Forevermamas Crescent Rugelach Cookies 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:

• In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 2 tablespoons sugar in water.
• Combine flour and salt in a mixer bowl. With mixer at low speed, beat in yeast mixture, egg yolks, cream and vanilla.
• Blend in butter 2 tablespoons at a time until incorporated.
• Wrap dough and refrigerate several hours or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line cookie sheets with foil. Grease foil.
• Combine remaining 3/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle heaping tablespoon on work surface (you will be using more of the sugar/cinnamon mixture for rolling). (If necessary, you may need to make more cinnamon-sugar mixture).
• Divide dough into 10 pieces; shape into balls. Cover each ball with plastic wrap. Place balls in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use. (Can be refrigerated overnight at this point).
• Roll 1 ball into an 8" circle, turning to coat well with cinnamon-sugar. Cut into 8 wedges.
• Place 1/2 tsp jam, a pinch of walnuts and a few golden raisins in the outer edge of each wedge.
• Roll up each wedge from outer edge; transfer to cookie sheet, curving to form a crescent.
• Repeat with remaining dough.
• Bake 25-30 minutes, until browned and puffed.
• Remove rugelach immediately from aluminum foil (Very important step or else they will stick to foil and you will end up having to peel foil from bottom of cookies).
• Place on wire rack to cool.
• Tip!: In order to remove seeds from raspberry jam, heat jam in a small saucepan over low heat until jam begins to melt. Pour melted jam into a sieve and with a spoon press the jam "liquid" through the sieve mesh. The sieve will separate the seeds from jam and you'll wind up with seedless jam.