RUGALACH Recipe

1 cup Ground pecans
1 cup Currants
1/2 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
DOUGH:

8 ounces Cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups All purpose flour
1 cup Butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons Sugar
Flour
12 ounces Apricot jam, (12 oz jar)

Yield: 36 servings

FILLING: Combine pecans, currants, sugar and cinnamon in mixing bowl.

DOUGH: Combine cream cheese, flour, butter and sugar in processor or mixer and blend well. Divide dough into 4 pieces. Dust each with flour, shaking off excess. Roll each piece between sheets of waxed paper into 10" circle. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375. Grease baking sheets. Spread each circle of dough with apricot jam. Divide filling among circles, spreading evenly. Cut each into 12 wedges. Roll up each wedge from bottom to point. Arrange on prepared sheets, point side down. Bake until golden, about 16-17 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool. Store cookies in airtight container.

TIPS: Be sure to work on just one circle at a time and keep others refrigerated. Don't overdo the jam and cinnamon/pecan filling because they tend to overflow and will burn quickly on your baking sheets. Remove at once from the baking sheet to cool on racks when they turn golden brown on top. After rolling out between waxed paper, one hour of cooling is perfect to cut out, but they may be made ahead and refrigerated longer. Just leave them out a bit before cutting out so dough won't be so stiff to handle properly and roll well.