Recipe VICKI RAVLICH-HORAN | Images BRYDIE THOMPSON
These delicious, flaky Jaffa-like cookies are a delicious weekend treat. The dough is simple to make and can be frozen as a dough or once shaped, meaning you have fresh Rugelach within 30 minutes of feeling the urge.
While I have used Hamilton Gardens’ Seville Orange Marmalade and chocolate to create a Jaffa flavour, you can swap out the filling to suit your tastes. Lemon curd and pistachio or white chocolate is delicious, as is finely chopped walnuts and cinnamon sugar.
2½ cups flour
225g cold butter, cut into small pieces
225g cold cream cheese, cut into pieces
1 egg yolk
Hamilton Gardens Seville Orange Marmalade
125g dark chocolate, finely chopped or grated
Combine flour, butter and cream cheese in a food processor. Pulse 4 to 5 times, then add the egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of cold water. Turn the processor on and process until the dough forms a shaggy ball.
Transfer dough to a lightly floured bench and divide into three balls. Flatten these into thick discs and then wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes. You can also freeze the dough at this point if you like.
When ready to shape your rugelach, take the pastry out of the fridge and place on a floured bench. Roll the dough into a 27cm circle, using a dinner plate and sharp knife to trim edges.
Spread the pastry with a thin layer of the marmalade then sprinkle with the grated chocolate.
Using a sharp knife, pastry wheel, or pizza cutter, cut the pastry circle into 16 equal wedges. Starting from the wide end of each long triangle, roll up and press on the pointy end to seal. Place the seam side down on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining triangles, working quickly and placing cookies about 2 inches apart.
Again, at this stage, you can freeze the rugelach to be baked at a later date.
Bake at 180°C for 20–25 minutes or until browned and flaky. Some filling may squish out; that’s okay. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.
