Hazelnut And Olive Rugelach Recipes

RUGELACH

Steps:

• Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse a few times to combine.
• Add the chunks of butter and cream cheese, as well as the egg yolk. Pulse until the dough is moistened and crumbly with curd-like pieces about the size of peas. Dump the dough out onto a work surface. Knead just until it comes together and shape into a square or rectangle. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and flatten into 1-inch thick discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Wipe out the food processor. To make the filling, place the brown sugar, granulated sugar, walnuts, raisins and cinnamon in the bowl of the food processor and pulse until the walnuts and raisins are finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl and set aside until the dough is ready.
• Preheat oven to 350ºF and set two oven racks in the centermost positions. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Remove one disc of dough from the refrigerator, unwrap it and place it on a lightly floured work surface. (If necessary, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes until pliable enough to roll, but not too soft.) Dust the top of the dough lightly with flour, then use a rolling pin to roll it into a 10 - 11-inch circle, or just under an ⅛-inch thick. Sprinkle more flour and turn as necessary so the dough doesn't stick. Spread ½ cup of the filling over the dough; using your hands, press the filling into the dough to anchor it.
• Using a pizza cutter or very sharp knife, cut the dough into twelve equal wedges (just like you would cut a pizza). Roll each wedge up, beginning with the wide end and ending with the point. Place the rolls point-side down, about an inch apart, on the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining dough. You should have 24 rugelach on each baking sheet.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back midway through, or until the tops are lightly golden and the bottoms are golden and crisp (at first glance, it might look like the bottoms are burnt, but that's just the dark filling oozing out). Transfer the rugelach to a rack to cool.
• Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The Dough can be Frozen for up to 3 Months: Shape the dough into 2 discs, wrap each securely in plastic wrap, and place them in a sealable bag. When ready to bake, thaw the dough in the refrigerator overnight, and then proceed with recipe. They can also be assembled and frozen before baking: Arrange them on a baking sheet (so they're not touching) and freeze until very firm. Transfer them to an airtight container. They can be baked directly out of the freezer; they may just need a few extra minutes in the oven. To Freeze After Baking: Let the rugelach cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove them from the container and let them come to room temperature.

HAZELNUT AND OLIVE RUGELACH

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Toast hazelnuts in a shallow baking pan in oven until golden, about 10 minutes. (Leave oven on.) Cool slightly, then rub off any loose skins in a kitchen towel while nuts are still warm. When nuts are cool enough to handle, very finely chop.
• Whisk together flour, thyme, pepper, and salt in a bowl. Beat together butter and cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer until combined well. Add flour mixture and mix at low speed until a soft dough forms. Gather dough into a ball, then halve dough and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Flatten each half (in plastic wrap) and form each half into a 4-inch disk. Chill until firm, about 6 hours. Bring dough tocool room temperature (this will take 15 to 20 minutes) before rolling out.
• Remove and discard plastic wrap from 1 half of dough, keeping other half wrapped and chilled. Put unwrapped dough in center of 1 sheet of floured parchment paper. Dust dough with flour and cover with another sheet of parchment, then roll out dough into a 9-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick). Carefully peel off top sheet of parchment and set aside. (If dough is too sticky to remove parchment cleanly, chill until firm, 10 to 20 minutes.) Repeat procedure with remaining half dough. Sprinkle hazelnuts and olives evenly over rounds of dough, then reposition top sheets of parchment on dough and press gently to help nuts and olives adhere.
• Remove and discard top sheets of parchment and cut each round into 16 wedges. Beginning with shortest side of 1 wedge, roll up dough as tightly as possible toward pointed end and transfer to an unlined large baking sheet. Repeat procedure with remaining wedges of dough. (If dough becomes too soft to roll up, chill until firmer.)
• Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on baking sheet on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.