Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Three of a kind



Some weeks my Tuesdays with Dorie baking goes better than others.  And sometimes the blog writing is easier than others...  This week's Rugelach recipe was chosen by Grace of Piggy's Cooking Journal.  I've seen recipes for Rugelach a number of times, but I've never actually made them.  I had time last week, so I made the recipe early for once.  I had mixed success with it.  I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so part of me really, really wanted to make these again.  The rest of me was just too tired.  

A large part of my problems this week stemmed from not reading the recipe closely enough.  As a result, I put too much salt in the dough.  It wasn't horrible, but it was definitely a little too salty, especially since the dough doesn't have any sugar in it.  I decided before I started that I wasn't going to use all of Dorie's filling ingredients in each cookie.  For one thing, my kiddos wouldn't eat them.  So I decided to divide the dough into three portions and put different fillings in each.  I went with raspberry fruit butter for one, mini chocolate chips for another, and a mix of brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans in the third.  I topped them all with some turbinado sugar.

The crescent shape may be traditional, but it looked like it could get pretty messy.  And I was looking at another rugelach recipe over at Fine Cooking, which gave me the idea to just roll the dough jellyroll-style and cut it like cinnamon rolls.  =)  That went fine, but then I didn't pay attention and didn't realize I was supposed to chill the filled dough before baking.  I think that's why I had some problems with the cookies shrinking (think pie crust that isn't chilled enough before baking).  

The verdict?  Not bad, but I know I can do better.  My favorite was definitely the pecan filling.  Brianna's was the chocolate chip.  No surprise there.  The raspberry filling was good, but not sweet enough with the dough.  Ooh, now that I think about it, I should have tried the raspberry and chocolate together!  Next time...  I don't know how traditional it is, but next time I'll also add a bit of sugar to the pastry dough.  And not be in such a big hurry to get the cookies into the oven.  =)  

This recipe lends itself to lots of variation, so be sure to head over to check out the TWD blogroll to see what everyone else has come up with.  And you can find the recipe over at Grace's blog.

19 comments:

  1. Pinwheel style is sooo much easier :) I stuck mine in the oven for a few minutes before I realized that we were supposed to chill them - pulled it out and stuck it in the fridge, hot cookiesheet and all!

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  2. The way you made them does sound easier than all of the dividing I did. Thanks for the tip on the currants. I checked by the raisins, but probably not close enough! The pecan filling does sound delicious.

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  3. Your way sounds so much easier and the result is great!


    Ulrike from Küchenlatein

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  4. Some weeks are definitely better than others for me too. I can't tell you how many times I've read the salt measurement wrong. I should have done my jelly roll style too. My crescents were kinda fugly but yours looks much purdier.
    Clara @ iheartfood4thought

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  5. Hmm... I thought Dorie's choice of filling should be a crowd pleaser but now I realise that not everyone like it. haha! The cinnamon and pecan filling sounds yummy though. :-) Do make them again, I'm sure you can achieve the result you want!

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  6. I am so glad that Im not the only one who skimmed the directions! LOL

    They look fantastic! I love the jellyroll technique.

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  7. I solved the whole rolling thing by making them into bars. I didn't read the directions anyways and totally forgot the jam!

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  8. If only I had a nickel for every time I messed up a recipe due to glossing over the directions! I love your pinwheels -- I think I'm going to do it that way next time. Yours look great, and I love your variations!

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  9. they look delicious! sorry about the salt, but i'm sure they were still great. good idea to do them pinwheel-style, it looks like that would be much easier to work with.

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  10. I think they look great! I'm a fellow TWD baker, and I was thinking that it would be nice if we all could chip in and get Laurie some small token/gift for all the work she does. Would you be willing to contribute? If I can get enough people, it would only be about $1 per person. No pressure :-) Let me know! bethberg12@yahoo.com

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  11. I am so with you - I am a perfectionist as well and i know i could do better too! I cant wait to try them again

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  12. Great ideas...great flavor combos, and very nice photos...they look so cute all lined up like this. I am beginning to like these pinwheel shaped rugelach...never seen that before, and they do look lovely that way, don't they?

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  13. I like the pinwheel shape! I'm reading everyone's blogs and making sure I get all the tips and hints before I attempt to make these. I can't wait. I tasted someone's today and they were delicious.

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  14. Your pinwheel-shaped rugelach turned out pretty! Very yummy looking. The brown sugar/pecan combo sounds delicious.

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  15. Pinwheels are a great idea - some of my wedgies got holes in them as I was rolling.

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  16. I'm the queen of not properly reading through a recipe, so I can totally commiserate with you! I like the rolled shapes, just as much as the crescent shapes, and I'll remember that for next time.

    I've been a bit lackluster in the blog department as of late too, sometimes there is just have too much stuff going on at the same time. Thank you for being such a loyal reader, I really appreciate it and I promise to get back on the TWD support wagon starting from now!

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  17. I think that they look delicious! This is definitely a recipe that I know will come out better the next time I make it!

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