It's (almost) never the wrong time to enjoy this bite-sized rolled and filled pastry.
What to say about ruggelach? They are delicious cookies made with a tender butter/ cream cheese dough that can be filled with whatever you enjoy or have on hand. You may have seen them in bakeries, where I assure you they don't look very much like my oh-so-obviously-homemade version, but I promise that making them at home isn't very hard and that you will find the appreciative moans and surprise that you made them yourself to be well worth the (not-too-great) effort. One very happy recipient of these actually calls them "magic cookies" because they are so good!
In a nutshell, there are essentially three main features of ruggelach:
The dough. This is not a hard dough to make or work with, but as it contains butter and cream cheese, it's best to keep it cool once you've made it. You can make the dough a few days ahead and keep in the fridge, or way ahead and freeze it for when you have that hankering for homemade ruggelach (just defrost it before you start working with it). The dough is quartered, so you can make up to 4 flavors if you want. (Each quarter yields 12 cookies, fyi.)
The filling. Once you have rolled out the dough (into a circle), you spread your filling onto it. I prefer my fillings to have two components -- one spreadable (such as a (seedless!) jam) and one which is more solid which you can press into the spreadable base (like nuts or mini chips). I find that having something to press into the spreadable base helps keep the flavor inside the cookie (instead of oozing out).
The topping. Once you have chilled the rolled and filled pastry, you add a sprinkle on top before baking (or you can bake without a sprinkle/topping and drizzle something on after it has cooled -- like royal icing or some sort of glaze). If making different flavors, it's nice to have different toppings so you can identify the flavors after baking.
So, what flavors to make? As mentioned above, this recipe allows for 4 different flavors, so let your imagination run wild (or get inspiration from your pantry). In my home, I make one batch of traditional (apricot, walnut, cinnamon sugar flavor (included in this recipe)), 2 batches of raspberry chocolate chip (the favorite BY FAR in my experience and also included in the recipe), and one wild-card, which this year will either be smoky maple (since I now live in VT -- made with smoked maple syrup as the base, dotted with maple sprinkles, and topped with maple sugar) or chocolate (mix 3 oz. finely chopped/ grated dark chocolate with 1 tablespoon brown sugar and 1 tablespoon cocoa powder and heat over double boiler until spreadable, possibly dotted with cinnamon or mini peanut butter chips). In the past, I have made pumpkin cinnamon, blueberry, PB & J, Nutella, etc. If you are like me and pick up regional pantry treats when you travel, now's the time to finally open them. I have made ruggelach using Calafate jam (from Patagonia) and plan to try a version using some pistachio paste (from Sicily). And, I'm also in the consideration phase of trying a flavor using crumbled cookies (oreos and ginger snaps come to mind) assuming I can think of a complementary base for them. Seriously, try whatever sounds good to you.
Just know that the creamier and thinner the filling is, the more it is likely to ooze out, so if you can add something like a chip or nut or cookie crumble to help keep the flavor "in place," that would be good. But, if not, you won't lose all the flavor and they'll still be delicious, even if they happen to look especially "rustic."
Please know that these cookies freeze REALLY well (pre and post baking)! And, I happen to know first-hand that the baked ones are even pretty tasty right out of the freezer.
This recipe is based on Ina Garten's, although I have made some revisions based on personal taste and efficiency. Here's the link: https://www.donnaramadishes.com/recipes/ruggelach
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