Best-Ever Rugelach

Submitted by hannahactually

"This recipe comes from the Washington Post, and it is DELICIOUS! I've made rugelach with cream cheese before, but hadn't heard of making it with sour cream. Well, these are by far the best rugelach I've ever made or tasted! They're a bit labor-intensive (as all regelach are, really), but soo worth it! I didn't use all of the filling, but use your discretion. The dough needs 1 to 2 hours' refrigeration time (included in passive work time). STORE: Baked rugelach are best kept between layers of wax paper and loosely covered with aluminum foil (the object is to keep the pastries dry; do not store under a cake dome or closed container). The rich dough freezes well for up to 4 months; freeze unbaked rugelach on a baking sheet until they are firm, then transfer to heavy-duty resealable plastic food storage freezer bags; there is no need to defrost them before baking."

 

• Ready In: 3hrs 10mins
• Ingredients: 15
• Yields: 48 cookies

ingredients

• For the dough

• 1 lb unsalted butter, melted
• 1⁄3 cup sugar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups sour cream
• 4 1⁄2 cups flour, plus more for the work surface

• For the filling

• 1 1⁄3 cups raspberries or 1 1/3 cups apricot jam
• 2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 cups finely chopped nuts (optional)
• 4 cups raisins, plumped in warm water for 10 minutes, then dried

• For assembly

• 1 large egg
• 1 pinch sugar
• confectioners' sugar, for dusting (optional)

directions

1. For the dough: Combine the melted butter, sugar, salt, baking powder, sour cream and flour in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer; beat on low speed until a ball forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll in a bit of additional flour, as necessary, to make a soft but manageable dough. Divide into 4 portions, press each into a flattened disk and wrap in wax paper. Place them in a large resealable plastic food storage bag; seal and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Stack 2 large baking sheets together and line the top sheet with parchment paper. You will need to repeat this procedure for each batch.
3. For the filling: Roll out each portion of dough into a 12-inch circle on a well-floured work surface. Smear on the jam, covering the surface of the dough, and then evenly sprinkle on the brown sugar, cinnamon, nuts, if using, and raisins. (TIP: I CUT THE PIECES FIRST AND THEN SPREAD THE FILLING INGREDIENTS ON THEM INDIVIDUALLY, WHICH I FOUND REDUCES MESSINESS. EITHER METHOD WORKS, THOUGH.) Use a pastry or pizza wheel to cut the dough into 12 wedges. Roll up each wedge snugly and place on the lined baking sheet.
4. For assembly: Whisk together the egg and sugar in a small bowl; brush the rugelach with the egg wash. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the pastries are nicely browned. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired.

Reviews

[Dorie's Lori]

First of all, I am only talking about the dough, as I did a completely different filling. That said, the recipe's filling sounds delicious, and I guarantee if you follow the recipe, or even use this dough with another delicious filling, your rugelach will be wonderful!<br/><br/>I made this to compare this sour cream dough with cream cheese dough, and I ended up preferring the cream cheese, due to the more pronounced tang. Actually, I found this dough fairly plain tasting; I would consider adding a bit more salt and sugar. (But, do see my following notes...) <br/><br/>My cooking notes: When I mixed the dough up, it did not even come close to forming a ball - way too loose. I ended up adding another 3/4 (!) cup of flour, to get it to the point where I could form a ball. (Maybe because I only had "lite" sour cream?) I was nervous, but once chilled, the dough was quite firm, and the rolling went very smoothly. So, if this happens to you, try to add a lot less flour, even if you have to work with a very loose dough.<br/><br/>The rugelach, as described, would be quite large, and I wanted more smaller ones instead, so I made 8 balls, and tried cutting them into 8s, 10s, and 12s. Still not sure which was the best proportion, but I will say that the rugelach were still pretty large.<br/><br/>And, like I said, although I personally preferred a cream cheese dough, these rugelach would be very delicious! Because they're rugelach!