Mustard With Mutton

Rugelach are a much loved Jewish sweet and they are utterly delicious. Traditional rugelach are made by rolling a triangle shaped piece of dough around a filling to form a crescent shaped cookie. The dough is enriched with cream cheese and the filling can be changed to suit your tastes, anything from chocolate, fruit or nuts being popular choices. The recipe below was featured on the Martha Stewart show a while ago and was created by New York company Cookie Couture. Martha tried these at a Milk and Cookies event she hosted for New York Food & Wine week and declared them some of the best rugelach she has ever tasted – high praise indeed coming from the doyenne of cookies, needless to say I couldn’t wait to try the recipe. I loved the raspberry and walnut combination and the way these rugelach are dipped in butter once they are rolled and then smothered in cinnamon sugar before being baked – you just know these are going to taste amazing!

Ingredients – Makes 32 rugelach   Adapted from Martha Stewart via Cookie Couture
It’s helpful to watch this video of from the Martha Stewart Show in which she makes and rolls the rugelach

For the coating:
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ cup (115g) unsalted butter, melted

For the Dough:
1 cup (230g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
250g cream cheese, at room temperature
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups plain flour, plus more for work surface

For the Filling:
2 cups premium raspberry jam
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons chopped walnuts

Method: 

Make the dough: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together butter, cream cheese, and salt on low until well combined. Add flour and mix until a dough has formed. Turn out onto work surface and cut into 4 equal pieces; wrap each piece with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 180C. Line a baking sheet with non stick baking paper. Unwrap one piece of dough and place on a floured work surface. Roll into  a 10-inch round and, using a pizza wheel, cut into 8 equal wedges. Repeat process with remaining pieces of dough.

To Fill: Spread 1 tablespoon raspberry jam on each piece of dough; sprinkle 1 teaspoon nuts on the short side of each piece. Starting with the short side of the triangle, fold corners in toward the centre and roll up each piece to enclose filling. Repeat process with remaining dough, jam and nuts.

Make the coating: In a small bowl, mix together sugar and cinnamon. Dip each rugelach first in melted butter, making sure all the sides are well coated and then in the sugar mixture to coat, pressing on open ends to enclose. Place on a baking sheet and bake until browned and caramelised, about 35 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes before serving.