Happy fourth night of Hanukkah! I haven’t shared a Hanukkah recipe since the first year of the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies when I made these classic rugelach pastries. Since Hanukkah falls conveniently at the start of this year’s series, I thought we should revisit rugelach, this time with a bit of a twist.
Not being Jewish, I don’t know if raspberry rugelach are considered appropriate to serve during Hanukkah celebrations or if they are kosher (if you do know, please let me know in the comments), but these are very good. The cinnamon, sugar, and butter form a caramel-like crust on the bottom of the pastry and give it a wonderfully tasty crunch. The filling of raspberry and walnuts is perfectly gooey, and doesn’t leak out too much if the cookies are filled correctly.
I think you’ll really like theses cookies. They’re different from the typical chocolate/peppermint/ginger cookies usually found around the holidays, so if you’re looking for something special, I think these would make an excellent choice.
Raspberry Rugelach
Print this recipe!
Dough:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
Filling:
1 cup raspberry preserves
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Coating:
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
Mix the butter, cream cheese, and salt together with a mixer until well combined, 2-4 minutes. Gradually add in the flour and mix only until flour disappears and a dough is formed. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and divide into 2 equal pieces. Wrap each piece in plastic, and chill at least 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350° and line a large cookie sheet with parchment or a baking mat.
Remove one dough piece from the refrigerator. On a floured surface, roll it into an 11-inch circle (it’s okay if it isn’t perfect). Use a pizza cutter or very sharp knife to cut the dough into 8 equal wedges. Spread about 1 tablespoon of raspberry preserves down the center of each wedge and top with about a teaspoon nuts. Start rolling up like a crescent, tucking in the sides to enclose the filling. Place on baking sheet and repeat with all remaining dough.
Mix cinnamon and sugar together. Dip each pastry in melted butter then roll in the cinnamon sugar. Bake for about 35 minutes, until pastry is golden brown and the cinnamon, sugar, and butter are caramelized.
-Adapted from Martha Stewart
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