Rugelach
Recipe from Morgan Ferranti
These cookies are what I expect to find at every family gathering when my mom is involved. Since I moved to the East Coast, my in-laws now hope to see these at my house! As a certified “non-baker”, stepping into my Mom’s shoes feels intimidating. I spent an afternoon last year learning from her while my newborn daughter slept in her carrier resting on me. It was an incredible experience to be able to share that moment across generations.
40 mins (+ dough chill overnight)
50 mins (25 mins per tray)
64 cookies
What You'll Need
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 package yeast (2 ¼ tsp)
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup chopped pecans, crushed to break up further
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- Spreadable jams of choice (apricot, blackberry, strawberry are family favorites! Nutella works, too 👍)
- ⅓ cup golden raisins optional
Directions
Day 1
Step 1
Combine flour and yeast in a large bowl.
Step 2
Mix butter into the flour mixture until the dough is crumbly. A hand (or standing) mixer works best but if needed you can do it by hand. Pinch the butter to incorporate the flour until the crumbly texture is achieved and butter is fully incorporated.
Step 3
Add in egg yolks and sour cream.
Step 4
Split the dough into four parts. Take one part and flatten into an 8-inch “discs”. Wrap in plastic wrap and leave in the fridge overnight. Repeat with each section of remaining dough. You will end up with four “discs”.
Day 2
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350° F
Step 2
In a small bowl, combine pecans, sugar and cinnamon. Divide into four Tiny Bowls.
Step 3
On a clean working surface (or parchment paper) empty one bowl of sugar mixture onto the surface and form into an 8-ish round circle. Place one “disc” of the dough into the sugar mixture. Carefully flatten the dough with a rolling pin so the pecan mix is pressed into the dough. Flip the dough over and continue flattening. If any of the dough breaks apart, pinch it back together so it remains in a circular shape until the pecan mixture is fully incorporated.
Step 4
Spread one side of dough with jam of choice in a thin layer. About 2 tablespoons for each disc – if it’s too thick it will spread out of the cookie and burn.
Step 5
Similar to cutting a pizza, cut the disc into quarters. And then cut each quarter in half and each “slice” in half once more. Each disc will make about 16 cookies and have 16 “slices”.
Step 6
If desired, sprinkle with golden raisins. Roll each triangle starting from the outside edge (or the “crust” if we’re sticking with the pizza analogy) towards the center. Place on the griddle pan. Repeat until all cookies are prepared. The large Griddle Pan can hold two “discs” of cookies.
Step 7
Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to Oven Rack and repeat as necessary to finish cooking any additional batches.
