Nutella Rugelach, Two Ways

I’ve never been much of a holiday person, but for some reason, I’m feeling especially festive this year. So far, I’ve published a gift guide, bought an advent calendar, drank my first glass of honest-to-goodness eggnog (thanks Organic Valley, for sending me my first carton of eggnog ever!) as well as dedicated an afternoon to making Christmas wreaths with a friend (although my wreath was beyond ugly and not even worthy of Instagramming — Tumblr and Pinterest make it look so easy, dammit).

Unfortunately, because all those things are primarily Christmas-related, my Jewish side is feeling a little bit left out. And with Hanukkah already underway, I decided it was time to celebrate with a batch of Nutella rugelach:

Growing up, traditional rugelach filled with jam and nuts always appeared around the family table during Yom Kippur and Purim. As a little kid, I always avoided the stuff. At the time, cookies with nothing but fruits and nuts just seemed like the most depressing thing and ruined the whole point of, you know, cookies.

Little did I know that I was kind of missing the point of rugelach — because rugelach is basically pie crust, rolled up into little crescents resembling mini croissants. Fresh from the oven? It’s flaky, buttery and everything you want good pie crust to be. The fruit and nut filling is almost an afterthought. Almost.

Because as an homage to my childhood, I decided to whip up a batch of rugelach that my young self would heartily approve of: rugelach filled to the brim with this beauty by Savora), but you can also use a sharp, serrated knife or a bench scraper.

Nutella Rugelach, Two Ways
(Dough Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours)

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Ingredients

Special Equipment:

• a food processor
• a pizza slicer

For the Rugelach Cookie Dough:

(makes around 32 cookies)

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 4 ounces cold cream cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes

For the Nutella and Speculoos Filling:
(enough for 16 cookies, or half the batch)

• 1/4 cup Nutella
• 1/4 cup Speculoos

For the Nutella and Dried Cherry Filling:
(enough for 16 cookies, or half the batch)

• 1/3 cup Nutella
• 1/4 cup dried cherries, cut into 1/2 and 1/4 their size (you want them the size of chocolate chips or smaller)

For the Rugelach Glaze:

• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon cold water
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

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Recipe

For the Rugelach Cookie Dough:

1. In the bowl of a food processor with the blade in, combine 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Pulse for a few seconds until the flour and salt are fully incorporated. Scatter 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter cubes and 4 ounces cold cream cheese cubes and pulse the machine for 1 to 2 seconds at a time, 6 to 10 times. Pulse just until the dough forms large curds, but don't work it so long that it forms a ball on the blade. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, and pulse one more time to get rid of any excess flour/inconsistencies.


2. Turn the cookie dough out on a clean, lightly floured surface and use your hands to gather it into a loose ball. Use a bench scraper or a sharp, serrated knife to divide the ball in half. Shape each half into a disk, before wrapping the disks in plastic wrap and refrigerating for at least 2 hours, or up to 1 day.

To Fill, Shape, Glaze and Bake the Cookies:

1. When the dough has thoroughly chilled and you're ready to bake the cookies, centering 2 racks in the upper and lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 (F). Line two baking trays with parchment paper, or, preferably, a Silpat mat.


2. Start with one disk of dough from the refrigerator. If it is too firm to roll easily, leave it on the counter for 5 to 10 minutes before you begin rolling. Lightly flour your surface and roll the dough into a 12-inch circle, before using an offset spatula to spread 1/4 cup Nutella and 1/4 cup Speculoos over the surface of the circle. 


3. Once the Nutella and Speculoos have been spread evenly, use a pizza slicer to cut the dough into 16 wedges, starting by cutting the dough into quarters, and then cutting each quarter into 4 triangles. Starting at the base of each triangle, roll the dough up so that the cookie becomes a little crescent shape. Arrange the crescents on one baking sheet, making sure the points are tucked underneath the cookies, and refrigerate the baking sheet containing the cookies while you roll out the second disk of dough.


4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the second disk of dough, this time spreading the remaining 1/3 cup of Nutella over the dough circle as well as scattering 1/4 cup dried cherries evenly over the surface.


5. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 large egg and 1 teaspoon cold water. Use a pastry brush to spread the eggwash glaze over each crescent, before sprinkling 2 tablespoons granulated sugar over the cookies.


6. Bake the cookies for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the cookie sheets from top to bottom at the midway point (I rotated mine at 12 minutes). Bake until they are puffed and golden, before turning out on to wire racks to cool. The cookies are best served warm, around 20 minutes or so from the oven.

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