Blueberry-Walnut Rugelach

When you're behind on your Christmas baking, you want the most bang for your proverbial buck; so rather than making a batch of cookies in an 8"x8" pan that will give you 16 or maybe 24 cookies, you go for the gusto -- a batch that will make 64 cookies!

These are ridiculously easy to make, even though they look complicated. Make a dough that doesn't even require refrigeration, roll it into a circle (no measuring of 1/8" depth or any of that nonsense), no cutting, no re-rolling scraps, no scraping dough and flour off your countertop when you're done. Really, you can impress people with very little effort if you make these!

It's up to you whether you coat them with confectioners' sugar once they've cooled; Tom likes them plain, but I can eat them either way ....

Blueberry-Walnut Rugelach

1 cup butter, softened
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
3 cups unbleached flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup blueberry jam
1-1/3 cups chopped walnuts
confectioners' sugar for coating (optional)

Preheat oven to 325F. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets.

In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and cream cheese; stir in egg. Mix in sugar, flour and salt -- dough will not come together entirely. Empty the dough and remaining scraps onto the countertop and knead until the dough comes together. Divide dough into 4 portions. Roll one portion at a time into a 12" circle.


Spread 1/4 cup jam over the circle, then sprinkle with 1/4 of the walnuts. Cut the dough into quarters, then cut each quarter into quarters to make 16 pieces.



One at a time, starting with the outer edge, roll a portion of dough towards the center to form a spiral. Place on the cookie sheet, and repeat until the entire circle of dough has been rolled.


Bake for 25 minutes until the cookies are golden and are set when pressed. Remove to a rack to cool completely, and repeat until all of the dough has been used.

Optional: When the cookies are completely cool, place some confectioners' sugar into a large baggie. Toss in a handful of cookies at a time and shake to coat them in the sugar. Remove to a tray and repeat until all of the cookies have been sugared.

Makes 64 cookies.