Date-Walnut Rugelach

For dough:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour (sift before measuring)
1/2 teaspoon salt


For filling:

8 ounces pitted dates (approx. 1 1/3 cups)
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

confectioners' sugar for rolling out dough

Make dough: In a food processor blend butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add flour and salt. Pulse just until mixture forms a ball. Form dough into a log. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.

Make filling: Finely chop dates and walnuts. Using your hands, toss fruit and nuts together in a bowl. Add sugar, cinnamon and vanilla and continue tossing until combined well.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut dough log crosswise into 8 equal pieces. Work 1 piece at a time in the manner described below, keeping the remaining pieces covered and chilled.

On work surface sprinkled with confectioners' sugar, using a rolling pin dusted with more confectioners' sugar, roll out piece of dough into 8-inch round. Cut round into eight wedges, but keep round intact.

Sprinkle 1/3 cup filling in a ring leaving a 1-inch border around the perimeter of the dough round. Press filling gently into dough. Working with one wedge at a time, roll up filling in pastry, jelly-roll fashion, folding up sides of the pastry to enclose the filling. Transfer rugelach, pointed ends down, to ungreased baking sheets. Make more rugelach in the same manner.

Bake rugelach in batches in upper and lower thirds of the oven, switching places halfway through baking until golden, 15-20 minutes total. Transfer rugelach to racks to cool completely.

Rugelach will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.

Source: "Sugar and Spice" Gourmet