Rugelach

Instructions

1. Beat together butter and cream cheese until blended. Add flour all at once. Beat just until dough comes together. Divide dough into thirds. For rectangular rugelach, flatten each third into a 6″x 4″ rectangle. For crescent rugelach, flatten into a 6-inch circle. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for an hour.
2. Preheat oven to 350°.
3. Whisk together sugar and cinnamon, and set aside.
4. Flour work surface and the top of one portion of dough.
5. For rectangular rugelach: Roll dough into 16″x 10″ rectangle 1/8-inch thick. Brush off excess flour. Spread 1/4 cup preserves on the dough, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Along the long edge of the preserves, place a line of chocolate chips or raisins. Sprinkle rem rest of the dough with about 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon-sugar mixture and about 2 & 1/2 tablespoons of ground nuts. Starting at the chocolate chip/raisin end, roll up the dough, gently tucking and tightening as you go. Turn the seam side facing down. Cut into 1 & 1/2-inch slices. Repeat with remaining dough.
6. For crescent rugelach: Roll each portion of dough into a 14-inch circle 1/8-inch thick. Spread 1/4 cup of preserves on each portion, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Sprinkle entire surface with 1/4 cup chocolate chips/raisins, cinnamon sugar, and 2 & 1/2 tablespoons nuts. Cut the circle like a pizza, making either 8 or 16 triangles. Roll up dough, starting from the wide end. Tuck the point underneath. Repeat with remaining dough.
7. Place on lined baking sheets. Sprinkle each cookie with about 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon sugar. Bake about 25 minutes. The bottoms should be light golden and the tops blond. Cool on baking sheets on a rack until cookies firm slightly. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.