This sweet cinnamon and pecan-filled rugelach is a traditional Jewish and German tasty croissant-like cookie. The recipe, straight from a handwritten index card featured in Kugels and Collards: Stories of Food, Family, and Tradition in Jewish South Carolina (University of South Carolina, Press 2023), makes room for alterations and additions, something that authors Rachel Gordin Barnett and Lyssa Kligman Harvey acknowledge that what was written on the recipe card was not always what was done in the kitchen. Pair the light, buttery dough with a filling of cinnamon and pecans as the recipe calls, or add some raisins, vanilla, citrus, or nutmeg.
recipe 
yields
Makes 2 to 3 dozen cookies
3 cups flour
1 package dry yeast
1 cup margarine
2 egg yolks
1 cup sour cream
1 cup ground pecans
1 cup sugar
1½-2 teaspoons cinnamon
¼ cup white raisins (optional)
For the dough
For the filling
steps
Make the dough:
- Mix dry yeast and flour. Cut margarine into pieces and add to mixture. Add egg yolks and sour cream. Combine and form mixture into ball. Wrap in clear wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
- Mix filling ingredients in a separate bowl and set aside.
Prepare:
- Roll dough out into flat disks. Cut disks into wedges and place filling on top. Roll into crescents. (Pro tip: Barnett and Harvey experiment with splitting dough for the disks as well as the size of the crescents. Each batch should make 2-3 dozen pastries, each 2-3 inches long.)
- On a cookie sheet, bake crescents at 325 degrees until golden brown, around 30 to 45 minutes.
Date Published: 09.07.23
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Recipe By
Excerpted from Kugels and Collards: Stories of Food, Family, and Tradition in Jewish South Carolina by Rachel Gordin Barnett and Lyssa Kligman Harvey. (University of South Carolina Press). Copyright © 2023.
