Twisters (Rugelach-Style Cookies)

Sandra's wonderful Jewish cookies: a rich yeast dough chilled overnight, rolled in cinnamon sugar and nuts, cut into wedges and rolled into crescents. Always makes 64.

Vegetarian

Contains: egg, wheat. Based on the ingredients as written; check package labels, which can change.

From the recipe book of Sandra Mills, a Le Cordon Bleu-trained cook in our family.

Plate of rolled crescent-shaped rugelach-style cookies with cinnamon sugar and nuts
  • Prep 1 hr
  • Cook 25 min
  • Chill dough overnight 12 hr
  • Total 13 hr 25 min
  • Yield 64 cookies

Updated

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Sandra Mills calls these wonderful Jewish cookies, and notes the recipe always makes 64. A tender dough of flour, melted margarine, eggs, vanilla and yeast chills overnight, then each quarter is rolled out right on a bed of cinnamon sugar and chopped nuts.

Cut into sixteen wedges and rolled up from the wide end like rugelach, they bake into crisp, cinnamon-y twists, and they freeze very well.

Ingredients

  • 1 packet of dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup warm (not hot) water
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 cups of flour
  • 1/2 pound melted margarine
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 beaten eggs
  • Cinnamon sugar: 1 tablespoon cinnamon mixed with 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup chopped nuts

Flour for this recipeKing Arthur Baking Company makes all-purpose, bread, whole wheat and gluten-free flours.

Shop King Arthur flour

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Instructions

  1. Proof. Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar into the warm water, sprinkle the yeast on top and let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.
  2. Make the dough. In a medium bowl, put the flour, melted margarine, vanilla and eggs. Add the yeast and mix until all the flour is combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
  3. Roll. Cut the dough into quarters and work one piece at a time. Spread 1/4 of the cinnamon sugar and 1/4 cup nuts on a board and roll the dough out, pressing it into the cinnamon and nuts.
  4. Cut. Cut the dough into halves, then quarters, then eighths and finally sixteenths.
  5. Shape. Roll each piece from the outside edge to the narrow point. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet with the point turned under.
  6. Bake. Bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes. They freeze very well in zip-lock bags.

Vegetarian

Tips

  • Keep the other quarters of dough refrigerated while you work with one.

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