These blueberry pecan rugelach are perfect for showing off your harvest of summer fruits or berries.
The dough is made with butter, cream cheese, a small amount of sugar, and flour. By making your own jam filling, you can also control the amount of sugar in this cookie. The result is a bite sized fruit and nut filled cookie with just a hint of sweetness (if fresh fruit is out of season, you can always use preserves or jam).
The dough is rolled out into 12 inch rounds between two pieces of parchment paper, and then chilled in the refrigerator for at least an hour. I loved this technique. Most recipes call for chilling the dough and then rolling it out. This was so much easier. The hardest part was clearing room in the refrigerator for the half sheet pan stacked with 12 inch disks of dough.
Blueberry Pecan Rugelach
Makes 48 cookies. Recipe inspired from Simply Sensational Cookies by Nancy Baggett.
Blueberry Jam
1 generous quart of fresh blueberries, washed and stems removed
4 tsp sugar
- Place the blueberries into a large saucepan and sprinkle with the sugar.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring and mashing the blueberries as they cook until the mixture is reduced to about 1 1/2 cups.
- Cool completely.
Rugelach
3/4 C unsalted butter, slightly softened and cut into slices
6 ounces cream cheese, slightly softened and cut into pieces
1/2 C powdered sugar
Heaping 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
2 C (9 ounces) unbleached all purpose flour
Heaping cup of coarsely chopped pecans
1/4 tsp cinnamon
All of the blueberry jam
1 large egg, beaten with a tablespoon of milk
Sparkling or granulated sugar
6 ounces cream cheese, slightly softened and cut into pieces
1/2 C powdered sugar
Heaping 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
2 C (9 ounces) unbleached all purpose flour
Heaping cup of coarsely chopped pecans
1/4 tsp cinnamon
All of the blueberry jam
1 large egg, beaten with a tablespoon of milk
Sparkling or granulated sugar
Instructions
- Cream the butter, cream cheese, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer on medium speed, until smooth.
- Add one half of the flour and mix on low speed. Add the other half of the flour and mix on low speed until just combined.
- Divide the dough into thirds. Form each piece into a round disk and place each onto a large sheet of parchment paper. Place another piece of parchment on top of the dough, and roll the dough out with a rolling pin into a 12 inch disk.
- Stack the disks, still sandwiched between the sheets of parchment, and place them onto a sheet pan. Refrigerate for at least an hour and up to two days.
- When you are ready to bake the cookies, position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees F.
- Add the nuts and cinnamon to the jam, stir, and divide the mixture into thirds.
- Taking out one dough disk at a time, remove the top piece of parchment from the dough.
- Spread the jam mixture onto the dough disk to within 1/2 inch of the edges.
- Using a pizza wheel, cut the dough in half, then in quarters, then in eighths, and finally into 16ths, as you would a pizza.
- Roll each piece up beginning with the wider edge, and place on a parchment or silicone sheet lined baking sheet. You should be able to fit all 16 rugelach onto one baking sheet.
- Lightly brush each cookie with the egg wash and sprinkle with the sparkling sugar.
- Bake for 17 to 23 minutes, until golden brown. Mine took about 20 minutes.
- Allow the rugelach to cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes, and then cool on a wire rack.
- Repeat with the other two disks.
- Once they are fully cooled, they can be stored in an air tight container for up to a week.
The theme this month is Creative Uses for the Summer Bounty!
- Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies with Zucchini and Almond from The Spiced Life
- Cherry Viennese Sandwich Cookies from Magnolia Days
- Jammy Gooseberry Oatmeal Cookies from Food Lust People Love
- Lemon Blueberry Cookies from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
- Blackberry Thumbprints from Cookie Dough & Oven Mitt
- Breskvice -(Jam Filled, Peach Shaped Cookies) from Spiceroots
- Rhubarb Shortcake Cookies from Rhubarb and Honey
- Lemonade Poppy Seed Linzer Cookie from Made with Love
I want some of these right now to go with my morning coffee. Cookies for breakfast? Yes!
ReplyDeleteThey are the perfect breakfast cookie Renee!
DeleteThese are beautiful, Karen! I was just introduced to rugelach recently and I couldn't help but think, "Where have you been all my life?!"
ReplyDeleteThis is my first experience with it Stacy.
DeleteThese are gorgeous! I am seriously impressed!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Laura!
DeleteReally pretty! I have a great aunt who is 93 and she loves rugelach. She used to make it herself but now when I make it I send some to her. I'll have to make this version and I know she'll enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteAwwww. That's so sweet.
DeleteGorgeous! They sound so much better than the traditional version!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Mimi!
DeleteI've got both blueberry and peaches in the refrigerator. These look so delicious.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah!!! The original recipe uses apricots and walnuts. There are so many things you can do with it.
DeleteThese look and sound delicious, I am going try these out.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Let me know how they turn out!
DeleteI have always wanted to make rugelach, but I admit I am intimidated.
ReplyDeleteNow that I've read your recipe though, I'm going to try!
Thanks for sharing!
This recipe is pretty easy Kimberly!
DeleteWow! These are beautiful! The dough kind of reminds me of the dough you use in pecan tassies except you just shove that into a little cupcake pan. Can you use a different filling other than jam.. like a chocolate spread?
ReplyDeleteDefinitely Miranda. Chocolate sounds amazing.
Delete