Recipes From USA Food
Rugelach - Apricot Almond Cookies
Rugelach, (or Rugulach, as there are many ways to spell the name) is a scrumptious bite-size cookie of eastern European Jewish tradition. In Europe in the old times, the dough was made with butter. The modern version calls for the use of cream cheese instead, that makes them very soft and smooth. Rolled up to resemble a croissant, they can be filled in different ways, but the traditional recipe calls more frequently for apricot jam and ground almonds. When you bake these cookies, and this is the best part, a little bit of the jam comes out and gets caramelized together with the sugar and the almonds, giving them a delicious flavor. The recipe makes 24, but everybody likes them so much, they are never enough.
for the dough
1 cup (140 gr) flour
8 tablespoons (110 gr) cold butter, diced
4 oz (115 gr) cold cream cheese, cut in pieces
for the filling
1/4 cup apricot jam
2 oz (60 gr) almonds, toasted and chopped
1/4 cup (50 gr) sugar
1 teaspoon lemon peel, finely grated
for the topping
1 egg
1/4 cup (50 gr) sugar
1 oz (30 gr) almonds, chopped
Preheat oven 350 F (180 C). In a food processor, fitted with a blade, place flour, butter, and cream cheese. Run the blade pulsing until a dough in a shape of a ball is formed. Remove the dough from the food processor. Divide in 2 pieces, wrap each one separately in plastic sheet, and place in the refrigerator. Cover two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place the jam in a bowl and stir it until is fluid. In a bowl, combine together the almonds, sugar and lemon peel. Remove one of the pieces of dough from the refrigerator. Place on a lightly floured work surface. Reduce the dough to a disk approximately 10 inch round, using a lightly floured rolling pin. Cut the circle in 12 wedges using a pizza cutting wheel. Spread the jam on the wedges. And spread on top the almond mixture. Roll each wedge of dough . . . . . . . . from the outer edge toward the center. Place the ruglach on the cookie sheets in rows. Repeat the step with the rest of the dough. Mix the sugar with the almonds. Beat the egg in a small bowl, and brush the surface of the ruglach. Spread the almond/sugar mix on top of the cookies. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the cookies are golden and the sugar is slightly caramelized. Cool on a rack.
