Rugelach

Expanded from the recipe card that Arlene's mother wrote out for us. NOTE that this recipe calls for refrigerating dough overnight. You could probably get away with refrigerating it for several hours, but you can't make this in a hurry.

• 2 1/2 C + 1/2 C flour
• 4 1/2 Tbsp + 1 C granulated sugar
• 1/2 lb margarine or butter at room temperature
• 3 eggs, separated
• 1 T (1 packet) dry yeast
• 1/2 C orange juice
• Cinnamon as desired
• Chopped walnuts or pecans, about 6 oz
• Raisins, about 1/2 C
• Pineapple or apricot jam

Blend 2 1/2 C flour, 4 1/2 Tbsp sugar, and 1/2 lb butter (pareve margarine, if you want them to be pareve) with a pastry blender as for pie crust

Warm orange juice to around 105 degrees F -- be sure it's not above 110 or you may kill the yeast; dissolve yeast in it.

Separate the eggs. Refrigerate the whites for making meringue in a later step.

When yeast-OJ mixture is bubbly, add it and the egg yolks to the flour-butter-sugar mixture. Mix well and set in a warm place to rise. After an hour or two, refrigerate it and wait until the next day

Came the dawn...

Beat the 3 egg whites with 1 C sugar to make a thick meringue

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (temp TBD)

Divide dough in 3 pieces. One piece at a time, using as little additional flour as possible (a couple of tablespoons is probably enough), roll into a smooth ball. On a large breadboard, roll the ball into a 12" circle. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the circle into quarters and each quarter into 5 wedges, leaving them in place on the breadboard.

Spread the circle of dough with meringue. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon, then add chopped nuts, raisins, and bits of pineapple or apricot jam. Be mindful that there is a tradeoff between generous filling and easy shaping of the ruggele. I mean, too many raisins and nuts makes it hard to roll up; too few, and what's the point?

Roll each wedge up, starting from the outside of the circle. Place on parchment-lined cookie sheet (Lightly greased? TBD). I think they look best if the point is in the center of the bottom of the cookie; if you leave the point on top, the whole thing will start to unroll. You can adjust the roll a little for symmetry after it's rolled up, but try to keep it centered as you roll.

Bake at 325 degrees F (I think) for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.