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Rugalach Bars Recipe

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Rugalach (also spelled Rugelach or Ruglach) is a Eastern European cookie made with a cream cheese flavored dough that is cut into triangles and rolled around a filling to form a crescent shape. There are many fillings used to fill Rugalach, with popular choices being ground chocolate,

poppy seeds, dried fruits and/or nuts. For this Rugalach recipe we are not going to make cookies. Instead it makes a large pan of squares which is great for large gatherings or to take to a bake sale. This recipe comes from Martha Stewart's Holiday Cookie Magazine and they taste wonderful, just like Rugalach should, only much less work.

Rugalach dough is different from a regular dough in that it contains cream cheese which adds a nice tanginess and also makes it very easy to work with. Once the dough is made it is divided in half, chilled, and then rolled into two rectangles. One rectangle is placed in your pan and then the filling is layered over the dough. The filling contains ground chocolate, nuts (pecans or walnuts), chopped dried apricots, orange zest, and a hint of ground cinnamon. Once the filling is placed in the pan, we then place the second rectangle of dough on top of the filling. When these gems come out of the oven, you have a buttery crisp pastry enclosing a delicious filling. Rugalach has always been a popular holiday treat but you will not want to limit these bars to only once a year.

 

Cream Cheese Dough: Place the cold butter and cream cheese in the bowl of your electric mixer. Mix on low speed until the cream cheese is broken down but the butter is still chunky. Add the flour and salt and, on low speed, beat until crumbly and just beginning to hold together. (There should still be some small pieces of butter visible in the dough.) Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Flatten each piece of dough into a rectangle and wrap in plastic. Chill in the refrigerator several hours or overnight.

Next day make the chocolate filling.

Chocolate Filling: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place the rack in the center of the oven. Place the walnuts or pecans on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 - 10 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Remove from oven, cool, and then finely chop. Set aside.

In the bowl of your food processor, pulse the chopped chocolate until very finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the chopped nuts, sugar, ground cinnamon, dried apricots, orange zest, corn syrup and melted butter. Set aside.

Have ready a 9 x 13 x 2 inch (23 x 33 x 5 cm) baking pan that has been lined with parchment paper.

Remove one rectangle of the dough from the refrigerator and, between two 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) pieces of waxed paper or parchment paper, roll the dough into a rectangle that is the size of your baking pan. Line your pan with the rolled out dough, trimming as needed. Spread the chocolate filling over the dough. Remove the second dough from the refrigerator and roll it out the same as the first. Place the rolled out dough on top of the chocolate filling, trimming the edges as needed.

Mix the egg yolk and water together in a small bowl, and brush the top of the bars with the glaze. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake in a 350 degree F (177 degree C) oven for about 35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Cut into 1 x 3 inch long bars (2.5 x 7.5 cm).

Makes about 39 - 1 x 3 inch bars

Source:

Stewart, Martha. Holiday Cookies Magazine. December 2001 Issue.

Cream Cheese Dough:

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) (160 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut in 1/2 inch pieces

8 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese

2 cups (280 grams) all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Chocolate Filling:

1 cup (110 grams) walnuts or pecans

6 ounces (170 grams) semisweet chocolate, cut into pieces

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 cup dried apricots, finely chopped

Grated zest of one orange

3 tablespoons light corn syrup

3 tablespoons (42 grams) unsalted butter, melted

Glaze:

1 large egg yolk

1 tablespoon water

Garnish:

3 tablespoons (40 grams) granulated white sugar or sanding sugar

 

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