Rugelach

‘Rugelach’ is a Jewish pastry and it attracted my attention when I was looking for a recipe that I can use leftover cream cheese. The article I found was about food in NY and I found ‘Rugelach’ is a new craze. I have never tasted authentic Jewish ‘Rugelach’ and I don’t know what I bake are good or bad. They are like soft cookies. Anyway my family loved them!

I studied some American ‘Rugelach’ recipes and they horrified me because of the amount of butter and sugar! This is my skinny version of ‘Rugelach’ recipe and I hope you like it.


Makes

16 Rolls

Ingredients

Pastry
60g Cream Cheese *softened
60g Butter *softened
1 Egg Yolk
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 cup Plain Flour
Powdered Sugar for dusting  *optional 

Filling
Apricot Jam 1/4 cup
Walnuts, Almonds or Pecans 1/4 cup *finely chopped
Sultanas 1/4 cup *coarsely chopped
Brown Sugar 2 tablespoons
Cinnamon 1 teaspoon

Method
  1. Combine softened Butter and softened Cream Cheese in a bowl, add Egg Yolk and Vanilla, and mix well.
  2. Add Plain Flour and mix as you cut the butter mixture into flour. Use your hands to bring the mixture together into dough. *Note: If the mixture is too soft, add 1-2 tablespoons extra flour.
  3. Make filling by mixing all the ingredients.
  4. Preheat oven to 170°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
  5. On a lightly floured flat surface, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to a large 3mm thick disc larger than 30cm in diameter. Spread the filling evenly.
  6. Cut the disc into 16 wedges and roll up each wedge from the outside edge.
  7. Place on the prepared baking tray and bake for 30 minutes or until golden.
  8. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Dust with Powdered Sugar .