Thanksgivukkah ruggelach pinwheels

Sometimes my mind works in weird ways.  I made those ruggelach pinwheels the other day, and they were good.  Really good.  So what did I do?  I went back and made more dough to make "Thanksgivukkah Rugglach Pinwheels" - this time substituting craisins and pecans for the original raisins and walnuts.  Although instantaneously, my Thanksgivukkah variety seemed to make perfect sense, I had to pause for a moment.  The original ruggelach pinwheels are so freakin' amazing that I really had to think about whether I wanted to tempt fate and try to improve on something so amazing.  I rationalized for a while, and then decided that I wasn't trying to improve them but rather try something different.  So I went for it....

For the Thanksgivukkah Ruggelach Pinwheels, I substituted even amounts of craisins and pecans for the original ingredients.  I was slightly concerned that craisins are slightly more dry than raisins, and that that might change the consistency of the ruggelach, but didn't want to try plumping them up (by soaking them), so I just went with the craisins as they are.



And it was totally worth it.  They were super tasty.  Now I just have to decide if the next time I make these Thanksgivukkah-ified Ruggelach Pinwheels, I should add a pinch of ground ginger or not...


Ruggelach Pinwheels - Thanksgivukkah-ified
Original recipe from SmittenKitchen, modified by yours truly.

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups sifted bleached all-purpose flour

Filling:

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup craisins, chopped
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup apricots preserves, heated and cooled slightly
I have to say, I debated adding a pinch of ground ginger into these, but held off....for now.  Baby steps ;-)

Topping:

1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:

Place cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth and creamy.
Add sugar and continue processing until fully incorporated.
Add flour and pulse just until dough comes together.
Divide dough into 2 equal pieces, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Meanwhile, make filling.
In a medium bowl, mix together granulated and brown sugar, cinnamon, craisins, and pecans; set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 piece of dough into a rectangle about 1/8-inch thick.
My tip: roll the dough between two floured pieces of parchment paper.
BEFORE going any further, slightly flour the up side of dough and transfer the rolled out dough onto a piece of saran wrap by flipping it over (the floured side will now be down.
Spread a thin layer of preserves over dough, I use a pastry brush to make sure it is evenly distributed.
Sprinkle with filling mixture.
Roll dough into a log beginning with one of the long sides.  This is where the dough being on saran wrap helps.  The dough is pretty soft by now, and rolling can be a little bit difficult.  UNLESS its already on the saran wrap.  You can use the plastic wrap to aid in rolling, making sure that the roll is tight (less filling lost later), and it makes it much easier for the next step.
Wrap rolled dough in plastic wrap.
Transfer dough log baking sheet.
Repeat process with remaining piece of dough.
Place dough logs in refrigerator; let chill at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
Mix together the cinnamon and sugar for the topping; set aside.

Slice chilled dough logs crosswise, about 1/4 inch thick.
Toss each cookie in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Place cookies 3 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
Bake until lightly browned, 18 to 20 minutes.
Lift parchment paper from baking sheets and transfer to a wire cooling rack; let cool.