shaved bittersweet chocolate (optional)
¹⁄₄ cup sugar (optional)
Cinnamon-sugar filling
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (optional)
¹⁄₂ cup sugar (optional)
2 teaspoons cinnamon (optional)
confectioners' sugar (optional)

directions

To make the dough, place the cream cheese and the butter in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle. Cream at a low speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Add the flour and salt and mix until a very soft dough is formed, about 2 more minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 cookie sheets with baking parchment (or a Silpat baking mat).
Mix the ingredients for the apricot or chocolate filling and divide the dough into 4 balls. On a lightly floured surface roll the balls out into 4 circles about 1/8-inch thick and 9 inches in diameter. Spread the apricot or chocolate filling over the dough. If using the cinnamon-sugar filling, brush the melted butter on first, then sprinkle the combined cinnamon and sugar.
Using a dull knife, cut each circle into 16 pie-shaped pieces about 2 inches wide at the circumference. Roll up from the wide side to the center. Place the rugelach on the lined cookie sheets. Bake in the oven on the middle and lower racks, switching after 12 minutes, also switching back to front. Continue baking about 13 more minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the rugelach to racks to cool.
Sprinkle the apricot and chocolate rugelach with confectioners’ sugar just before serving.

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Tweaks

I don't remember where I found these, but they are apparently also in that cookbook: Raisin Nut Filling: 1/2 c sugar, 1/2 c seedless raisins, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 c finely chopped nuts, 1/4 c sugar (for topping) / Strawberry Jam Filling: 1 c ground almonds, 1 c strawberry jam, 1/4 c sugar (for topping). My recipe instructions also include: "sprinkle with a tiny bit of the reserved sugar before baking." And "Brush with melted butter in the middle of the baking if desired."

LtTawnyMadison