rugalach

A very time consuming and labor intensive recipe I must admit, but these cookies came out light, flaky and quite good. Cream cheese added the twist and rich flavor to the basic cookie dough. I was thinking of some other treat to make and bring for Thanksgiving aside from date bars and found this recipe in the latest issue of Everyday Food magazine. I've seen rugalach cookies sold in most local grocery stores but I just wanted to try to make them from scratch myself. The dough may be made ahead and frozen. The assembled cookies may also be frozen, ready to thaw and bake for an anytime cookie craving. I used a personal favorite combination of chopped walnuts and cinnamon instead of the more common jam or fruity filling. The chilled dough was rolled out into a round shape about 1/4" thick. The filling, a mix of cinnamon and brown sugar were sprinkled evenly over the rolled out dough. Using a pizza cutter, the dough was cut and divided into wedges. Then starting from the wide edge, the dough was rolled up like a croissant. They were placed on cookie sheets, brushed with beaten egg or eggwash and baked for about 25 minutes or until golden brown. For an easier approach next time, I may just roll out the dough into a rectangle, sprinkle the filling over it and just roll it up. I will then just slice it like cinnamon rolls but maybe narrower to make them crispier. We all enjoyed eating them for breakfast after Thanksgiving along with the date bars. I will probably make them again using the simpler and easier method.

the cookies (above) all ready to go in the oven