Thursday, November 5, 2009

Walnut, cranberry and cinnamon rugelach

Walnut, cranberry and cinnamon rugelach / Rugelach de nozes, cranberry e canela

I told you once that I can be quite stubborn sometimes – and I wasn’t kidding. :D

Kate Zuckerman’s pretty rugelach cookies had been on my mind forever, but I never had all the ingredients on hand. Well, I finally did – on a 30ºC (86ºF) day. I knew it was too hot and that the dough sounded too delicate for such temperature, but I insisted on making it anyway.
All I can say is that the cookies were delicious – a couple of friends loved them – but they did not turn out as beautiful as Kate’s, because I could not roll the dough correctly.
Living and learning – I hope so. :D

Walnut, cranberry and cinnamon rugelach / Rugelach de nozes, cranberry e canela

Walnut, cranberry and cinnamon rugelach
from The Sweet Life: Desserts from Chanterelle

Dough:
8 tablespoons (4oz/112g) unsalted butter, room temperature
112g (4oz) cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup (140g) all purpose flour, plus more for rolling the dough
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar

Filling:
1 cup (110g) walnuts, finely chopped
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup (55g) dried cranberries, coarsely chopped (the original recipe called for currants)
½ cup (100g) caster sugar
1 egg, for egg wash

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer, combine the butter and cream cheese and beat on medium speed until the mixture is light, fluffy and has increased in volume, 5-8 minutes. On slow speed, add the dry ingredients and beat until the dough is thoroughly combined. Set the mixer on medium speed and beat the dough for 15 seconds.
Using a rubber spatula, scrape the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap. Wrap the dough tightly and press it down until it is 2.5cm (1in) thick. Refrigerate the dough at least 2 hours or overnight.

Make the filling: in a bowl, using a fork, toss together the chopped walnuts, cinnamon, cranberries and ¼ cup (50g) of the sugar. Set aside.

On a floured surface, roll out the chilled dough into a rough rectangle approximately 32x40cm (13x16in). Using a pizza cutter or paring knife, trim the dough into 2 rectangles measuring 16x40cm (6 ½ x16 in).
In a small bowl, whisk the egg. Lay out each rectangle with the 16-in side directly in front o f you on the counter. Brush off any excess flour. Brush the egg wash over the entire surface of the dough. Evenly coat both rectangles of dough with the walnut filling, leaving a 2.5cm (1in) wide strip of dough on the edge farther away from you. Starting with the dough edge closer to you, tightly roll the dough away from you, tucking the filling under the dough as you roll. When you reach the strip of dough without topping, apply a little pressure to seal, and roll the log so that the seam is on the bottom, against the counter. Gently slide the logs of dough onto a cookie sheet, cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour; refrigerate the remaining egg wash. The logs can be stored in the refrigerator for 24 hours or in the freezer for 1 week.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF ½ hour before baking. Line two large baking sheets with baking paper or foil.
Glaze the chilled logs with the reserved egg and sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup (50g) sugar. Slice each log into 2.5cm (1in) cross sections – you should get between 16 and 18 slices from each log. Place the cookies 2.5cm (1in) apart on the prepared sheets* and bake until puffed and dark golden brown, 15-18 minutes – mine needed 30 minutes to become golden brown.
Allow the cookies to cool for 15 minutes before removing them from the sheets.
Cookies will keep, well wrapped, for 4 days.

* the recipe did not specified how the cookies should be placed on the sheets, so I baked the first batch with the cut side down and the other with the cookies standing with the seam down – imho, the second batch looked prettier, but a couple of cookies fell down while in the oven

Makes 32-36 cookies – I got 33

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds a bit complicated for me - but it looks and sounds lovely.

Your photography is totally inspiring me to get off my bottom and actually put a bit more effort into my photo styling.

chriesi said...

These sound really lovely!

pam said...

So pretty! Love the red polka dot wrapped around the jar!

Jade said...

Thanks for posting this recipe! I've been planning on searching the net for this for a few weeks, but never had the time. Sounds so great, especially that we love cranberries. I'm going to make them soon! Thanks again!

Anonymous said...

really lovely cookies! would be a great addition to our holiday table.

thanks for the idea and cheers,

*heather*

Manggy said...

30C?! Pssh! That's nice and cool! Ha ha ha. I would still gladly eat every last one! ;)

The Food Librarian said...

This is just so pretty. I can't get a handle on rugelach but need to try again! Love all the different flavors in this one.

Lizzie said...

Gah I'm simply in love with your little porcelain tea cup and saucer and the cute little mason jar wrapped with that cute polka dot paper! good enough to eat!

Barbara said...

Haven't made these in years, Patricia. And when I did I used the old boring currrents as always. I'm going to use cranberries the next time-they're small enough.
Unfortunately, I don't know about you, but rugelach is like peanuts to me- I keep nibbling and nibbling. Even when I freeze them! I'm hopeless.

Frenchie said...

I made rugelach for some Italian friends last year, and they were blown away. This is definitely one of my favorite types of cookie, not too sweet but buttery and flaky. Most rugelach recipes call for raisins which are the only food that I absolutely despise so your recipe would be perfect for me. I cannot wait to try it out!

Natalie said...

So pretty and looks delicious.

ChichaJo said...

They look lovely! I can't tell at all that you had any problems with rolling...they sound so delicious!

Must echo Manggy...30C? ;) Hehe!

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Hilary said...

Rugelach is one of those things I've been meaning to make forever as well. It always seems like so much effort, though! Yours look lovely.

Unknown said...

I hardly ever bake cookies but these remind me that I should start. I do save tons of cookie recipes - they look so pretty as do yours.

Cookie baker Lynn said...

Not beautiful? They look perfect! I made rugelach once and the dough was so delicate it shredded as I tried to roll them up. Yours looks just right.

Mimi said...

They look so lovely. It was always a special treat when my mom made rugelach.
Mimi

kickpleat said...

I LOVE rugelach! So delicious. My local jewish deli makes a very similar version and I'm tempted to recreate yours which I'm sure would be amazing. I just doubt my baking skills.

Julia @Mélanger said...

Funny. I made rugelach last Christmas on a 30C/90F+ day. URGH! They were still delicious though. I haven't seen this recipe before. I used a Dorie Greenspan one, which was fabulous - as always!

Patricia Scarpin said...

Alicia, your photos are beautiful - you have nothing to worry about, darling!
xx

Chriesi, thank you!

Pam, I'm a sucker for all things polka dot. ;)

Judith, thank you for visiting! I'm glad to hear you'll give this recipe a try - hope you like it!

Heather, thank you for stopping by!

Mark, hahahhaa, you crack me up - 30 is a nightmare for people here in Sao Paulo! :D

Food Librarian, thank you! The dough is really delicate, but so worth the trouble. :D

Lizzie, I'm a sucker for props, keep buying new stuff but there's no room around the house anymore. :D
Tks, darling!

Barbara, I'm so glad you like my version with cranberries! And I had to share these with the friends I mentioned, otherwise I'd end up eating them all. So addictive - you are right! :D

Frenchie, I love hearing you like my version with cranberries - to be honest with you, I'm not a big fan of raisins, either... :D

Natalie, thank you for visiting!

Joey, hahahah, I live in Sao Paulo, 30 is too much for us here! :D

Hilary, tks for stopping by! It was a bit of effort, but so worth it!

Wizzy, you definitely should. But I'm totally biased - love baking cookies! :D
Tks!

Lynn, you are far too kind, darling! Thank you.

Mimi, thank you! I love it when recipes bring out good memories. :D

Kickpleat, you should NOT doubt your skills, darling!

Julia, it's summer here in Christmas and it's a pain to cook and bake with the heat.
I have not tried Dorie's recipe yet, but I'm sure it's good!
Thank you!

Katie said...

These sound fab. I bet they would make great alternatives for people who don't like mince pies. Yummy

Valérie I♥Cakes said...

Mmmm... I want one !

tasteofbeirut said...

Rugelach are my daughter's favorite cookies. I used to make them with apricot jam; always hated that the jam would seep out all over the place though.

Martha in KS said...

I just found your blog thru a link you left on Martha S's site. Your recipes look wonderful, though I'm going to have to get out a calculator to convert some measurements.

The rugelach I've seen here in the U.S. were made in squares which were rolled up like croissants. You might try that next time.

Martha in Kansas

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