Walnut and Cinnamon Rugelach
Rugelach is another common food served during Hanukah but because it is made with cheese, it is not served at the same time as meat dishes. There are two parts to the recipe – the cottage cheese dough and the walnut filling.
The ingredients for the cottage-cheese dough are as follows:
1 8-ounce container of creamed cottage cheese
1 cup of butter or margarine
2 cups of all-purpose flour
The walnut filling is made with:
3/4 cup of packed brown sugar
3/4 cup of finely chopped walnuts
3/4 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons of melted butter or margarine
1 large egg yolk
Begin with the cottage cheese dough. Place the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and stir until well-combined. When properly mixed, the dough will pull away from the sides of the bowl.
Take the dough and make three equal portions. Flatten each portion into a dish and wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Place each disk in the refrigerator until the rest of the rugelach is ready to be put together.
The walnut filling is made by combining all of the ingredients in a bowl and setting it aside.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place aluminum foil on a large cookie sheet and then spread butter on the foil.
Flour a rolling pin and the working surface. Then roll one of the dough pieces out until it makes a 12 inch circle. Brush the circle with melted butter or margarine followed by one-third of the filling. Gently press the filling into the dough.
Cut the dough into 16 equal wedges using a pastry wheel or sharp knife. Starting at the wide edge, roll the dough up like a jelly roll. Place the rugelach onto the baking sheet with the point at the bottom. Make sure there is at least 1/2 inch between them.
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of water. Brush this onto the top of each rugelach and bake them in the heated oven for 20 to 22 minutes or until the dough is golden brown. Remove them immediately and place them on a wire rack to cool. Repeat the above steps for the remaining dough. You can store the rugelach in an airtight container for up to 1 week, if your family and friends don’t eat them all.
