RASBERRY RUGELACH RECIPES

Steps:

• With an electric mixer, beat the butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and ? cup of the sugar at medium speed until creamy, 2 to 3 minutes.  Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour and salt, mixing just until combined (do not overmix).
• Form the dough into 4 disks and wrap in plastic. Chill until firm, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
• Heat oven to 325° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. In a food processor, combine the walnuts, cinnamon, and the remaining ? cup sugar and process until the nuts are finely ground. Reserve ½ cup of the nut mixture for the tops of the cookies; transfer the remainder to a small bowl for the filling.
• Working with 1 disk at a time (keep the remaining disks chilled), on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to form a 9-inch round. Spread it with 2 tablespoons of the jam and sprinkle with ¼ of the walnut mixture in the bowl. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the round into 12 equal wedges. Roll up each wedge, starting at the outer edge. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Brush with the egg mixture and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the reserved nut mixture.
• Bake the cookies, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Storage suggestion:Store the rugelach at room temperature, between sheets of wax paper in an airtight container, for up to 5 days.

Steps:

• Mix flour, baking powder, ¼ cup granulated sugar, and 1 tsp. salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment on low speed to combine. Add butter and beat until it is flattened into nickel- and dime-size pieces and dry ingredients look a bit like sand, about 2 minutes. Cut cream cheese into 8–10 pieces and add all at once to mixer. Beat until dough starts to clump together in pieces (but not so long that it forms one large mass) with pieces of butter and some cream cheese still visible, about 1 minute longer.
• Turn out dough onto a work surface and divide in half. Pat each into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic. Chill just until firm, 30–45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, mix together orange zest, nuts, jam, and remaining 1 tsp. salt in a medium bowl. Set filling aside.
• Working one at a time, roll out dough between 2 lightly floured sheets of parchment paper, dusting with more flour and turning over and rotating as needed, into ?"-thick ovals about 18x11". Spread half of filling over each oval, leaving a ½" border. Rotate dough so a long side is closest to you and roll up into a tight spiral, using parchment to help you lift it as you go. If dough is sticking, chill 5 minutes before proceeding. Chill rolled-up dough until firm, at least 60 minutes and up to 1 day (wrapped in plastic).
• Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 375°. Finely grind raspberries in spice mill or with mortar and pestle. Transfer to a small bowl; mix in remaining ¼ cup granulated sugar. Brush tops of dough with egg. Sprinkle with half of berry sugar and cut into wedges 2" wide at the base and ½" wide at the point. Make each cut on a diagonal, changing direction each time so that short and wide ends alternate. Divide rugelach between 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake, rotating baking sheets top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until deep golden brown, 28–34 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets, sprinkling with remaining berry sugar while still warm.
• Do Ahead: Cookies can be baked 5 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.