Did you know there’s a cream cheese shortage? Seriously. It’s been plaguing my work life, as we scramble to secure enough to send customers, and now affecting NYC bagel shops and the Brooklyn landmark, Junior’s Cheesecake. A visit to the grocery store recently provided further evidence of this cream cheese situation—the only Philadelphia cream cheese left were a few bars of light (no thanks) and some off-brand that was labeled “cream cheese style cheese” (what does that even mean?). I did see some Cabot’s cream cheese, which left me feeling like I’d just found a half case of gold bars lying in the middle of the dairy aisle (I only took two).
If you’re lucky enough to be like me with a few bars tucked in the fridge, this recipe for rugelach is a worthy contender for using up some of that cream cheese. It’s been years since I’d thought about making rugelach but after a reader messaged me on instagram recently, asking if I had a recipe for them, I suddenly found myself pushing all other previously scheduled bakes to the side to make a batch for my cookie tins.
Rugelach happen to be one of Virginia’s favorite cookies, and she takes after her papa because Michael loved them, too. He had fond memories of the rugelach his grandmother used to make. Sadly there was no recipe to hand down, so I developed one 12 years ago to satisfy his craving.
I think making rugelach scares people, and not just because parting with an entire bar of cream cheese is at stake these days. Perhaps it’s the shape, reminiscent of tiny, bite-sized croissants that causes nervousness? In reality, it’s quite an easy cookie to make. Whenever I say that, people say “easy for you, Jennie”, but really, I mean it.
The dough is simply flour, butter, cream cheese and salt. You want to use a gentle touch, only mixing until it’s incorporated, and as with pie crust, a few bits of visible butter isn’t a bad thing—it adds some flakiness to the cookie. A short chill is required but during that time you can prep the filling. Conversely, you can make the filling a few days ahead, and store it in the fridge until ready to use.
Once the dough is chilled, assembling is easy peasy, though admittedly a little time consuming but that’s not enough reason to shy away from making these rugelach. I’ve written the recipe to use raspberry jam but apricot is also a common flavor, as well as cinnamon sugar or chocolate. I’m hoping to make one more batch of apricot to add to my cookie tins but we’re entering a critical moment where tins will need to be packed and shipped in just a few days. In fact, if all goes well, they may be packed and shipped by time this recipe arrives in your inbox (fingers crossed).
Hope the week has been filled with pockets of peace, and cream cheese to make these cookies. –xo, j.
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