Un Rugelach Mini Turnovers Recipes

UN-RUGELACH MINI TURNOVERS

Steps:

• Food Processor Method
• In a food processor with the metal blade, place the cream cheese and butter and process until smooth and creamy, scraping the sides once or twice. Add the sugar and vanilla and process for a few seconds to incorporate them. Add the flour and salt and pulse just until the dough starts to clump together.
• Electric Mixer Method
• In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until blended. Beat in the sugar and vanilla extract. On low speed, beat in the flour and salt just until incorporated
• Both Methods
• Scrape the dough into a piece of plastic wrap and press it together to form a ball. Place the dough in a bowl, cover it well, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
• Make the Filling
• In a medium bowl, with a fork, stir together the sugars, cinnamon, raisins and walnuts until well mixed.
• Using a 1 1/4 inch cookie scoop or a tablespoon measure, scoop out level measures of dough, placing them on a cookie sheet. Refrigerate the dough. Remove one piece of dough and roll it quickly between floured palms to form a ball. Dust it well with flour and place it between two sheets of plastic wrap. Use the flat bottom of a tumbler to press the ball flat and then a light rolling pin to roll it into a 3 1/2-inch circle. Remove the top sheet of plastic wrap and spread rounded 1/2 tablespoons of apricot lekvar or preserves evenly over the dough, almost to the edge. Carefully place 2 teaspoons of the nut mixture on one half of the dough circle, leaving a narrow border. Use the plastic wrap to lift the other half of the dough up and over the filling to encase it. Leaving the plastic wrap in place, press along the border of the dough to seal in the filling. Remove the plastic wrap, brush away any excess flour, and place the turnover on a prepared cookie sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling, leaving at least 1 1/2 inches between each turnover. For the best shape, cover the turnovers with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before baking.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. at least 15 minutes before baking. Set the oven racks so that they divide the oven into thirds.
• In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon for the topping.
• With a pastry brush or feather, brush each turnover with milk and sprinkle evenly with the sugar and cinnamon topping.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned. For even baking, rotate the cookie sheets from top to bottom and back to front halfway through the baking period. Use a small pancake turner to transfer the turnovers to wire racks to cool completely.
• Store
• Airtight, room temperature, up to 5 days; frozen, up to 3 months.
• Understanding
• This cream cheese dough can be more fragile and tender than the one used for pies and tarts (it contains no water to develop gluten), because it does not need strength due to the small size of the pastries.

RUGELACH

Steps:

• To make the dough: Let the cream cheese and butter rest on the counter for 10 minutes - you want them to be slightly softened but still cool.
• Put the flour and salt in a food processor, scatter over the chunks of cream cheese and butter and pulse the machine 6 to 10 times. Then process, scraping down the sides of the bowl often, just until the dough forms large curds - don't work it so long that it forms a ball on the blade.
• Turn the dough out, gather it into a ball and divide it in half. Shape each half into a disk, wrap the disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 1 day. (Wrapped airtight, the dough can be frozen for up to 2 months.)
• To make the filling: Heat the jam in a saucepan over low heat, or do this in a microwave, until it liquefies. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together.
• Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. (Silicone baking mats are great for rugelach.)
• To shape the cookies: Pull one packet of dough from the refrigerator. If it is too firm to roll easily, either leave it on the counter for about 10 minutes or give it a few bashes with your rolling pin.
• Working on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 11- to 12-inch circle. Spoon (or brush) a thin gloss of jam over the dough, and sprinkle over half of the cinnamon sugar. Scatter over half of the nuts, half of the currants and half of the chopped chocolate. Cover the filling with a piece of wax paper and gently press the filling into the dough, then remove the paper and save it for the next batch.
• Using a pizza wheel or a sharp knife, cut the dough into 16 wedges, or triangles. (The easiest way to do this is to cut the dough into quarters, then to cut each quarter into 4 triangles.) Starting at the base of each triangle, roll the dough up so that each cookie becomes a little crescent. Arrange the roll-ups on one baking sheet, making sure the points are tucked under the cookies, and refrigerate. Repeat with the second packet of dough, and refrigerate the cookies for at least 30 minutes before baking. (The cookies can be covered and refrigerated overnight or frozen for up to 2 months; don't defrost before baking, just add a couple of extra minutes to the baking time.)
• Getting ready to bake: Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• To finish: Stir the egg and water together, and brush a bit of this glaze over each rugelach. Sprinkle the cookies with sugar.
• Bake the cookies 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until they are puffed and golden. Transfer the cookies to racks to cool to just warm or to room temperature.