today we’re thrilled to have tim mazurek from lottie + doof back for another delicious recipe! this month on lottie +doof it’s “12 days of cookies” time- tim has been adding a new cookie recipe on his site for each of the first 12 days of december. in addition to pulling together a collection of recipes, tim wanted to create an opportunity to collaborate with some of his favorite people like dorie greenspan, avery wittkamp (marlow & sons), luisa weiss (the wednesday chef) and heidi swanson (101 cookbooks). i’m so happy that tim was able to share one of his amazing recipes with us today for apple, cranberry, and walnut rugelach. if you’d like to read more about tim and his 12 days of cookies just click “read more” below to view the full recipe and more from tim about this project. happy cooking!

CLICK HERE for the full recipe (and more about lottie + doof) after the jump!

About Lottie + Doof:

Lottie + Doof is a food blog that was founded in 2008 by Chicago-based
artist (and baking enthusiast), Tim Mazurek. The site chronicles his
kitchen adventures and highlights the importance of eating locally,
seasonally and ethically. In addition to sharing recipes and personal
stories, Lottie + Doof also highlights sources for good food and
encourages others to get into their kitchens and cook!

About the 12 Days of Cookies:

I’ve been hosting the 12 Days of Cookies on my site—a new cookie
recipe for each of the first 12 days of December. In addition to
putting together a collection of delicious cookie recipes, I also
wanted it to be an opportunity to collaborate with some of my favorite
people. I have been lucky enough to have folks like Dorie Greenspan,
Avery Wittkamp (Marlow & Sons), Luisa Weiss (The Wednesday Chef) and
Heidi Swanson (101 Cookbooks) share their favorite cookie recipes with
me and my readers. My partner Bryan and I recently bought our first
home and had a housewarming party to celebrate the new space and the
12 Days of Cookies. It was a real carnival of cookies and a fun event
that connected what happens on Lottie + Doof with my “real” life. As
one of our guests said, “It is like the blog came to life!”. Tables of
cookies like this were popular in my family growing up, so it was
fitting for our first party and perfect for a holiday gathering.

About this recipe:

I love a good rugelach and knew I wanted to include one as part of the
12 Days of Cookies. I had been using the same recipe for years and
decided it was time to try coming up with something new. These were
inspired by an apple-cranberry pie that knocked my socks off. I was
hoping to get that great flavor packed into each little rugelach. For
such a simple dough, these bake up remarkably flaky and delicious. I
like to use homemade apple butter for these, but in a
pinch you can certainly use a good quality store bought apple butter.
Just make sure to taste it first and adjust cinnamon and sugar
accordingly.

Apple, Cranberry, Walnut Rugelach

Dough

8 tablespoons (4 ounces) butter, at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese (not reduced fat), at room temperature
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Filling

1/3 cup apple butter (homemade preferred or a store bought like
American Spoon with no sugar added)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4-3/4 teaspoon cinnamon (depending on how much cinnamon is in the
apple butter you choose)
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
3/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped

Topping
1 large egg lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon of water
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Make the dough: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or
a hand mixer), cream the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until
light and fluffy, 5 to 6 minutes. On low speed, add the dry
ingredients and beat until the dough is thoroughly combined. Using a
rubber spatula, scrape the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap. Press
it down into a 1-inch disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 24.

Make the filling: In a small bowl, combine the sugars, cinnamon,
walnuts and dried cranberries. Set aside.

Roll out the dough: On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a
rectangle that is approximately 12 x 16 inches. Trim the dough into
two rectangles, each measuring about 6×16 inches.

Fill and shape: Lay out each rectangle on the counter so that each
side nearest to you is a long (16-inch) one. Spread a thin layer of
apple butter over the entire surface of the dough except for a long
strip along the edge furthest from you. Sprinkle the apple butter
layer with half of the filling mixture. Brush some of the egg wash
along the edge without filling. Starting with the edges nearest to
you, carefully roll the dough around the filling, tucking the filling
under the dough as you roll. Apply pressure to the seam to seal. Roll
so that the seam is on the bottom, against the counter. Slide the logs
of dough onto a cookie sheet, cover them with plastic wrap and
refrigerate for about an hour. At this point, the logs can be
refrigerated for up to 24 hours or frozen for up to a couple of weeks.

Bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment
paper. Brush the logs with the reserved egg wash and sprinkle with the
sugar. Using a sharp knife, slice each log into 1-inch segments and
place 1-inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake until golden brown
and puffy, 15-17 minutes. Let cool completely before serving.

Tweet Pin It