TWD- Rugelach

Before this week's Tuesdays with Dorie, I had never eaten Rugelach. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I had seen Ina make it, and with cream cheese, butter, nuts, and chocolate, "how bad can that be?" Another wonderful aspect to this recipe is the room for experimentation- depending on what's in the pantry, you could come up with endless flavors. I stuck with what I had on hand since running to the store for last minute ingredients is starting to become a habit for me (and is not so good for the budget!) With the food processor, the dough came together quickly and was nice and sticky when I put it in the fridge. It rolled out great and wasn't too sticky after I floured my board, though I would say if you have problems with this dough being too dry not to be afraid to mix just a bit longer than you would for a pie crust. Mine still came out nice and flaky and didn't crumble when rolled.

Of course, it was delicious. Dorie never goes wrong and this recipe proved quick, easy, and tasty. Since my wonderful Tall Man cannot eat chocolate, I made half of the rolled out dough as the recipe states (raspberry jam, black currants, pecans, and chocolate) and the other half with Heath Toffee bit subbed for the chocolate. I think both versions were tasty but next time I'd like to try apricot jam (and certainly a jam I'm fond of, as the flavor was very pronounced in my cookies). The toffee was yummy and blended right in for a nice flavor and texture.

To see the recipe and some of Dorie's tips, check out NPR and her site. You can also see Piggy's Cooking Journal for the recipe. Thanks for a fun choice!