Ingredients
For the rugelach dough:
- 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- 8 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup molasses
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp ground allspice
For the filling:
- orange marmalade or fruit preserve of choice
For the egg wash:
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp milk
For the icing:
- 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 2–4 Tbsp milk
- sprinkles, to decorate (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, using a handheld or stand mixer, cream together cream cheese, butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Add in molasses and vanilla extract until incorporated and smooth.
- In a separate bowl, sift together flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and allspice.
- Slowly add flour mixture to the wet ingredients, and mix until the dough has come together (it will be soft, but it shouldn’t be sticky). If the dough is very soft and/or sticky, add up to an extra ½ cup flour.
- Refrigerate and cover for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.
- Remove the dough from the fridge. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Divide dough in half, and roll out one half on a floured surface into a large, very thin rectangle (about ⅛ inch thick) with the longer side facing you.
- Using a spoon or an offset spatula, spread orange marmalade or preserve-of-choice across the entire slab of dough in a very thin layer.
- Very carefully, take one of the shorter sides of the rectangle and fold the dough in half.
- Roll out your folded dough again into a rectangle until it’s around ⅛-inch thick. (You may lose some filling out of the sides but that’s ok.)
- Using a knife or a pizza cutter, slice your dough into 12 triangles by cutting from one side of your rectangle to the other. The widest part of your triangle should be about 2 inches.
- Starting at the base of each triangle, tightly roll the dough and place the cookie on your baking sheet, tip-side down, so that it doesn’t unroll in the oven.
- Whisk together 1 egg and 1 Tbsp milk, and brush over each of the cookies before baking for 20-25 minutes.
- Repeat steps 7-13 with the second half of your dough.
Notes
Note: These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days, or five if refrigerated.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Holiday