Cream Cheese Rugelach
These cream cheese rugelach with a cinnamon-raisin filling are drawing raves as being "flaky," "tender," "easy," even "perfect."
Ingredients
For the cream cheese dough
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the work surface
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into chunks and chilled
- 8 ounces cream cheese, cut into chunks
- 2 tablespoons sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 2 large egg yolks
For the raisin filling
- One (15-oz) box golden raisins
- Enough water to cover the raisins
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- Pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup walnuts or hazelnuts
- 2 to 3 tablespoons rum
For the apricot filling
- One (15-oz) box dried apricots
- Enough water (or orange juice) to cover the apricots
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- Pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup walnuts or hazelnuts
- One jar orange marmalade
- 2 to 3 tablespoons orange brandy
Instructions
Make the cream cheese dough
- Toss the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse just until combined. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles mostly coarse sand with a few pea-size blobs of butter. Add the cream cheese and sour cream and pulse just until the ingredients come together into a somewhat shaggy dough.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divvy it up into 4 equal portions, being careful not to overwork the dough. Gently pat each portion of dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 45 minutes.
Make one of the fillings
- For the raisin filling: Dump the raisins in a medium saucepan and pour in just enough cold water to cover. Add the sugar, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla and gently simmer over low heat until almost all the water is absorbed and the raisins have turned plump, anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the heat and and size of the pan. Let the raisins cool slightly. Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor and pulse until the raisins are coarsely chopped. Add the walnuts and process until a paste forms. Stir in as much rum as you fancy and let the filling cool to room temperature.
For the apricot filling: Dump the apricots in a medium saucepan and pour in just enough cold water to cover. Add the sugar, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla. Gently simmer over low heat until almost all the water has been absorbed and the apricots have turned soft and plump, 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the heat and the size of the pan. Let the apricot mixture cool slightly. Transfer the apricot mixture to a blender or food processor and pulse until it's coarsely chopped. Add the walnuts and marmalade and process until a paste forms. Stir in as much brandy as you fancy and let the filling cool to room temperature.
Assemble the rugelach
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll 1 portion of the dough into a rectangle somewhere between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick. (If the dough doesn't roll easily, let it rest at room temperature for a few minutes and then try again.) Spread the dough with up to 1/4 of the filling, smoothing the filling almost but not quite all the way to the edge of the dough. Starting with the long side of the dough, tightly roll up the dough and filling into a jelly roll. Using your palms, gently flatten the roll ever so slightly and wrap it in plastic wrap. Place the filled rolled dough in the freezer or refrigerator and repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
- Take 1 of the filled rolled dough portions out of the fridge or freezer and cut it into 1 1/2-inch-wide slices. Place each slice, cut side down, on the prepared sheet. Whisk the egg yolks and brush very lightly over each slice and then sprinkle, sparingly or generously, as you see fit, with sugar. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes. Repeat with the remaining portions of dough.
- Bake the rugelach for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Let the rugelach cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. We think you can figure out what to do next. (If you do want to stash some for the future, find more information on storing your cookies here.)
Nutrition
Serving: 1rugelach | Calories: 155kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 56mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g