Hanukkah Rugelach

The holiday season has come upon us which means two things: lots of holiday baking and studying for exams. Thankfully, the exams will be over soon but unfortunately the intense studying has taken a toll on my baking. I actually made these rugelach at the beginning of Hanukkah, when my brother and I went to go visit our old neighbors in Seattle. We spent the weekend having a great time playing with their kids and making Hanukkah goodies. Together we made latkes, little potato pancakes, and also these rugelach.

When I told my mom about the rugelach, she insisted that I not call them that. She said that when she grew up, her mom always called them "ragaliki" which translates into "little horns". I suppose since they are rolled up into the crescent shape they could resemble little horns. It was a little time consuming to make the rugelach, especially since the dough had to be chilled for a bit, but I loved the fact that there are a variety of fillings that can go inside.

The weekend was extremely fun and exactly what I needed before gearing up for exams. On a side note...the XBOX 360 kinect gaming system is so cool! We played it at their house and I must say I am extremely impressed. The sensors are so accurate and have facial recognition. The games are quite interactive and involve a lot of movement...definitely a great source of exercise. My only regret while making the rugelach was questioning why I picked a somewhat time consuming (although delicious) dessert, as it took away from my playing time with the kids. Still, everyone loved the rugelach and I had fun making them.

Hanukkah Rugelach
Note: The recipe makes enough dough for 64 little rugelach. I suggest trying a different filling for each batch of 16.

• 2 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 block (8 oz.) cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1. Sift together the flour and salt and set aside.
2. Using a mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese together for about 2 minutes.
3. With the mixer on low, slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix until a dough comes together.
4. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
5. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it out until it is about 1" thick all over. Fold the dough into thirds, wrap it back up and chill it for at least another hour, though you can leave it in the fridge for up to 24 hours at this point.

Raspberry Chocolate Pecan Filling
Note: This is both fillings for enough for one batch of 16 rugelach.

• 1/2 cup raspberry jam (I used seedless)
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips (I used mini chocolate chips)
• 3/4 cup pecans, toasted 

Combine the pecans and chocolate chips in a food processor and pulse repeatedly until the pieces stick together. Empty into a separate bowl and stir in the jam.

Cinnamon Sugar Pecan Filling

• 1/2 cup pecans, toasted
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Chop the pecans finely using a food processor and then mix together with sugar and cinnamon.

To assemble rugelach:

1.  Divide the dough in quarters. Put three quarters back into the fridge while rolling out the fourth quarter into about a 10" circle.

2.  Spread the filling over the dough and then cover with wax or parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to go over it and get the filling spread in an even layer.

3.  Cut the circle into 16 wedges and roll up each wedge, starting at the wide end.

4.  Place rolled up rugelach onto a baking sheet and brush with the egg wash.

5.  If you want you can sprinkle a little bit of sugar on top, or just leave them plain.

6.  Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 22-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

7.  Cool for 5-10 minutes before plating and serving.

Note: There are lots of different fillings that can be made. Some ideas include:

• Walnuts
• Hazelnuts
• Different fruit jams
• Nutella
• Cinnamon Sugar (without the nuts)