Pumpkin Butter and Caramelized Fig Rugelach

Can you believe October is half way over? And more importantly Halloween is only two weeks away?!?! I’ve got lots of work to do on my costume. Do you have yours picked out yet? If you’re new around here, I’m obsessed with Halloween. I’ve been busy with trips to Seattle, ACL (a local music festival) and general merriment and it kinda snuck up on me. Per usual, I make my annual quest to look smokin’ in some unitard October 31st contraption by whipping up some fall cookies. But OMG these Pumpkin Butter and Caramelized Fig Rugelach are worth it. I made my own pumpkin butter, and you can slather that stuff on anything. Yogurt, toast, your boyfriend. No judging here. Let’s make some rugelach!

First, make the rugelach dough. Cream together butter, cream cheese and yogurt with a hand mixer or stand mixer until light and fluffy. Then add in sugar, flour, vanilla and cinnamon. Keep mixing to form a sticky dough and all ingredients are combined. Divide the dough into four even balls balls and then flatten into disks. Wrap in saran wrap and chill for two hours or overnight. To make pumpkin butter, in a large saucepan, combine pumpkin, orange juice, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar and vanilla in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil while mixing well. Reduce heat, and let simmer for 20-30 minutes until thick, stirring often. Set aside to cool. To caramelize figs, place a rack in the oven about 3 inches from the heat and preheat the broiler. Arrange the figs in a foil lined rimmed cookie sheet and sprinkle sugar evenly. Broil for 3-5 minutes until the sugar is melted.

When you are ready to make rugelach, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out each ball on a floured surface into a circle, keeping the other balls in the fridge until you are ready for them. Use a 12-inch bowl to trim evenly if you are anal about even cookies! Spread a thin layer of cooled pumpkin butter on the circle, sprinkle with chopped figs, sugar and pecans. 

Cut the circle into 12 triangles. Roll up each triangle from the wide end, and secure the tip into the cookie so you have a little spiral. Place cookies on a sheet, wash with egg, sprinkle with more sugar, chill for another hour, and bake for 25 minutes or until golden.

Cool on a cooling rack- if you can wait. And then dig in!

Pumpkin is a veggie, figs are a fruit, so let’s call this a health food, shall we?

Pumpkin Butter and Caramelized Fig Rugelach

Amy Kritzer

Classic rugelach with a fall twist with homemade pumpkin butter and caramelized figs!

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Jewish

Servings 48 cookies

Ingredients

  

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• For Rugelach:
• ½ cup of sugar plus more for sprinkling
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, cold, cut into chunks
• 6 oz cream cheese cold, cut into chunks
• ⅓ cup sour cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 egg yolks and 1 teaspoon water for egg wash
• 1 cup pecans finely chopped
• For Pumpkin Butter:
• 1 15- ounce can pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cups brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• For Caramelized Figs:
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 12 fresh figs halved lengthwise

Instructions

 

• Place flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Then add cold butter, cream cheese, sour cream and vanilla in a food processor and pulse just until combined. You should have a crumbly dough. Do not overmix.
• (If you don't have a food processor, let butter and cream cheese come to room temperature. With a stand or hand mixer with beater attachment or a whisk, cream together butter, cream cheese and sugar just until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Then add in sour cream, vanilla and salt and combine. Lastly, add in flour and cinnamon and mix with a spoon or your hands just until combined. This method will lead to a chewier rugelach vs. the flakier cookie with cold ingredients.)
• Lightly flour a clean surface and dump dough onto the surface. Divide the dough into four equal sized balls (I use a scale) and flatten each into a disk. Dough will be slightly sticky. Wrap each disk in saran wrap and chill for two hours or overnight. It also freezes well for up to 2 months.
• To make pumpkin butter, in a large saucepan, combine pumpkin, orange juice, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar and vanilla in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil while mixing well. Reduce heat, and let simmer for 20-30 minutes until thick, stirring often. Set aside to cool.
• To caramelize figs, place a rack in the oven about 3 inches from the heat and preheat the broiler. Arrange the figs in a foil lined rimmed cookie sheet and sprinkle sugar evenly. Broil for 3-5 minutes until the sugar is melted. Cool and chop roughly.
• When you are ready to make rugelach, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Roll out each ball on a lightly-floured surface into a 1/8 inch thick circle about 9-10 inches in diameter, keeping the other balls in the fridge until you are ready for them. Make sure to use enough flour so the dough doesn't stick.
• Spread a thin layer of cooled pumpkin butter on the circle, sprinkle with chopped figs, sugar and pecans.
• Cut the circle into 12 triangles with a pizza cutter or sharp knife. Roll up each triangle from the wide end, and secure the tip into the cookie so you have a little spiral. Place cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheet point side down, freeze for 30 minutes to prevent spreading. Combine egg yolks with water and wash rugelach with an egg wash. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Cool on a cooling rack.

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