Feast of Tabernacle Recipe For Rugelach, An American Jewish Cookie

Feast of Tabernacles - Day Two

According to Leviticus 23, the biblical Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot ( pronounced 'soo-coat'), is the celebration of the Israelites making their way through the wilderness in booths, or huts (sukkahs) guided by a 'pillar of fire' by night (the Shekinah glory of God) and a 'cloud'  by day (the Holy Spirit.)

As New Covenant believers, we celebrate this feast knowing that Yeshua, Jesus, leads us through the wilderness ( in order to build godly character in us as His disciples) to qualify us to be candidates for The Promised Land.

Sukkot is also about harvest, and the blessing of the harvest, or, being "stuffed" with the bountiful blessings of our Lord. Consequently, foods "stuffed" with food is a recurring culinary theme in Sukkot.

Rugelach (pronounced "rug -eh- loch, with the gutteral "ch" sound),  is an American Jewish pastry. It's rolled and shaped like a crescent and stuffed with jam, cinnamon sugar, chocolate spread, chocolate chips, nuts, and any other tasty filling you can imagine. Baking and eating Rugelach is a delicious way to enhance the celebration of Sukkot.

                           Enjoy my sweet, easy to make recipe for Bruce's Yummy Rugelach:

You'll need:

The dough:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup ( 2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

pinch of salt

Confection's sugar

Apricot filling:

1 cup apricot preserves

3/4 cup walnuts, rough;y chopped

Chocolate filling:

1 cup ( about 8 ounces) shaved bittersweet chocolate 

1/4 cup sugar

Cinnamon sugar filling:

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Cream together cream cheese and butter. Add flour slowly until a soft dough is formed. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Mix the ingredients for the apricot or chocolate filling and divide the dough into four balls. Roll these balls out into 4 circles approximately 1/8 inch thick and 9 inches in diameter. Spread the filling over the dough leaving about 1/2 inch around the edges. If using cinnamon sugar, brush the butter on first, then sprinkle cinnamon/sugar mixture over the dough. 

Using a pizza cutter, cut each circle of dough into eight pieces ( 16, for smaller crescents.) Roll each triangle up into a crescent ( bend each end of the crescent forward) and place in a row on the parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Bake for 25 minutes until lightly browned. Place on wire rack to cool. Sprinkle the apricot and chocolate rugelach with sugar or confectioner's sugar just before serving. Make 32 rugelach.

B'tayavon!