Rough Puff Rugelach - Fill with Jam/Nuts/Chocolate
A rough puff rugelach recipe that yields sweet, tender, flaky cookies with just two turns of the pastry. Fill them with jam, nuts, and/or chocolate for a delightful treat.
Servings: 32 cookies
Calories: 122kcal
Ingredients
- 310 grams all-purpose flour 1-3/4 cups plus 1 tbsp
- 10 grams cornstarch or arrowroot powder, 1 tbsp
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1.5 cups unsalted butter cold, 339 grams, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces
- ½ cup ice water less 1 tbsp, 100 mL
- ¼ cup jam use one that has a thick consistency and uniform in texture
- chocolate optional, see notes*
- nuts finely chopped, see notes**
- 1 egg for the egg wash, beaten
- 1 tbsp cardamom sugar 1:4 ratio of ground cardamom to granulated sugar
Instructions
- Add the flour, cornstarch/arrowroot powder, salt, and cold butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Run on the stir setting for 30 seconds until the flour is coated with butter. You are not incorporating the butter, and it will still be in chunks at this point.
- Slowly add in the ice water while the mixer is stirring. Once the flour is incorporated, test the dough by squeezing a handful. If it sticks together, it is ready. If it is crumbly and dry, add a little more water.
- Press the dough into a square. You can use a bench scraper to help you so you don't get the butter too warm. It will look rough, and that is OK.
- Lightly flour the top of the dough and roll it out into a 12"x16" rectangle. Brush off any excess flour and fold the 12" side toward the center 1/3 of the way up. Fold the other 1/3 over the top like you would a piece of paper going into an envelope. If the dough is getting too soft, refrigerate for 20 minutes, then continue.
- Turn the dough 90-degrees, lightly flour the top of the dough and again roll it out into a 12"x16" rectangle. Brush off any excess flour and fold the 12" side toward the center 1/3 of the way up. Fold the other 1/3 over the top like you would a piece of paper going into an envelope. Split into two rectangles 12"x8" Refrigerate for a minimum of 20 minutes and up to 2 days.
- Stack two baking sheets*** and top with a layer of parchment or a silicone baking mat. Roll out one sheet of the pastry to 12"x16".
- Cover the surface of the dough with the jam and cardamom sugar (or cinnamon sugar). Sprinkle nuts and shave/grate the chocolate if using either or both of these.
- Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into 8 rectangles 2" wide x 12" long, then cut each in half so you have 16 rectangles 2" wide x 6" long.
- Roll up the dough for each cookie and place it seam-side down on the baking sheet. Cookies will need to be at least 2 inches apart. Freeze for 20 minutes**** while you preheat the oven to 425℉ / 220℃ with the rack in the middle of the oven and work on the second sheet of pastry if you're making all of it the same day.
- Brush the frozen cookies with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar or more of the cinnamon sugar. Bake for 22-26 minutes until golden brown. Cool on the baking sheet.
Video
Notes
Do not use puff pastry. Puff pastry will puff up too much and yield more of a mini-croissant. Also delcious, but not rugelach. This rough puff pastry is only turned twice (instead of the classic 4 times) and doesn't rise as much, but is still flaky.
* Use semi-sweet to dark chocolate. You can use a bar and shave it using a grater or mini-chocolate chips. Do not use full-size chocolate chips, chunks, or baking chips.
** This recipe works great with any nuts, but I've found walnuts and pistachios work best. Make sure to uniformly chop them finely. You can do this (gently) by pulsing in a food processor.
*** Stacking two baking sheets helps keep the bottom from browning/burning.
**** You can freeze them on a baking sheet them transfer them to a sealable container to store in the freezer for up to one month.
These cookies are even more delicious on the second day because the pastry becomes less flaky and more chewy. It's my preference for these rugelach.
Nutrition has been calculated without the use of chocolate or nuts.
Nutrition
Calories: 122kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 41mg | Potassium: 17mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 273IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.5mg
