Two kinds of Rugelach from one recipe

If you read this blog enough, you will realize that I love Ina Garten.  She is a Long Island local, shops locally and has great recipes.  Her Rugelach recipe is great and easy to follow.  I changed it up by simply changing the preserves and removing the raisins on half the dough and also by making a chocolate raspberry version for the other half. This recipe is simple, but it does take some time due to the two times you have to chill the dough.  It is worth it.  This recipe can easily be made organic by using organic ingredients, they are easy to find.  You can also freeze the cookies after they are rolled up and then coat them with the egg wash and sugar when you are ready later to bake.

Ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese, softened (this is one brick)
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup plus 5 1/2 TBS granulated sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
2 TBS light brown sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1/4 cup peach preserves
1 cup chocolate chips, finely chopped
1/4 cup raspberry jam
1 egg beaten with 1 TBS milk

Here's how:

Cream the cream cheese and butter until light in color.

Cream cheese and butter mixed.

Add 1/4 cup of sugar, salt and vanilla, mix to combine.

Add the flour and mix until just incorporated.

Put some flour on the counter top and roll it into a ball.

Dough when it is all done. Cut this into four pieces and refrigerate.

Cut the ball into four equal pieces.  Wrap each in plastic wrap.  Place the balls in the fridge to chill for one hour.

Make one of the fillings.  Combine 3 TBS sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and walnuts into a small bowl.  Set aside.

Cinnamon, sugar and nuts mixture

After the hour, remove the dough balls and place the first one on the floured counter top.  Roll it out into a nine inch circle.

Rolled out and ready for fillings

Spread half the peach jam onto the dough all the way to the edges.  Sprinkle it with half the filling which you set aside.

Jam on and mixture going on

Press the nuts lightly to make sure they are set into the dough. 

Pressing nuts into dough

Cut the dough into quarter then each quarter into three.  You should have 12 pieces. 

Starting with the outside edge, roll the dough up. 

Ready for the cookie sheet and fridge

Place the cookies onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.

Repeat the filling and rolling procedure with one of the 3 remaining dough balls.

Roll out the third dough ball.

Cover it with half of the raspberry jam and half of the chopped chocolate.

Raspberry jam and chocolate added

Roll up the cookies and place them onto the cookie sheet.

Place the cookie sheet into the fridge for 30 minutes.  If you want, this is the time to freeze them for later.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

After the 30 minutes, remove the cookies and brush them with the egg wash. 

Combine 1 1/2 TBS sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon and sprinkle on the cookies which contain the peach jam and nuts. 

Sprinkle 1 TBS sugar on the chocolate raspberry filled cookies.

Sugar on the cookies, I used pink here to so you can see it.

Bake 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned.

Out of the oven.  Warm and ready to eat now or later

Remove and let cool on a cooling rack.