GLUTEN FREE RUGELACH WITH VEGAN/DAIRY FREE VERSIONS

Posted by Bryna Bear aka Gluten Free Baking Bear

     I love rugelach.  These cookies are tender, rich and delicious.  I made two GF batches, a regular and a Vegan/Dairy Free one for Chanukah on Saturday. I prefer the taste of the butter ones, but both batches were very yummy. 

     The recipe, by Lee Abrams of Tottenville, is one that I cut out from the Staten Island Advance, a newspaper. I have been making this recipe for over 20 years. This rugelach recipe is less complicated than most and not too sweet. 

     The gluten free version is a bit more difficult to make than the regular one.  The dough is softer and a little tricky to handle.  I find that it works best to roll the dough out between two pieces of waxed paper or plastic wrap and then put the rolled out disk of dough onto a baking sheet and freeze it until firm.  By the time you put the jam and other toppings onto the frozen dough disk it is just soft enough to cut and roll.  Then it requires a second freezing of the formed cookies before baking to help to keep the cookies’ shape. I used Spectrum brand “Butter” flavored non-hydrogenated shortening for the Vegan/DF cookies.  These cookies came out a bit flatter than the butter ones.  Next time I may use half Spectrum shortening and half Earth Balance margarine to help to keep the shape better.

Vegan Rugelach

     I don’t try for perfectly shaped cookies since they taste great no matter how they look once they are baked.  If you want them perfectly uniform take care to cut the circle of dough into evenly divided parts.

     I do not like to add more flour than the recipe calls for in order to make a stiffer dough.  The extra flour changes the texture of the cookie and usually makes the final product a bit tougher than I would prefer.

GLUTEN FREE RUGELACH

Ingredients

DOUGH

½ pound (2 sticks)	Unsalted Butter For Vegan/Dairy Free use non-hydrogenated Margarine or Shortening or a combination of the two.
8 ounces	Cream Cheese For Vegan/DF use non-dairy cream cheese.
1 cup	Sorghum Flour
½ cup	Chickpea Flour
½ cup	Tapioca Flour
½ tsp.	Xanthan or Guar Gum

FILLING

¼ cup	Sugar
1 tsp.	Cinnamon
1 cup	Walnuts – finely chopped
1 cup	Raisins or Chocolate Chips
1 10 ounce jar	Preserves – apricot or raspberry (fruit juice sweetened) Or you can use almond paste.

Directions

     Combine butter or margarine and cream cheese and blend well.  Add the flours and xanthan or guar gum and mix well.

Dough being rolled out between two pieces of wax paper.

     Divide the dough into four pieces. Roll out each piece of dough between two pieces of waxed paper or plastic wrap.  Roll the dough into a 12-inch circle.  Place the rolled out circles, still between the waxed paper or plastic wrap, on top of each other on a baking sheet.  Place the baking sheet with the dough disks into the freezer until the dough is hard.

     Remove one dough disk from the freezer and place on a counter or cutting board.  Peel off the waxed paper or plastic wrap from one side and put it right back down on top of the dough.  Flip the dough and wrap over and remove the other sheet of waxed paper or plastic wrap and set aside.  The first disk of dough I worked with I only peeled off the top piece of wrap and the dough stuck too much on the bottom.  Removing the wrap from the bottom and them replacing it before flipping it over worked much better.

Dough disk spread with apricot jam, cinnamon, sugar, walnuts and raisins.

     Spread 2-3 tablespoons full of jam of choice, or almond paste, onto the circle of dough.  Leave a 1-inch border of dough at the edge.

     Next sprinkle the sugar cinnamon mixture over the jam or almond paste circle.  Then sprinkle with the chopped nuts.  Lastly, sprinkle with the raisins or chocolate chips, if desired.

     All of my disks were sprinkled with cinnamon, sugar and walnuts.  I varied the four disks by using apricot jam on two, making one with raisins and one plain.  I made the other two disks with raspberry jam and used chocolate chips with one and the other without. You can use whatever jam or filling you wish.

Dough disk with raspberry jam, cinnamon, sugar, walnuts and chocolate chips.
Cut into 16 slices with a pizza cutter.  One cookie rolled up, one in the middle of being rolled.
Looks like a pizza doesn't it?

     Cut each circle of dough into 12-16 slices (depending upon the size you prefer) using a pastry or pizza cutter or a knife.

     Starting at the wide end of each slice roll the dough towards the point.  Repeat with each slice until done. 

     Place the formed cookies onto a baking sheet lined with waxed paper and return to the freezer until hard.

Raw rugelach on a waxed paper lined baking sheet
 ready to go into the freezer to get firm.

     You can store the formed frozen cookies in a plastic bag until ready to bake.

     Repeat this process with each dough disk.

     When ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

     Arrange the rugelach 2 inches apart on a silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet. 

     Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Baked rugelach cooling on a baking sheet.

     Makes 48 cookies (if each dough disk is cut into 12 pieces).

     Makes 64 smaller cookies (if each dough disk is cut into 16 pieces).

     

GLUTEN FREE RUGELACH Ingredients DOUGH ½ pound (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter For Vegan/Dairy Free use non-hydrogenated Margarine or Shortening or a combination of the two. 8 ounces Cream Cheese For Vegan/DF use non-dairy cream cheese. 1 cup Sorghum Flour ½ cup Chickpea Flour ½ cup Tapioca Flour ½ tsp. Xanthan or Guar Gum FILLING ¼ cup Sugar 1 tsp. Cinnamon 1 cup Walnuts – finely chopped 1 cup Raisins or Chocolate Chips 1 10 ounce jar Preserves – apricot or raspberry (fruit juice sweetened) Or you can use almond paste. Directions Combine butter or margarine and cream cheese and blend well. Add the flours and xanthan or guar gum and mix well. Divide the dough into four pieces. Roll out each piece of dough between two pieces of waxed paper or plastic wrap. Roll the dough into a 12-inch circle. Place the rolled out circles, still between the waxed paper or plastic wrap, on top of each other on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet with the dough disks into the freezer until the dough is hard. Remove one dough disk from the freezer and place on a counter or cutting board. Peel off the waxed paper or plastic wrap from one side and put it right back down on top of the dough. Flip the dough and wrap over and remove the other sheet of waxed paper or plastic wrap and set aside. The first disk of dough I worked with I only peeled off the top piece of wrap and the dough stuck too much on the bottom. Removing the wrap from the bottom and them replacing it before flipping it over worked much better. Spread 2-3 tablespoons full of jam of choice, or almond paste, onto the circle of dough. Leave a 1-inch border of dough at the edge. Next sprinkle the sugar cinnamon mixture over the jam or almond paste circle. Then sprinkle with the chopped nuts. Lastly, sprinkle with the raisins or chocolate chips, if desired. All of my disks were sprinkled with cinnamon, sugar and walnuts. I varied the four disks by using apricot jam on two, making one with raisins and one plain. I made the other two disks with raspberry jam and used chocolate chips with one and the other without. You can use whatever jam or filling you wish. Cut each circle of dough into 12-16 slices (depending upon the size you prefer) using a pastry or pizza cutter or a knife. Starting at the wide end of each slice roll the dough towards the point. Repeat with each slice until done. Place the formed cookies onto a baking sheet lined with waxed paper and return to the freezer until hard. You can store the formed frozen cookies in a plastic bag until ready to bake. Repeat this process with each dough disk. When ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Arrange the rugelach 2 inches apart on a silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Makes 48 cookies (if each dough disk is cut into 12 pieces). Makes 64 smaller cookies (if each dough disk is cut into 16 pieces).

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