Cinnamon-nut-raisin crescents (rugelach)

4 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
8 ounces Cream cheese (bar-type, not soft type)
1 cup (2 sticks) cold, unsalted
Butter
2 cups All-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon Salt
⅓ cup Sour cream
1 teaspoon Water, if needed
½ cup Sugar
1 tablespoon Ground cinnamon
1 cup Walnuts, finely chopped
½ cup Dark raisins, chopped

Directions

CREAM CHEESE DOUGH

FILLING

Cut cream cheese into tablespoon-size pieces and let soften at room temperature. Cut butter into small pieces of about ½ tbsp. and keep cold until ready to use.

In a food processor, combine flour, salt and butter. Process with on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add cream cheese and sour cream, distributing them fairly evenly over mixture. Process with on/off turns until dough just holds together. Add 1 teaspoon water if necessary.

Wrap dough, press into a ball, and flatten to a disc. Refrigerate 4 hours or up to 2 days. Lightly butter 2 or 3 baking sheets. Mix sugar and for filling.

Divide dough into 4 pieces. Press ¼ of dough to a round, then flatten it.

Roll it to a 9-inch circle about ⅛-thick. Sprinkle ¼ of sugar-cinnamon mixture (about 2 tbsp.) all over circle, then sprinkle ¼ of nuts and ¼ of raisins around outer edge of circle. Press with rolling pin so they adhere to dough.

Using a heavy knife, cut circle in 12 wedges, making each cut with a sharp movement of heel of knife. Roll up dough tightly from wide end to point; be sure filling is enclosed, since raisins can burn if exposed. Repeat process with other 3 piece of dough.

Put cookies on baking sheets, with points of triangles facing down, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Refrigerate while shaping more cookies.

Refrigerate all at least 20 minutes before baking. (unbaked cookies can be frozen).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake cookies 22 to 25 minutes, or until light golden. Cool on racks.

Yields: 48 small cookies Source: Faye Levy's International Jewish Cookbook, Warner Books, calls for walnuts. Pecans may be substituted. MM formatted by Mary Wilson, BWVB02B.

Posted to JEWISH-FOOD digest V96 #097 From: Nancy Berry <nlberry@...> Date: Sat, 07 Dec 1996 09:39:00 -0800

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