Boys of Cooking

A savory cookie: it’s just the thing that Evan dreams about, and these are absolutely scrumptious.

Makes 32 pieces

Place in the large bowl of an electric mixer

• 1 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Beat on low speed to blend ingredients. Add

• 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, softened

and mix until all the flour is incorporated and a soft dough forms, about 45 seconds. Add

• 2 tablespoons sour cream

continue mixing until a sticky dough forms, about 15 seconds. Divide into four equal parts and form each into a round disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least one hour or overnight.

Melt

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter

in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add

• 2 cups chopped onion

Cook for 10 minutes until the onions soften and the edges turn brown, stirring often. Put the onions in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool thoroughly. It is very important the onions cool before proceeding or the dough will melt.

Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375° F.

Melt

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Set aside.

Beat together

• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the dough packages from the refrigerator and unwrap them. If the dough has become cold and hard, let it sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes until it is easy to roll. Lightly flour the rolling surface and rolling pin. Roll one piece of dough into an 8-inch circle. Trim the edges evenly; the trimmed circle will be 7½ inches in diameter. Brush lightly with melted butter.

Leaving a ¾-inch plain border, use a thin spatula to spread ¼ cup of the cooled onion mixture evenly over the dough. Press the onions lightly into the dough. Use a large knife to cut the dough evenly into eight wedges. Roll each wedge up tightly from the wide edge to the point. Place, point side down, one inch apart, on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough to form 32 small rugelach. With a pastry brush, lightly brush the top of each with egg wash and then sprinkle with

• 1½ teaspoons sesame seeds

Bake about 20 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. After 10 minutes, reverse the baking sheet, front to back to insure even browning.  Any smaller-size rugelach, should you have any due to imprecise measuring or cutting, may need to come out of the oven a few minutes early. Transfer the rugelach immediately to a wire rack to cool thoroughly.

These may be frozen, unbaked, and you will have fresh, crisp and warm rugelach when you bake them. They may also be frozen after baking, in which case they can be reheated by first defrosting (for three hours) and then warmed on a baking sheet at 225° F for 10 minutes.

Adapted from 125 Cookies to Bake, Nibble and Savor, by Elinor Klivans