Bloody Mary Rugelach Recipes

Steps:

• Cream the cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the salt, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour and mix until just combined. Dump the dough out onto a well-floured board and roll it into a ball. Cut the ball in quarters, wrap each piece in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• To make the filling, combine 6 tablespoons of granulated sugar, the brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, the raisins, and walnuts.
• On a well-floured board, roll each ball of dough into a 9-inch circle. Spread the dough with 2 tablespoons apricot preserves and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the filling. Press the filling lightly into the dough. Cut the circle into 12 equal wedges?cutting the whole circle in quarters, then each quarter into thirds. Starting with the wide edge, roll up each wedge. Place the cookies, points tucked under, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Brush each cookie with the egg wash. Combine 3 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle on the cookies. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack and let cool.

Steps:

• Cut the celery in large dice, including the leaves, and puree in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until finely minced. In a large pitcher, combine the rest of the ingredients except the vodka. With the food processor running, pour 1/4 of the tomato juice mixture into the food processor through the feed tube. Then pour the contents of the food processor into the pitcher with the remaining tomato juice mixture. Add the vodka and chill. Serve in tall glasses over ice with a stick of celery.

Steps:

• Cut the celery in large dice, including the leaves, and puree in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the horseradish, onion, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt, kosher salt, and Tabasco and puree it again. Pour the tomato juice into a 2 1/2-quart container, stir in the celery and seasonings mixture, then add the vodka and chill. Place a few ice cubes in each glass, pour in the Bloody Mary mixture, and garnish with a celery stick.

Steps:

• Cut cold butter or margarine and cream cheese into bits. In food processor pulse flour, salt, butter or margarine, cream cheese and sour cream until crumbly.
• Shape crumbly mixture into four equal disks. Wrap each disk and chill 2 hours or up to 2 days.
• Combine sugar, cinnamon, chopped walnuts, and finely chopped raisins (may substitute miniature chocolate chips for raisins).
• Roll each disk into a 9 inch round keeping other disks chilled until ready to roll them. Sprinkle round with sugar/nut mixture. Press lightly into dough. With chefs knife or pizza cutter, cut each round into 12 wedges. Roll wedges from wide to narrow, you will end up with point on outside of cookie. Place on ungreased baking sheets and chill rugelach 20 minutes before baking.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
• After rugelach are chilled, bake them in the center rack of your oven 22 minutes until lightly golden. Cool on wire racks. Store in airtight containers...they freeze very well.
• Variations: Before putting the filling on the dough, use a pastry brush to layer apricot jam as well as brown sugar. Then add the recommended filling. You may also make a mixture of cinnamon and sugar and roll the rugelach in this prior to putting them on the cookie sheets.

Steps:

• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add cream cheese and continue mixing, 2 minutes more, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Reduce speed to low and add flour, salt, and pepper. Mix until just incorporated.
• Divide dough in half and form into two discs. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill, at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together cocktail sauce, horseradish, lemon zest, and vodka and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove chilled dough from refrigerator and allow to temper, 15-30 minutes. Unwrap first disc and transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Lightly flour surface of dough and, using a floured rolling pin, roll out dough to an approximately 14" diameter circle. Using a 12" round cake pan or large bowl as a guide, trim edges of dough to form a neat circle. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Divide cocktail sauce mixture between the two circles and spread into a thin layer over each. Scatter chopped parsley and celery leaves over each and sprinkle with celery salt. Using a pizza cutter, divide each circle into 16 wedges. Starting with the wide edge, roll each wedge into a crescent shape and transfer to two parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 2" apart. Transfer cookies to refrigerator and chill, 45 minutes to an hour.
• In a small bowl, whisk together egg and 1 t. water. Remove cookies from refrigerator and brush lightly with egg wash. Sprinkle with additional celery salt and bake, rotating once halfway through, until golden, 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool slightly on baking sheets, 10 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Steps:

• In a large pitcher, stir together the tomato juice, clam juice, and lime zest. In a small glass measuring cup, whisk together the lime juice and wasabi powder and add to the pitcher. Stir in the Tabasco, Worcestershire, vodka, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
• Spread the Old Bay Seasoning on a small plate. Moisten the rims of six highball glasses by running a lime wedge around the edge of each glass and dip the rims in the Old Bay Seasoning. Set aside to dry.
• Fill the glasses half full with ice and pour in the Bloody Mary mixture. For each drink, add 2 or 3 olives threaded on a 6-inch skewer, then place one shrimp and one slice of lime on the rim of each glass. Serve cold.

Steps:

• Food Processor Method:
• Into a food processor with the metal blade, place the cream cheese. Cut the butter into a few pieces and add it with the motor running. Process until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and process until incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl. Add the flour and the optional salt and pulse in just until the dough starts to clump together.
• Electric Mixer Method:
• Soften the cream cheese and butter. In a mixing bowl, cream the cream cheese and butter until blended. Beat in the sugar and vanilla extract. On low speed, beat in the flour and the optional salt until incorporated.
• For Both Methods:
• Scrape the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and press it together to form a ball. Divide the dough into 4 portions and cover each with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
• Filling:
• In a medium bowl, combine the sugars, cinnamon, raisins, and walnuts and stir with a spatula or fork until well mixed.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to sit on the counter for about 15 minutes or until it is malleable enough to roll.
• Place 2 oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Using a floured rolling pin, on a lightly floured board, roll out each dough portion, one at a time, into a 9-inch circle to a 1/8-inch thickness, rotating the dough often to be sure that it isn't sticking. A great method that keeps additional flour to a minimum is to roll out the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap, well floured on the bottom. Flip it over, remove the bottom sheet of plastic wrap, and dust off any excess flour. Using the back of a tablespoon, spread the dough evenly with 2 tablespoons of the apricot preserves. Sprinkle about 1/2 cup of the raisin-walnut filling over the preserves. Press the filling firmly and evenly over the dough. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough circle into 12 triangles or pieces of "pie."
• Use a thin knife, if necessary, to loosen the triangles from the board. Starting at the wide end, roll up the triangle and bend the ends around to form a slight crescent shape. Place the rugelach, point underneath, about 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, for at least 30 minutes or until firm.
• Clean the work surface of excess filling before rolling each batch.
• For the topping, brush the rugelach with milk. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle the rugelach with it.
• Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned. For even baking, rotate the cookie sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking period.
• Use a small, angled metal spatula or pancake turner to transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
• Store:
• In an airtight container at room temperature or in the freezer.
• Keeps:
• 5 days at room temperature, 3 months frozen.
• Smart Cookie:
• • If the raisins are not soft, soak them first in 1/2 cup of boiling water for 1 hour and drain them thoroughly.
• • The apricot is stirred instead of strained because straining thins it too much and it tends to ooze out the sides of the rugelach.
• • Unbaked rugelach dough freezes brilliantly. This is a great dough to have on hand in the freezer. Simply add on about 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time. The rugelach are especially delicious still warm from the oven and are at their best when freshly baked.
• • The dough is chilled before baking to maintain the most even shape.
• • Lining the cookie sheets with parchment or foil keeps the sticky filling from baking onto the pan and makes cleanup easier.
• • Allow the cookie sheet(s) to cool completely before using for the next batch.
• • Distribute the cookies evenly around the cookie sheet. Avoid crowding the cookies into one section of the cookie sheet, leaving a large area bare.

Steps:

• To make the dough: Let the cream cheese and butter rest on the counter for 10 minutes - you want them to be slightly softened but still cool.
• Put the flour and salt in a food processor, scatter over the chunks of cream cheese and butter and pulse the machine 6 to 10 times. Then process, scraping down the sides of the bowl often, just until the dough forms large curds - don't work it so long that it forms a ball on the blade.
• Turn the dough out, gather it into a ball and divide it in half. Shape each half into a disk, wrap the disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 1 day. (Wrapped airtight, the dough can be frozen for up to 2 months.)
• To make the filling: Heat the jam in a saucepan over low heat, or do this in a microwave, until it liquefies. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together.
• Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. (Silicone baking mats are great for rugelach.)
• To shape the cookies: Pull one packet of dough from the refrigerator. If it is too firm to roll easily, either leave it on the counter for about 10 minutes or give it a few bashes with your rolling pin.
• Working on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 11- to 12-inch circle. Spoon (or brush) a thin gloss of jam over the dough, and sprinkle over half of the cinnamon sugar. Scatter over half of the nuts, half of the currants and half of the chopped chocolate. Cover the filling with a piece of wax paper and gently press the filling into the dough, then remove the paper and save it for the next batch.
• Using a pizza wheel or a sharp knife, cut the dough into 16 wedges, or triangles. (The easiest way to do this is to cut the dough into quarters, then to cut each quarter into 4 triangles.) Starting at the base of each triangle, roll the dough up so that each cookie becomes a little crescent. Arrange the roll-ups on one baking sheet, making sure the points are tucked under the cookies, and refrigerate. Repeat with the second packet of dough, and refrigerate the cookies for at least 30 minutes before baking. (The cookies can be covered and refrigerated overnight or frozen for up to 2 months; don't defrost before baking, just add a couple of extra minutes to the baking time.)
• Getting ready to bake: Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• To finish: Stir the egg and water together, and brush a bit of this glaze over each rugelach. Sprinkle the cookies with sugar.
• Bake the cookies 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until they are puffed and golden. Transfer the cookies to racks to cool to just warm or to room temperature.

Steps:

• Squeeze lemon and lime wedges into a shaker. Add all other ingredients except vodka, and stir. Taste the mix, and adjust the seasoning if needed. Put the mix in the fridge, and let it sit overnight.
• Pour vodka into the shaker. Add ice cubes, and shake.
• Fill an 8-ounce glass about halfway with ice, and strain the shaker contents over it.
• For garnish, I prefer a slice of seedless cucumber, also known as a hothouse or English cucumber, rather than celery. (This isn't a deal breaker, though.) Cut a 1/2-inch-thick slice of cucumber on the bias. Cut a slit in the slice, and place on the rim of the glass. Spear the pitted green olive with a toothpick, and stick it through the rind of the lemon wedge. Place the wedge on the rim of the glass. Crack a little freshly ground pepper on top.

Steps:

• Whisk together all the bloody Mary mix ingredients, transfer to a bottle and shake well just before using.
• Fill tall glasses with ice; pour the bloody Mary mix on top.
• If using the vodka, mix 1/4 cup vodka with 1/2 cup bloody Mary mix in a shaker over ice; shake for 10 hard strokes, strain and pour into each ice-filled glass.
• Garnish with a leafy interior rib of celery, a wooden skewer of olives and a lemon wedge.

Steps:

• Using water, moisten rim of a highball glass. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon celery salt on a small plate; dip rim into salt. Discard remaining celery salt from plate. Fill a shaker three-fourths full with ice. Place remaining ice in prepared glass. , Add vodka, juices, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish if desired, pepper, remaining celery salt and pepper sauce to shaker; cover and shake until condensation forms on exterior, 10-15 seconds. Strain into prepared glass. Garnish as desired.

Steps:

• Whisk together flour and salt in a bowl. Beat together butter and cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer until combined well. Add flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. Gather dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap, then flatten (in wrap) into a roughly 7- by 5- inch rectangle. Chill until firm, 8 to 24 hours.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F Line bottom of a 1- to 1 1/2-inch-deep large shallow baking pan with parchment paper.
• Cut dough into 4 pieces. Chill 3 pieces, wrapped in plastic wrap, and roll out remaining piece into a 12- by 8-inch rectangle on a well-floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Transfer dough to a sheet of parchment, then transfer to a tray and chill while rolling out remaining dough in same manner, transferring each to another sheet of parchment and stacking on tray.
• Whisk 1/2 cup sugar with cinnamon.
• Arrange 1 dough rectangle on work surface with long side nearest you. Spread 1/4 cup preserves evenly over dough with offset spatula. Sprinkle 1/4 cup raising and a rounded 1/4 cup walnuts over jam, then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar.
• Using parchment as an aid, roll up dough tightly into a log. Place, seam side down, in lined baking pan, then pinch ends closed and tuck underneath. Make 3 more logs in same manner and arrange 1 inch apart in pan. Brush logs with milk and sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon of remaining granulated sugar. With a sharp large knife, make 3/4-inch-deep cuts crosswise in dough (not all the way through) at 1-inch-intervals. (If dough is too soft to cut, chill until firmer, 20 to 30 minutes.).
• Bake until golden, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool to warm in pan on a rack, about 30 minutes, then transfer logs to a cutting board and slice cookies all the way through.

Steps:

• Combine lemon juice, salt, pepper, cayenne and Worcestershire sauce in shaker glass. Add ice cubes, vodka and tomato juice. Shake and strain into highball glass with a few ice cubes. Garnish with lime, and serve.

Steps:

• Salt the rim of a tall glass. To do so, pour salt onto a small plate, moisten the rim of the glass on a damp towel and press into the salt. Fill the glass with ice cubes.
• In a cocktail mixer full of ice, combine the vodka, vegetable juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, salt and pepper. Shake vigorously and strain into the glass. Garnish with a stalk of celery and olives stuck onto a toothpick.