Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

I want to go everywhere I haven't been, and back to everywhere I have been.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Rugelach Two Ways: Chocolate and Fig-Walnut

Rugelach Two Ways: Fig-Walnut, and Chocolate  -- Ms Toody Goo Shoes

If I ask you to name the top five desserts you've ever had,
can you?

Rugelach from Machne Yehuda Market in Jerusalem 
is definitely on my "top five" list.

In case you're not familiar with it, rugelach is a Yiddish word,
 which, loosely translated, means "little twists."

Rugelach Two Ways: Fig-Walnut, and Chocolate  -- Ms Toody Goo Shoes
Finding the best rugelach in the world 
has become something of a competitive family pursuit...
with each of us claiming at one time or another
to have found the winner. 
I like to think of it as our version of the Hunger Games. 

  It wasn't until we were in Jerusalem,
that we finally could name the victor.
It was the Best Rugelach We Ever Had. 

Our tour guide dropped us off at Machne Yehuda Market 
on a Friday afternoon.
Because it was right before Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath),
it was wall-to-wall people...
 like being in Times Square on New Year's Eve.

  We were hungry.
We were tired.
We were cranky.

We couldn't find a place to have lunch.
When we saw a stall selling baked goods, 
we stopped and got some rugelach.
It had just come out of the oven, 
and oh, my, my, my...
It was like manna from heaven. 

Rugelach Two Ways: Fig-Walnut, and Chocolate  -- Ms Toody Goo Shoes

I don't know that anything can top those,
but my mother's recipe is pret-ty, pret-ty good.
I vividly remember the day that she went to 
her friend's house to learn how to make rugelach.
After that, they became a regular part of her baking repertoire. 

Yeah, she spelled it differently,
and no, I wouldn't use margarine. EVER.

Rugelach Two Ways: Fig-Walnut, and Chocolate  -- Ms Toody Goo Shoes
My mother's recipe

She'd freeze them to have on hand...
"In case someone should stop by."
My sister and I would sneak into the 
tupperware containers,
and eat them right out of the freezer.
When my mother went to get them...
Surprise!
She'd find the containers almost empty.

Rugelach Two Ways: Fig-Walnut, and Chocolate  -- Ms Toody Goo Shoes

My mother always used raspberry jam as a filling. 
I decided to try it with fig jam, and it was AMAZING!
(I used my favorite, Bon Maman).

I will only use fig jam from now on. 

Unless, of course, I want chocolate.

Or both.

Since the recipe makes 64 pieces,
I like to make two flavors, for variety. 
So, half chocolate, half fig-walnut. 

Rugelach Two Ways: Fig-Walnut, and Chocolate  -- Ms Toody Goo Shoes

Some notes:
  • The dough must be refrigerated overnight, and cold when you work with it. 
  • Keep each section in the fridge until you are ready to use it. Your hands and work surface must be well-floured, as the dough is sticky.   
  • The measurements in my recipe, below, assume you are making half jam, and half chocolate.    
  •  Melt the chips just before spreading on the dough. I did not use nuts in the chocolate rugelach. 
  • It is important to bake the rugelach with the point-side down, so that they don't un-fold while they're baking
    Rugelach Two Ways: Fig-Walnut, and Chocolate  -- Ms Toody Goo Shoes

    Rugelach Two Ways: Fig-Walnut, and Chocolate

    For the dough:
    2 cups flour
    1/2 pound butter
    1 egg yolk
    3/4 cup sour cream

    For the filling:
    3/4 cup sugar
    1 tbsp. cinnamon
    1/4 cup fig jam (amount is approximate, for 1/2 recipe)
    1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips, melted (amount is approximate, for 1/2 recipe)
    1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (amount is approximate, for 1/2 recipe)

    Mix flour and butter.
    Add egg yolk and sour cream.
    Mix until well-combined.

    Refrigerate over night. 

    The next day, divide dough into four balls. Work with one at a time, keeping the others refrigerated until ready to use. Two sections will be used for fig jam and walnuts rugelach; two sections will be used for chocolate rugelach.

    Preheat oven to 375°F.

    Flour hands and rolling pin before working with dough. Re-flour, as necessary, since the dough is sticky.

    Flatten the dough into a disc.

    On a well-floured work surface, roll dough into circle, approximately 9-10 inches in diamater.

    Gently place plate over dough, and use a knife to cut dough into perfect circle.

    Using a knife or icing spatula, carefully loosen the dough from the work surface.

    Mix sugar and cinnamon together.

    Spread two circles of dough with a thin layer of jam. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar mixture, and walnuts over jam.
     
    Spread two circles of dough with melted chocolate, which should be a more generous layer. (I did not use nuts for the chocolate rugelach). 


    Rugelach Two Ways: Fig-Walnut, and Chocolate  -- Ms Toody Goo Shoes

    Using a pizza cutter, cut each circle into 16 wedges. 

    Roll rugelach carefully starting at the widest part. 

    Put on parchment-lined baking sheets, with the point-side down.

    Bake for 12-15 minutes, but time is approximate, as all ovens are different. 

    The rugelach will remain pale, but bottoms will be golden brown. 

    Let cool. Can be stored in ziploc or plastic container, and frozen. 

    How To Make Rugelach   -- Ms Toody Goo Shoes #rugelach #rugula


    I've stashed my rugelach away in the freezer
    to serve on Yom Kippur after breaking the fast...
    Unless, of course, someone eats them 
    right out of the freezer,
    between now and then. 

    It could happen.

    Rugelach Two Ways: Fig-Walnut, and Chocolate  -- Ms Toody Goo Shoes

     

    Linking with:
    Wow Us Wednesday 

    43 comments:

    1. OMG...I can't believe you finally made them! Very excited!!!

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      1. I've made them a bunch of times before. Maybe I ate them all before you could have any!

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    2. I've never heard of Rugelach. I don't think I know how to pronounce it... since i'm a Shiksa... I would like to make these to shock my husband...

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      1. It's rug-uh-lugh (I don't know how to explain the last syllable...I guess it would be like if you said "yech!" but with an "uh" sound. I think you should shock your hubs and make them!

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    3. yum, yum ... but I want to try Rugelach, in the garden behind nuts ... I'll do it:-)
      best wishes

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      1. Let me know how they turn out! Wow, nuts in your garden? Awesome!

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      2. Amy, thank you for the recipe for Rugelach, yesterday I baked, cookies are delicious. I gave a recipe my friend.
        Yum, yum
        best wishes

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      3. I'm so happy you made them and like them! You made my day, Iwona!

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    4. I love Rugelach!! My favorite is raspberry but I do like the chocolate too. I'll have to try the fig. Pinned and shared on FB!

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      1. My favorite is cinnamon, and then chocolate. But now that I've tried the fig it's a 3-way tie! Thanks for sharing and pinning, Claire!

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    5. Oh, those look good! I'm not sure that I've ever had them before. I bet your kitchen smells amazing while they're baking.

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    6. I love these and always wondered how to make them. Hopefully no one goes in the freezer to graze, LOL!!!

      Cindy

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    7. These look delish, Amy! I think I'd go for the Bon Maman raspberry jam filled ones, (once you've had this brand, you cannot go back to anything else!), and perhaps dark chocolate, too. Love your recipes!!

      Poppy

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      1. I agree,Poppy, Bon Maman is the best! I've tried so many fancy brands, but I keep coming back to them.

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    8. Oh my I am salivating for the fig ones...not that I wouldn't want the chocolate ones too! I must try these as I love my Cuicidattas (Italian Fig cookies) and these remind me of them. Pinned!!

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      1. Oooooh, Italian Fig cookies? I would LOVE those, I'm sure! Have you posted a recipe for them, AnnMarie? Thank you for pinning!

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    9. Boy do they ever look good. But you need a lot of patience to roll 64 of them. Kudos to you.

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      1. It wasn't so bad. Took me 3/4 of the Giants game, but I only baked one batch at a time.

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    10. When we had our business, for several years I would start baking in October and by December end up with close to a thousand cookies which I would gift to some of our customers. More than once I baked rugelach and they were sooooooo good! I didn't think they were as difficult to make as I thought they would be. Your recipe sounds perfect!

      And to answer your question about our five fav desserts...that's easy. Cannoli, cannoli, cannoli, cannoli and cannoli. ;).

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      1. Wow, Doreen, that's a lot of cookies! They really aren't difficult, just time consuming, and the dough can be tricky if it's sticky (ha! a little poem!)

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    11. It looks absolutely yummy! I like the idea of fig/nuts as jam... definitely need to try them!

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      1. The fig has so much more flavor than the raspberry, which were too mild. These are sweet and yummy!

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    12. Your mom's recipe looks like my grandmother's - always with margarine :-) She would make them and hide them in the freezer for Shabbat or guests, and I would find my grandfather eating frozen cookies while standing in the kitchen. Your's look as irresistible. Definitely pinning, thanks for sharing!

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      1. Aha, so my sister and I were not the only frozen cookie thiefs! I cringe when I think about how much my mother used margarine because it was "healthier" than butter! Thanks for pinning, Beth!

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    13. i love rugelah, this looks delicious! when i was in israel, i was on a quest for the best halva. did you enjoy any?
      b

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      1. I have to say I am not a halva fan! I know they had it at the breakfast buffets, but I didn't have any. The babka, though, was amazing!

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    14. One of my favorite cookies but I've never made them myself. The fig jam sounds great.

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      1. They are not hard to make, just time-consuming Karen. A good activity for a rainy day!

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    15. Wow, does this ever look delicious! This recipe looks so good, both ways, and I can't wait to try it out...thanks for sharing!

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    16. I've had chocolate but never fig. Sounds like a very upscale version of a newton! Thanks for sharing at #theWeekendSocial. Always happy to see you. We're on again Thursday 9:00 PM EST. Pinned.

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      1. This is the first time I've had fig, too. Yes, an upscale newton - love that!

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    17. OMGosh so yummy reminds me of growing up :)

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      1. Same here, Alexis, lots of childhood memories associated with these!

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    18. These look so awesome...I love rugelach myself...I make them all the time for the high holidays... which reminds me I should really whip a batch up today!!! Shana Tova to you and your family! Thanks so much for linking with us at the #Friday Foodies! You have been pinned! I'm glad I found ya :)

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    19. These sound mouthwateringly good! I do appreciate you sharing with Home and Garden Thursday,
      Kathy

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    20. Do you sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar on the fig and nut one only?

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      Replies
      1. I was wondering the same thing!! Looking at her mom's recipe, it gets mixed into the nut mixture.

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    21. would love to try this but is there anyway of saving to PINTEREST or printing. Sounds wonderful .

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