Four Star Rugelach + Cinnamon Twists
Submitted by twh1149
Jewish rugelach with a flaky cottage cheese dough, apricot jam, cinnamon-sugar, walnuts, and currants rolled into golden crescents. A holiday cookie jar essential for Hanukkah or Christmas.
YIELD
36 servingsPREP
40 minCOOK
20 minREADY
1 hrsTraditional rugelach made with an old-school cottage cheese dough rather than the more common cream cheese version. Draining the cottage cheese first gives you a dough that’s flaky and slightly tangy, with a lighter crumb than cream-cheese rugelach. The technique is pure European Jewish bakery.
Each disk of chilled dough rolls into a thin circle, gets a thin smear of apricot jam, a shower of cinnamon-sugar, chopped walnuts, and dried currants. Cut into 16 wedges like a pizza, roll each wedge from the wide end toward the point, and you’ve got classic crescents ready for the oven. 36 pastries from one batch.
These show up at Hanukkah and Christmas cookie swaps in equal measure. The freezer-friendly dough means you can make it well ahead and bake fresh batches as needed throughout the holidays.
Kitchen Tips
- Drain the cottage cheese for at least an hour, occasionally tossing with a spatula. Excess whey makes a soft, impossible dough.
- Keep the butter very cold while processing. Warm butter disappears into the flour and you lose all the flakiness.
- Roll dough thin, thinner than you think. Thick rugelach bake up bready; thin dough gives you that classic shattering texture.
- Press the filling in with a rolling pin as the directions say. Unpressed filling falls out when rolling into crescents.
Variations
- Swap apricot for raspberry jam, fig preserves, or dulce de leche.
- Use pecans, pistachios, or hazelnuts in place of walnuts.
- Dust with powdered sugar after baking for bakery-window presentation.
Ingredients
Directions
Spoon cheese into a sieve over a bowl and allow it to drain.
Using a rubber spatula, toss cheese occasionally.
Remove 1 cup of the drained cheese for the dough.
Process flour and salt just to combine. Scatter all the butter pieces over and process with on/off pulses until butter appears to disappear into the flour mix.
Scatter the 1 cup cottage cheese over the mix and process with on/off pulses just until comes together into a cohesive ball.
Divide dough into quarters; shape each into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm, at leat 4 hours; or freeze, well wrapper, up to 1 month.
Line baking sheet wtih foil. Combine sugar and cinnamon.
Remove one dough package at a time from refrigerator. Set aside for 10 minutes before rolling on a lightly floured surface, roll into a circle.
With a small metal spatula, spread only 1 tablespoon jam very thinly over dough.
Sprinkle with 2 tablespoon cinnamon-sugar, then with ¼ cup nuts and 2 tablespoon currants.
With rolling pin, lightly roll to press filling ingredients into the dough.
Using a sharp knife, cut circle into 16 pie-shaped wedges; roll.
Place 1 inch point down, on foil-lined sheet.
Make 36 pastries.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
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