Holiday baking is a tradition I started a long, long time ago.  I have enjoyed baking and gifting my baked goods for more than my 31 years of marriage.  My mother used to bake and gift items when I was a young child and I recall the satisfaction of making something and sharing it with others as far back as then when I helped her.  Most years I bake about 15 different varieties of cookies and make at least 100 of each kind so that I can put together 25 to 30 boxes of 3 plus dozen cookies to work associates, family and friends.  Perhaps everyone is being very kind, but they all seem to appreciate the work that goes into them – and most importatly, they enjoy the cookies themselves.  I love getting feedback on each person’s favorite cookie. The biggest complement is when someone asks for a recipe!

I have gladly shared recipes over the years and will share a handfull of my favorites baked this past Christmas season.  I did find that with the hectic nature of the Season, I did not take the time to photograph many of the recipes – so I will keep some of the others in mind as I blog over the next several months.   If I need to make another batch or two of some others in February or March, so be it!

The first cookie recipe I will share is for Sour Cherry Rugelach.  I started baking these cookies somewhere around 2003.  I found the recipe in a Chicago Tribune Good Eating cookbook purchased on a weekend trip to Chicago.  It’s a wonderful cookbook full of Chicago Tribune reader favorites – it’s like a jumbo “best of” cookbook that churches or organizations put together.  I have a handful of recipes that are favorites from the book.

I think what drew me to the recipe originally was the sour cherry part.  I love sour cherries!  My maternal grandmother had sour cherry trees in her yard and we used to pick them growing up.  Of course, they are not great to eat right off the tree, but with a healthy amount of sugar, they are the best in a pie!  Michigan dried cherries are easy to find here in Northwest Ohio.  I now buy them in bulk – 10# at a time and keep them frozen in a heavy duty freezer bag.  They will last for years that way!

I often find myself baking over a several day period when I do Christmas Cookies.  The dough is almost always best after it is chilled for a few hours to a few days.  So, I will make this dough a day ahead – or longer and finish when I have time.  There is a healthy amount of labor involved, but well worth the time.  They look beautiful when baked with a lovely sugary coating.  Even if the filling oozes out a bit, they are still pretty and delicious.

Dough rolled into circle with filling ready to roll into crescents

Filling ready to spread onto dough circles

crescents rolled, brushed with egg wash, and sugared ready to bake

entire cookie sheet ready to bake

Sour Cherry Rugelach

Preparation time about 30 minted
Chilling time at least 1 hour
Cooking time 16-18 minutes

One batch yields 64 cookies

Ingredients

Dough:

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

1 8- ounce package light cream cheese at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

Filling:

3/4 cup sugar

2/3 cup dried sour cherries chopped fine *

2/3 cup finely chopped toasted walnuts *

1/2 cup unsalted butter, meleted

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 to 1 tsp ground allspice (to your liking)

1/8 tsp salt

 

Glaze:

1 large egg beaten

granulated sugar

*best way to chop nuts and cherries finely is to add 1 tablespoon of sugar to food processor when chopping.  The sugar will keep the cherries from sticking to the blade – and help more finely chop the nuts without over processing.

Instructions

For dough: beat butter and cream cheese in mixing bowl with electric mixer.  Add sugar; beat until fluffy.  Mix in flour and salt.  Gather dough into a ball; gently knead until smooth and flour is incorporated.  Divide dough into 8 equal sized pieces.  Flatten into discs; wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

For filling:  mix sugar, cherries walnuts, melted butter, cinnamon, allspice and salt in medium sized bowl.  You may need to reheat in a microwave midway through the process as the butter will begin to solidify.

Preheat oven to 350′

Lightly flour work surface.  A pastry cloth works quite well.  Unwrap dough discs; roll each into an 8 inch round.  Spread 3 tablespoons of filling on the center of the dough, leaving about 1/2″ border.  Use a pizza cutter or other straight blade to cut the circle into 8 wedges.

Starting at the wide end of each wedge, roll up each cookie tight.  Place cookies tip side down on ungreasted cookie sheet or silpat, leaving at least 1 inch between cookies.  Bend into crescents.  Repeat with all discs.

Brush each crescent with beaten egg.  Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake 16- 18 minutes until rugelach are golden brown.  Cool on wire racks

 

 

 

Notes

Dried cranberries can be substituted for dried cherries – although I much prefer the cherries in this recipe!

Cookies can be frozen in airtight containers with waxed paper between layers for up to one month.

Original recipe from the Chicago Tribune Good Eating Cookbook, c. 2001

Original recipe is credited to Jean Linser of Chicago who won first place in the 1997 Holiday Cookie contest.