A Date with Rugelach

Rugelach, is a type of Jewish pastry. I call it puff pastry, easier to understand. It is pretty easy to make rugelach, but it does take time as the dough needs to be refrigerated and then rolled out. The dough may be prepared days or weeks ahead of time and frozen; you can also shape the rugelach in advance and refrigerate or freeze them. They can then be baked without thawing.

I am using cream cheese as a base to the dough, and rolled around walnuts and cranberries....So, it is called Cranberry Walnut Puff Pastry...

Ingredients (makes 48 rugelach):

Conversion calculator for measurement--> http://www.dianasdesserts.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/tools.measures/Measures.cfm

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened (I don't have enough cream cheese, so substitute with some sour cream)

1 tbsp plus 1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

8 tsp butter, melted

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1 cup cranberries

1 large egg yolk

1 tbsp water

Instructions:

1. In large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat butter and cream cheese until blended and smooth. Beat in 1 tbsp sugar and vanilla. Beat in flour until blended.

2. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Wrap each in waxed paper and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 325 degree Fahrenheit. Line two large cookie sheets with foil; grease foil (I am using non-stick baking mat, so skip this). In small bowl, stir together cinnamon and remaining 1/2 cup sugar.

4. Keeping remaining dough refrigerated, on lightly floured surface, with floured rolling pin, roll 1 piece of chilled dough into 10-inch round. Brush dough with 2 tsp melted butter. Sprinkle a generous 2 tbsp cinnamon-sugar mixture over dough. Sprinkle one-fourth of walnuts and one-fourth of cranberries over top; gently press filling into dough.

5. With pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut dough into 12 wedges. Starting at curved edge, roll up each wedge jelly-rolled fashion. Place, pointed-side down, 1/2 inch apart, on prepared cookie sheets.

6. In cup, stir together egg yolk and water. Lightly brush egg yolk mixture over rugelach.

7. Bake about 40 minutes, until golden. Immediately transfer rugelach to wire racks to cool.

8. Repeat with remaining dough, melted butter, and fillings, one-fourth at a time.

Rugelach ingredients...

The cream cheese based rugelach dough...
Walnuts, cranberries, ground cinnamon and sugar mixture....
Rolled dough, with fillings....
Roll up from the curved edge...
Place 1/2 inch apart, the rugelach will rise to bigger size after baked.
And....this is rugelach....I like them...