Rugelach (Walnut Horns)

 

Rugelach (Walnut Horns)  (Source: Maida Heatter's Cookies (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg. 188 and Cookies Are Magic (Voracious, 2020), pg. 148.

I am just now getting around to making one of Maida's most popular recipes - Rugelach. This is a popular recipe that originated within the Jewish communities of Poland.

I should have made them sooner as they are a huge hit. I was nudged by my friend Joanne who says she makes them every year. They are delicious and I can't wait to try them again and experiment with alternative fillings. I think that apples or chocolate would be fantastic. Michael and some friends thought that they were out of this world. I agree!

The dough is made with cream cheese and is easy to work with. It does have to be chilled overnight before you make them. It is easy to work with and doesn't stick.

I think this is a recipe that might take some practice. Mine were uneven and all over the place. They are easy to make, however, and not as involved as they thought they would be.

 

Cream Cheese Pastry

8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter (softened)
8 oz. (1/2 lb.) Philadelphia brand Cream Cheese (softened)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

 

Cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth.

Beat in the salt and gradually add the flour.

When the dough is smooth, form it into a roll. Cut into three equal pieces. Form each into a ball and wrap them individually in plastic wrap or wax paper. Refrigerate overnight or at least 5-6 hours.

When ready to bake, prepare the following filling.

Filling

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
3/4 cup currants
1 1/4 cups chopped walnuts

Whisk the sugar and cinnamon together and set aside. 

Roll out one ball of the dough into a circle about 12 inches wide. It does not have to be exact. If the dough is hard, pound it a bit with the rolling pin or let it sit for a few minutes.

Brush the dough with butter.

Sprinkle with 1/3 of the cinnamon sugar.

Sprinkle with 1/3 of the raisins (or currants) and nuts.

Roll over the filling to press the topping into the dough.

 

Cut the dough into 16 pie-shaped wedges. Use a long, sharp knife or a pizza cutter (I found that the pizza cutter worked really well for this).

Roll each wedge from the outside in (widest to shortest).

Place the rolls 1" apart on the pan with the pointed side down.

Glaze

1 egg yolk
1 tsp. water
Optional: Crystal sugar

Stir the egg yolk and water with a fork just to mix. Brush the glaze over the pastries and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until they are golden brown. You can bake two sheets at a time. If you bake one at a time, use the higher rack.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Walnut Cake

Walnut Cake (Source: Maida Heatter's Cakes (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed., pg. 40) and Maida Heatter's Book of Great American Desserts, Knopf, 1985, pg. 129. 

There are many walnut cakes sprinkled throughout Maida's books. My favorite so far has been the Small Walnut Torte but this one may surpass. The Apricot and Walnut Applesauce Cake was also good although the walnuts are secondary in that one. There are various other true walnut cakes, some made with whole wheat flour, another one a combination of wheat and plain flour and this one, which is made with just all-purpose flour.

The cake is very grainy and the nutty exterior is delicious. This is one of those cakes where the flavor creeps up on you. You take a bite and don't think much about it but then you take another bite and another...

This is one is delicious with your morning coffee!

2 1/2 cups walnuts
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp mace or nutmeg
8 oz (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 TBS plus 2 tsp brandy
2 cups granulated sugar
5 eggs

Preheat oven to 325. Butter a 9-cup capacity or larger bundt pan thoroughly with soft butter.

In a food processor, place 1 cup of the walnuts (reserving the remaining 1.5 cups) and process for 8-10 seconds. You should have a mixture of finely ground and slightly chopped nuts.

 

Transfer the nuts to the prepared pan. Turn the pan upside down over a piece of paper to catch the loose crumbs and reapply. Be sure to cover the inner tube, you will have to do this by hand. Reserve about 2 tablespoons of the crumbs to sprinkle over the top of the cake.

Place the remaining 1.5 cups of nuts in the food processor and process 5 or 6 times. You will have larger chopped pieces this time.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg (or mace). Set aside.

Beat the butter until it is soft. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and the brandy. You may need to use a spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the mixer bowl.

 

Add the sugar and beat for about 1 minutes (do not overbeat).

 

Add eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl as necessary. Beat for 1 minute and then add the dry ingredients until just blended.

 

Remove the bowl from the mixer stand and stir in the nuts

 

Transfer the batter to the pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the top with the 2 tablespoons of nuts you reserved earlier.

 

 

Bake until cake tester comes out clean. For me, it was done in 75 minutes. Maida says 1 hour and 45 minutes but I think that would be way too long. After 1 hour and 10 minutes, I would start checking.

Let the cake stand in the pan about 30 minutes before turning it out and then allow to completely cool. Chill in the freezer or refrigerator before slicing. Use a sharp knife if the cake is frozen (it cuts beautifully) or use a serrated bread knife is the cake is room temperature.

Chocolate Almond Sp-icebox Cookies

 

Chocolate Almond Sp-icebox Cookies (Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.), pg. 126.

Here's a nice cookie for Christmas. It is loaded with spices but not overly spicy in taste. You can make the dough and freeze it ahead of time if you prefer which is what I did. The cookies are crisp but when you bite into them, they are softer than you'd expect. The texture is similar to shortbread.

I should have taken more time with forming the dough. My cookies are uneven but that does not affect the taste.

 1 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. instant espresso or instant coffee
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ginger
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. cloves
1/8 tsp. allspice
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. dry mustard
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1/4 lb. (1 stick) sweet butter (softened)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 1/2 oz. thinly sliced almonds (blanched or unblanced)

Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside. 

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler (or microwave) and allow to cool.

Cream the butter. Add the sugar and mix well -

Add the egg - 

Add the melted chocolate -

Add the sifted dry ingredients, scraping the bowl and beaters as needed -

 

 

Stir in the almonds -

 

Form the dough into an oblong strip about 12 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide. Wrap in wax paper and freeze for several hours until firm. You can also freeze it and make it later -

 

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375.  Line a cookie sheet. Slice the cookies about 1/4 inch thick (let the dough thaw a little for best results). Place the cookies 1 inch apart on the pan.

Bake 10-11 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.