Five of the Best Christmas Cookies – Day 5

For the next five days, I will be sharing five of the best Christmas cookies recipes for the holiday. These recipes are family favorites.

As an added bonus, I will be sharing recipes from some of my blogger friends too. You will have lots of inspirations for your holiday baking.

This is the last post to end the cookies series for this holiday season. Hope you have enjoyed the recipes.

DAY 5 – Rugelach

I save the best recipe for last. It happens to be my very favorite cookie, Rugelach.

If you are unfamiliar with this cookie, Rugelach Cookies are a filled Jewish Pastry Cookie that originated in Jewish communities of Poland.

Although my family are not Jewish, it is a recipe that my mother use to bake every Christmas when we were growing up. They were quite the treat because she only made them at Christmas time. I carried on the tradition and make them too only at Christmas. When they are put out on the cookie tray, these cookies are the first to go. Rarely, do we have any of these cookies left on Christmas Eve.

We grew up next to a darling woman from Poland. I often wonder if the recipe was passed along from her to my mother. I use to love spending time on her farm and helping her in the kitchen. Mrs. Pirner made the most delightful homemade breads. She was always baking for church functions.

The dough of this cookie is not sweet. It is flaky and has a sweet center from the filling. The combination makes it a perfect tasting cookie. The word “Rugelach” is Yiddish that means “little twists” and can be filled with a variety of ingredients such as chocolate or fruit preserves. We make our filling with dates, nuts, cinnamon and sugar.

Some Pointers on Making Rugelach

After following steps 1-5 in the recipe.

You are going to take the chilled dough and divide it into 5 or 6 sections. Flour your surface with All Purpose Flour. Shape one of your sections in to a ball and flatten. Begin rolling out the dough with a rolling pin, turning it over. Work the dough into a circle approximately 6-8 inches in diameter.

Trim the edges of the dough into a nice circle. The trimmed dough can be worked into the next section.

Using a pizza cutter or knife, slice in half length ways, again sideways and into triangles (like you are slicing a pizza into quarters).

Sprinkle the filling mixture on top of the circle.

Starting at the wide end fold over the corners and about ¼-inch of the dough. Gently, roll the Rugelach dough toward the small end like you would a Crescent Roll. Be gentle so that you are not pushing out your filling.

Place the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Any of the filling mix on the counter should be removed with a paper towel. You will need to sprinkle some more flour on your surface so the dough is not stick when working with the next section.

Brush each of the cookies with the egg wash (one large egg yolk beaten with one teaspoon of water). Sprinkle granulated white sugar over the top of cookie.

Bake in preheated over at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. The Rugelach Cookies should be slightly golden. Do not over cook them.

Rugelach

White Lilac Farmhouse

Jewish Holiday Pastry

A flaky cream cheese dough is rolled up with sweet fillings in layers with sugar, cinnamon, dates and walnuts.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Cookies

Cuisine Jewish

Servings 36 Cookies

Equipment

• Standing Electric Mixer
• Rolling Pin for rolling out the dough
• Sharp Knife or Pizza Cutter
• Plastic Wrap
• Parchment Paper
• Baking Sheets (Cookie Sheets)

Ingredients

  

• 1 Cup Unsalted Butter Soften to room temperature
• 6 Ounces Softened Cream Cheese
• 2 3/4 Cups All Purposed Flour
• 1/4 TSP Salt
• 3/4 Cup Sugar
• 1/3 Cup Dates finely chopped Note: Raisins can be substituted
• 1/4 Cup Walnuts finely chopped
• 2 TSP Cinnamon
• 1 Egg Yolk Beaten with 1 teaspoon of water (egg wash)

Instructions

 

• In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy.
• Add flour and salt. Continue mixing until well combined.
• Wrap and chill dough for 2 hours (a must).
• Meanwhile combine 1/2 cup of sugar, dates, nuts and cinnamon. Mix well.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Divide the dough into 5 to 6 sections. You will form these in to ball.
• Work with 1 ball of dough at a time. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured, clean work surface. Careful not to over work the dough.
• Roll the dough in to a flat circle about 6-8 inches.
• Trim to make sure you have a round circle. You can add the trimmed dough to one of the balls to use next.
• Using a pizza cutter or knife, slice in half length ways, again sideways and into triangles (like you are slicing a pizza into quarters).
• Sprinkle the filling mixture on top of the circle.
• Starting at the wide end fold over the corners and about ¼-inch of the dough. Gently, roll the Rugelach dough toward the small end like you would a Crescent Roll. Be gentle so that you are not pushing out your filling.

  Place the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet.
• Brush the tops with the egg wash then immediately sprinkle with sugar. Continue until all are brushed and sprinkled with sugar.
• Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 15 minutes until the cookie begins to slightly turn golden. Do not over cook.
• Cookies can be stored in airtight containers after they have cooled. They can also be placed in the freezer.

Notes

Other variations would be to add  fruit preserves such as apricots, blueberry, raspberry or strawberry. Chocolate filling is delicious too with this pastry dough.

OTHER HOLIDAY COOKIES recipes

• Linda at Bushel & A Pickle has a Delightfully Delicious Sandies recipe.
• Niky at The House On Silverado has another of my favorites Kolacky/Kolache (Slovak Sweet Dough With Filling). My mother-in-law use to bake this type of cookie. It was so delicious!
• Jennifer at The Flowering Farmhouse is sharing her Cream Cheese Sugar Cookie. I can just smell these cookies baking now.
• White Lilac Farmhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies are always a crowd pleaser!
• My family absolutely loves these Potato Chip Cookies.

FIVE OF THE BEST CHRISTMAS COOKIES

If you missed the previous posts, they are linked below. I have five days of cookie recipes for you. You will not want to miss some of the wonderful cookie recipes shared.

• Day 1 of Five of the best Christmas Cookies – White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
• Day 2 of Five of the best Christmas Cookies – Shortbread Cookies
• Day 3 of Five of the best Christmas Cookies – Almond Joy Cookies
• Day 4 of Five of the best Christmas Cookies – Chinese New Year Cookies

RESOURCES THAT I USE FOR BAKING and for gifts

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Be sure to stop back each day for a more recipes!

Thank you,  friend for stopping by the blog today. I hope you found some good inspiration on today’s post.

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Happy Holidays to you sweet friend!