This sweet crescent is placed twice a year on the table of the people of Jewish religion: once for Hanukkah (commemorating the Maccabean heroes ) and once for Tu Bishvat (the new year of the trees). The original recipe was more modest than its modern, Americanised version. Instead of cream cheese, curdled milk or sour cream was added to the flour, and the dough was filled with sugar and walnuts. Nowadays, as an American tradition, rugelach is prepared with chocolate filling too, not only with jam and fruits. Preparing rugelach is worth the time! The only problem with the pastry is that it is eaten up faster than it is made – but since rugelach freezes well, you can prepare it in advance. SUBMITTED BY: Taster

Preparation time: 100 minutes + rest

For how many servings?:

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C (356 F) and prepare a baking tray covered with silicone baking paper. Put the butter and the cream cheese in the freezer for 10 minutes, because in this way they are easier to work with

2. Beat the cream cheese, butter and sugar with a mixer. Naturally, if you do not have a mixer, you can mix them with a wooden spoon. (With the help of the mixer the creamy condition is reached sooner, and the cream cheese and the butter will be less warm.)

3. Add the flour, the salt and knead the dough. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least one hour. (It is even better to leave the dough in the fridge for a whole day).

4. Prepare the fillings. To make the walnut filling mix the two types of sugar, cinnamon, raisins and chopped walnuts.

For the chocolate filling combine the cocoa powder, cinnamon, sugar and chopped chocolate.

5. Take the dough out from the fridge and divide it into two equal pieces. Put one back into the fridge. Roll out one piece of the dough on a floured pastry board to a 25-28 cm diameter round. Because of the cream cheese, the dough can be torn easily, so this is why keeping it chilled is important. While rolling, if necessary, flour the surface of the pastry, too.

6. If preparing walnut filled rugelach, spread the dough with apricot jam, then sprinkle with the walnut filling. Cautiously press the filling in the dough. You can use the back of a spoon, but it is more efficient to cover the dough with cling film, and press with your hands. Cut the dough into 12 equal wedges with a pizza slicer or a sharp knife. First cut the disc of dough into halves, then into quarters, finally cut each quarter into 3 wedges.

For the chocolate filled rugelach spread the dough thinly with melted butter, then sprinkle with the chocolate filling, finally cut the dough into 12 wedges.

7. Starting at curved edge and rolling toward the point, roll up each wedge, and place them on the baking sheet. (Do not worry if the filling is showing, when being baked the sugar becomes slightly caramelised.)

8. Combine the egg with two tablespoons of milk and thinly spread the crescents. You can sprinkle them with sugar mixed with cinnamon.

9. Bake at 180 C (356 F) for 20 minutes. Leave them on the baking sheet to cool down, because when they are warm they are very soft and can get broken easily.