A flaky dough is my biggest weakness. I love buttery croissants so, so much, but their long and laborious preparation (3 days of pure fun!) can be discouraging. That’s why I tend to only make this easy-peasy rugelach. They are absurdly perfect, with their flakiness and enchanting raspberry-cardamom filling guaranteed to make you question why they’re not as popular as their bigger sisters!
Are They Cute, Tiny Croissants? Super Flaky Raspberry-Cardamom Rugelach
36 – 48 small rugelach
Dough
1 ¾ cups (220 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
pinch of salt
150 cream cheese, at room temperature
200 g cold butter
1 tablespoon (20 g) sour cream
Filling
1 cup (260 g) raspberry jam
3 teaspoons cardamom
1 teaspoon lemon zest
⅔ cup (80 g) walnuts, pecans, or pistachios
1 egg + 1 tablespoon milk, for glaze
brown sugar, for topping
1. Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse briefly to combine. Cut the butter and cream cheese into chunks and add to the bowl along with the sour cream. Mix in the bowl just until the dough forms. You can also use a regular mixer.
2. Divide the dough into three equal portions. Press each gently into a disk. Make the disks as round as possible, smoothing their edges – this will allow you to roll the disks into a perfectly round circle. Wrap the disks in plastic, and chill the dough for about 1 hour, until it’s firm.
3. Meanwhile, make the filling. Combine the raspberry jam with cardamom and lemon in a small bowl. Finely chop the walnuts. Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F). Line the baking sheet with baking paper.
4. Working with one piece of dough at a time, place it on a generously floured surface. Roll it out into about a 23 cm (9 inches) circle. Using a plate or lid, cut off the uneven edges (use all the scraps to form a fourth piece of the dough). Spread 2 tablespoons of the raspberry-cardamom filling onto the dough, going all the way to the edges and gently patting the filling to help anchor it to the dough. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts.
5. Using a sharp knife, divide the dough into 12 equal wedges. Roll each wedge up, beginning with the wide end and ending with the narrow end. Place the rolls point-side down on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining two pieces of dough.
6. Brush the rugelach with the glaze and sprinkle with brown sugar. Refrigerate the rugelach if possible (it’ll lend to better flakiness).
7. Bake the rugelach for about 20 minutes until golden brown. Cool slightly. They teste the best in a day of baking.
Tip
Don’t throw away the scraps. Using them, form a fourth piece of dough. You’ll have 48 rugelach instead of 36! Chill before using.
Share a picture of your dish with me on Instagram by tagging #rozkoszny @rozkoszny which will help me to find you. Smacznego!
Yours,
Rozkoszny
