Eggplant Cinnamon Jam and Walnut Rugelach with Tahini Glaze

Active Time: 1 hrs 30 mins, Total Time: 6 hrs 25 mins, Yield: 36 cookies

Ingredients:

Dough

• 2 cups (about 8 1/2 ounces) of all-purpose flour, plus more for the work surface and hands

• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 (8 ounces) pkg. cream cheese, softened 1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened

• Eggplant and Walnut Filling

• 2 cups walnuts, toasted (about 7 ounces)

• 2 cups Eggplant Cinnamon Jam

• 1 tablespoon ground cardamom

• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)

Additional Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons date syrup, divided (see Note)

• 1 large egg, beaten

• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided

Tahini Glaze

• 2 tablespoons tahini (ground sesame seeds)

• 2 tablespoons boiling water, plus more as needed

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon), plus more as needed

• 1 1/2 cups (about 6 ounces) of powdered sugar, sifted and divided

Directions:

1. Prepare the Dough: Whisk together flour, salt, cardamom, and cinnamon in a medium bowl; set aside. Beat cream cheese and butter with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on high speed until smooth, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Reduce mixer speed to low; add one-third flour mixture. Beat on low speed until the flour mixture is incorporated, about 20 seconds. Repeat the process twice with the remaining flour mixture, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Increase mixer speed to medium-high, and beat until Dough is as smooth as possible, about 1 minute. If necessary, knead Dough in a bowl until it comes together.

2. Roll Dough into a thick log on a well-floured surface using floured hands. Cut into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball; flatten it into a circular disk. Wrap disks separately in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.

3. Prepare the Eggplant Cinnamon and Walnut Filling: Process walnuts, Eggplant Cinnamon Jam, cardamom, and lemon zest in a food processor until nuts are finely chopped but not a paste, 20 to 30 seconds, stopping to scrape down sides of the bowl as needed. If needed add up to 1/2 a cup of date syrup, and process to combine, 5 to 10 seconds. Transfer to an airtight container, and refrigerate until ready to use.

4. Assemble the rugelach: Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Working in 3 batches, remove 1 pastry disk from the refrigerator. Place the disk on a floured surface, and sprinkle the dough with flour. Roll Dough into an 11-inch round, lifting and moving Dough as you roll to prevent sticking. (It’s fine if the round is a little rough around the edges.)

5. Brush the Dough with 2 tablespoons of date syrup. Using a dough cutter or the back of a knife, cut the dough round into 12 equal triangles. Take one-third of the Filling out of the refrigerator. Spoon 1 tablespoon of Filling onto each triangle, spreading and leaving about an 1/8-inch border at the ends and edges of the triangle. Starting from the wide end of each triangle, roll up each piece to the point; place on a prepared baking sheet, point side down. Chill rolled cookies until firm, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.

6. Lightly brush the top of each cookie with beaten egg, and sprinkle cookies evenly with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Bake in preheated oven until tops are golden and bottoms are browned, 25 to 28 minutes, rotating the baking sheet from front to back after 10 minutes of baking. Check cookie bottoms after 20 minutes of baking, and if necessary, place the baking sheet on top of another baking sheet to slow browning. Carefully transfer cookies and parchment paper to a wire rack, and let cool completely, for about 1 hour. Baked cookies may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.

7. Prepare the Tahini Glaze: Whisk together tahini, boiling water, lemon juice, and 3/4 cup of powdered sugar in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in the remaining 3/4 cup sugar until the glaze is very thick. (Glaze should not be runny but still thin enough to be drizzled off the tines of a fork.) Add additional boiling water or powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon at a time, as needed for desired consistency.

8. Using a fork, drizzle glaze evenly over cooled cookies. Let glaze dry at room temperature, for 1 to 2 hours. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, separating layers with wax paper or parchment paper.

Notes: If date syrup is not available, substitute 2 tablespoons honey and 2 tablespoons lemon juice.

If the dough has chilled for more than a few hours, test to see if it will crack when rolled out. If it cracks, let the dough stand for 10 to 20 minutes until it can be smoothly rolled out. Do not let the dough warm up to room temperature.

To Make Ahead: Dough and walnut Eggplant Cinnamon filling may be made 1 day ahead of time. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, and place the filling in an airtight container; store in the refrigerator. Tahini glaze can be made 1 day in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container. Let glaze come to room temperature, and stir well, adding boiling water by the teaspoon as needed for desired consistency.

Eggplant Cinnamon Jam and Walnut Rugelach with Tahini Glaze