Thoughts:

 This recipe comes from a very dear family friend, Dina Jacobson. She makes it for her family, and even made large batches of it herself recently for her 90th birthday party. She learned it from her mother, which makes it profound, because Dina lost her entire family in the Holocaust. But this recipe is so filled with love and happiness that it’s sometimes amazing to think that it has any remote connection to such a horrible event.

The finished rugelah are simple, yet temptingly addictive. Soft dough that puffs slightly in the oven, not too sweet, but bursting with cinnamon. They are so small that you’ll find yourself thinking, “Oh, I’ll just have one or two more,” and swiping quite a few more than that.

In our family, they’re a favorite, and every time we eat them,

We will remember.

Dina’s Rugelah Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 stick butter, soft
• 1 block cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 cup sugar, divided
• 1 Tbs. cinnamon

Cream together the butter, cream cheese, and 1/4 sugar. Combine the baking powder and flour, and add to the first mixture. Blend thoroughly, using your hands. When the dough completely pulls together, roll out onto a slightly floured surface to a thinness of around 1/8″. Sprinkle with the cinnamon and remaining sugar, and spread out with your hands until the dough is covered evenly.

Cut the dough into small triangles, as below, roughly 1.5″x3″. Don’t worry about making the pieces perfect: they’ll all still be delicious! Roll each triangle like a croissant, curving the ends around slightly, and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 350F for 15 minutes, until the ends of each rugelah are just golden.