Sarabeth's Rugelach

Ingredients

• 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons superfine sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• Approximately 1/2 cup raspberry or apricot preserves
• Confectioners' sugar, for serving
• For the filling:
• 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 1 tablespoon superfine sugar
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. In the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed until smooth and uniform, pausing once or twice to scrape the bowl well, about 2 minutes. Add the superfine sugar, vanilla and salt, and beat them in. Turn the mixer to low. Mix in 1¼ cups of the flour just until it disappears, then do the same with the remaining 1 cup of flour. Be gentle here; you do not want to overwork the dough.
2. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Dust your hands generously with flour, then knead the dough very briefly, just until everything is evenly worked through, about 10 seconds. Cut the dough into thirds. Pat each piece into a 1-inch-thick disk, wrap each one in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold and firm, about 2 hours.
3. For the filling, stir together the walnuts, superfine sugar, brown sugar, cocoa and cinnamon in a small bowl, then set it aside.
4. Arrange racks in the center and top third of the oven, then heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two half-sheet pans with parchment paper.
5. Take out one disk of dough at a time and unwrap it on a lightly floured work surface. Flour the top, then roll the dough into a 13-inch-diameter circle. With a small offset metal spatula, cover the dough with about 2 tablespoons of the preserves, leaving a 2-inch-diameter clear spot in the middle and a 1-inch rim around the outside. Scatter about 2 tablespoons of the filling mixture over the jam. Use a sharp pizza wheel or a large knife to slice the circle into quarters, then divide each quarter into 3 wedges, making a total of 12 wedges. Working one piece at a time from the wide side, tuck the corners in about ¼ inch, then roll it up. Do not wind the rugelach too snugly, or the jam and filling can push out. Try to keep the outsides clean of jam and filling, since those spots can scorch, and wipe your fingers after each cookie so the sticky filling does not get carried onto the next one. Set the rugelach on the pans about 1 inch apart, with the pointed end underneath. Bend the ends slightly toward the point so each cookie forms a crescent. Repeat the same rolling, filling, cutting and shaping with the other two disks of dough.
6. Bake until the rugelach are lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Let them cool completely on the pans.