12 Days of Holiday Cookies: Maple Nut Rugelach (Day 1)

December 14, 2011

This holiday season, Foodista is launching a holiday baking series called the "12 Days of Holiday Cookies." First up are these delicious maple nut rugelach. Rugelach is popular around this time of year because they are served during Hanukah. You don't have to be Jewish to appreciate the buttery dough triangle wrapped around sugar and toasted nuts. If you are allergic to nuts or prefer not to eat them, substitute the maple nut filling with your favorite jam (I like apricot). Do you have a favorite holiday cookie? A family treasured recipe? We want to see it! Add the recipe to Foodista with the tag holiday cookie and you just might see it in a blog post.

Maple Nut Rugelach

Ingredients:

4 ounces Cream cheese, softened

cup Unsalted butter, at room -

Temperature

1/4 cup Sugar

2 tablespoons Maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1 Egg yolk

1 1/2 cups Flour

1 cup Ground walnuts

cup Sugar

2 tablespoons Maple syrup

1/8 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 Egg white

1 teaspoon Water

1 teaspoon Sugar

Directions:

Prepare dough: beat together cream cheese, butter, sugar, maple syrup, salt and egg yolk, in a large bowl, until smooth. Beat in flour just until blended. Shape dough into balls. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

Prepare filling: Stir together walnuts, 1/3 cup sugar, maple syrup, and cinnamon, in a medium bowl. Preheat oven to 350 deg f. Grease two baking sheets. Roll out half the dough to 1/8" thickness. Cut dough into 10" dia.

Circle. Spread the dough with half the walnut mixture. Cut dough into 16 wedges. Starting with the wide edge, roll dough pieces jelly roll style.

Place cookies point down on greased sheets. Repeat with remaining dough.

Lightly beat egg white with water. Brush over cookies. Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from baking sheets to cool.

Makes 32