Tuesday, November 04, 2008

TWD: Rugelach

I love rugelach. I don't tend to make it very often, because I think of it as a time-consuming, difficult recipe. I've made a great rolled up version recently, but I haven't made the crescents in a looooooong time. This recipe could get me to change my mind.

The dough was incredibly easy to make. It came together very quickly in the food processor. I divided it into two discs and put it away overnight. I decided to make two versions. One was with apricot jam and pistachios. The other contained almonds, raspberry jam, and chocolate chips.

The construction of the cookies was both fussy and forgiving. The fussy part: For future reference, I need to make sure my nuts and chips are chopped into smaller pieces. It made it tough for me to cut my dough circle into wedges. I kept running into too-large pieces and it gummed up the works some. The layers of ingredients (jam, then cinnamon sugar, then nuts, then chips) made for quite a bit of juggling. There was a lot going on. The forgiving part: My "circle" was not too precise. And my wedges were a little less than even. But when you roll it up, it gets pretty well hidden. I enjoyed the sweetness of the apricot jam paired with the pistachio. Remember, the dough has no sugar, so the toppings are what bring the sweet. I did forget to sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture on the raspberry jam version. Truthfully, we didn't miss it.

Here's an apricot pistachio version.



Here's a shot with both flavors.



And a little further away shot.



On the boy's scale, these were an 11. (It goes to 11. It's one louder than ten) The rest of the family enjoyed them as well. I would certainly make these again. I'm thinking of new jam/nut combinations.

Thank you Piggy, from
Piggy's Cooking Journal for choosing this great recipe. Next week's goodie: Kugelhopf chosen by Yolanda of The All Purpose Girl. This one may require a new pan. We'll see.....

28 comments:

CB said...

Mmmm... the raspberry jam, almond, choco chips version sounds delish! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Clara @ iheartfood4thought

Piggy said...

I get what you mean about the nuts getting in the way when you sliced the dough up. I had the same problem too. Great looking rugelach, and I'm glad that you like the recipe. :-)

Thanks for baking with me this week!

Engineer Baker said...

Sounds like a winner! I had bigger pieces of the filling get in the way too - so annoying. Yours look wonderful, and both variations sound delicious.

Welcome to our crazy blessed life said...

Yum!! I had chocolate chips getting in the way of my pizza wheel. Glad your son thought they went to 11! :)

Sabrina said...

They look so so good!
Thanks for stopping by my blog! :)

Audrey said...

They look wonderful! I agree with the 11 (if not a 12...)

chocolatechic said...

These were great.

I'd give them an 8.

Cathy said...

Yours look perfect! Like an 11, or maybe even a 12! I know what you mean about the "circle;" mine looked more like a "rhombus." But like you said, they are definitely forgiving in the sense that they turn pretty once you roll them up.

Shelby said...

I agree, these were very easy to make, and really delicious also!

Cristine said...

Looks delicious!!!

Flourchild said...

I had a blast making these and was not stressed at all with the process. I made my dough early and then did the next step. I loved the taste and plan to add different fillings next time.

Amy of Sing For Your Supper said...

They look great - I bet they were great with raspberry jam and almonds!

-Amy
www.singforyoursupperblog.com

Anonymous said...

I love the way the apricot/pistachio rugelach look. Love the orange color.

Anonymous said...

Those definitely look like an 11! I've never tried to make rugelach before, and you are SO right. These are fussy! And hard to make! But yours look sooo good!

Spike said...

I agree, the sugar on top isn't totally necessary. Glad everyone loved them!

kimberly salem said...

they look so delicious! your fillings sound great. i agree, it was much easier when i chopped my second batch of filling into finer pieces.

Tammy said...

yum, they look delicious! I will have to try these again!

Fit Chick said...

I agree the combinations are endless.Yours look wonderful and they are definately an 11!

Anonymous said...

They look fabulous...very fabulous...and every bit deserving of that 11! Love the combination of flavors, well, minus the chocolate of course...tee hee.

BAKE-EN said...

I can understand why your boy gave them an 11; they were fantastic :)

Peggy said...

Both versions look delicious. I haven't made it yet, but will make sure I do not overflow with the filling. You did a great job with yours.

Jamie said...

Your version sounds delicious! I wish I had liked these a little more because they are so pretty!

Megan said...

I like your flavor choices. They look perfect to me!

mimi said...

your rugelach looks terrific! the apricot pistachio combo sounds delish. and i loved that it was a forgiving roll-up as well!

the Spaz said...

I had the same prob with not chopping my filling components small enough, too! Yours look wonderful, and i love the idea of pistachio/apricot. Also, how cute that your son's rating scale goes to 11!! Baking for and with kids can be so much fun. :)

Marthe said...

Glad you liked the rugelach, they were also a big hit here!

Rachel said...

Oh yum I love pistacios--your version sounds great!

Shari said...

Sounds like they were a BIG hit at your house! Your two variations sound delicious!