You're all ready for Christmas, eh? Well feh! Nuts to you, I say!
Seriously... how could I have gotten so far in our series without a single nut cookie! Every Christmas when I was a kid, my mother made Tassies, little pastry flower shapes tucked into small muffin tins, filled with a cooked sugar and nut concoction. She'd also make a cream-cheese dough thumbprint cookies, rolled in chopped nuts, and topped with a little maraschino cherry. They were very grown up cookies, especially compared to her standard cut-out cookie with icing. As a kid, I was all "No Thanks," but now, I'm all "Yes, please."
I think the change happened when I lived back in Pittsburgh all those years ago. My precious little understated neighborhood (Regent Square) had a great little bakery, and since I had yet to catch the home-baking bug, I would routinely head up there to get delicious sweeties to serve friends for the brunches we seemed to never get tired of having. It was there that I had my first-ever taste of Rugelach.
There were many varieties, all with a flaky perfect pie-crust like pastry wrapped around fillings of fruit, jams, and sugar mixtures. But my favorites were the nut ones. Walnuts, pecans, almonds and almond paste... they were all incredible and way better than I had ever remember Mom's Tassies being. (To be fair, they weren't better... just different. I just couldn't appreciate them.) All of the sudden, my taste had grown up!
Fast forward to years later when I was transitioning from doctoring cake mixes and doing basic drop cookies into more elaborate affairs. It was then I started my fascination with Everyday Food magazine, which came along at the perfect time. Here were real food recipes with no shortcuts... just simple ingredients, clear directions and good tasting dishes. I still prize my collection of 20 plus issue very very much, and when I find myself with some ingredient to work with -- say some ground pork or a pack of chicken thighs or a bunch of parsnips or some candied ginger -- I invariably start leafing through the tables of contents of these little wonders to compile a list of contending recipes.
It was one of those times when, after yet another failed attempt at making candy (remind me to tell you about the Spicy Asian Nut Brittle I tried to make this year -- let's just say no advanced dental work was safe with this stuff around), I found myself with a bag full of lovely walnuts. One brief tour through my beloved Everyday Food collection and voila! Walnut and Brown Sugar Rugelach.
And I know by now what you're thinking... no I did NOT alter this recipe! Generally speaking, the first time I attempt a recipe, I follow it pretty much to the letter. This one has steered me so right that I have never felt the need for alteration.
:: sigh ::
OK OK! I'll admit it. I did add some pearl sugar on top before baking, but only because I had it on hand and didn't have another use for it! There, you caught me. That's all I did or can think to do, though.
Though now that I think about it... some nice dried cranberries, some orange zest in the pastry, and I wonder what that chestnut paste would taste like in these... maybe with some chopped hazelnuts....
Argh! I'm incorrigible.
WALNUT AND BROWN SUGAR RUGELACH
I know the idea of a traditionally Jewish sweet with dairy in the dough is a no no... it means you can't eat it after a meal of meat if you keep kosher. And then there are the size of these -- much smaller than your typical Bubbie's version. But the tenderness of this dough that really compliments the simple ingredients will have you, if not your Rabbi, looking the other way.
I've burned through many a pastry recipe over the last decade or so of baking, and I've seen proportions of wet to dry ingredients, of fats to sugars, of flavorings to lack of same. I can honestly say that this was and is one of the most surprising doughs I've worked with. The amount of butter and cream cheese to flour is pretty insane, and as a result, the dough is very rich, even when baked to the fullest extent of the time.
Still, I do like to take it out a bit earlier than the tested time (usually just after the 25 minute mark), as I prefer a softer texture, as opposed to a crunchier one. In my estimation, you still get a soft munch from the chopped and baked nuts, a crackle from the caramelized sugar, and just to be sure we've got a third hard texture, I like to sprinkle a little pearl sugar on top before baking. That last addition makes everyone look twice at these and think "OK, are those little pretzels? Are they sweet or salty?"
Another note about the fats: if you're using an especially rich butter or cream cheese, or if the dough feels a bit too loose and sticky when you're rolling it out, don't skimp on the flour you add to the board. Dust away moderately as you work, and keep the dough moving and remember that you only really need to get it just a bit bigger than your guide plate, so ragged edges are fine.
Because I love any dough you can do in the food processor, and because even the stand mixer alternative seems like more trouble (especially blending the butter and cream cheese), getting out ye olde Cuisinart is highly recommended. If you opt not to make the dough and freeze it up to 3 months ahead of time (!), you can make the dough 2 or so days ahead and keep very cold and tightly wrapped in the back of the fridge.
When you're ready, set up, roll-out, assembly and bake time won't take more than an hour, though the cookies themselves are great if kept in an airtight container at room temperature for a week or more.
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 bar (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tsp of water
- 1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp pearl sugar (optional)
- Special equipment: pizza cutter, small round cap or lid (like one from a spice jar)
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°F degrees, with racks set in upper and lower thirds. Line two 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.
Place cap in the enter of the circle, open end turned up for easy pickup later. Dividing evenly, sprinkle the dough with walnuts and brown sugar all the way to the outer edge of the dough. Pick up and remove the cap in the center, revealing a circle of uncovered dough in the center. Re-touch briefly with egg wash if necessary.
Using the pizza cutter or a sharp knife, 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. Sprinkle on pearl sugar if desired.
Bake until golden brown, 30 to 32 minutes. Transfer rugelach to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes 32.
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Listen while you work!
Since we're making a
traditional Jewish dessert for having with our tea after Shabbat
dinner, let's hear a song about Hanukkah by those Canadian mensches,
The Barenaked Ladies. And maybe it wouldn't kill you to sit down and
call your mother, eh? That's a good boy.
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