Date and Almond Butter Rugelach

Makes 48 cookies

Dough

16 tablespoons (2 sticks; 226 grams) butter, at room temperature
1 cup (225 grams) full-fat cottage cheese, at room temperature
Note: Look for cottage cheese without added gums and stabilizers.
2 cups (272 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
½ teaspoon kosher salt

Filling

6 ounces (175 grams) pitted dates (about 10), chopped
¼ cup (64 grams) almond butter
2 tablespoons (25 grams) light or dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons (39 grams) maple syrup
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of kosher salt

Egg wash

1 large (50 grams) egg, beaten
Sanding sugar for sprinkling

For a dough

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and cottage cheese together until well combined, about 2 minutes.

Add the flour and salt and beat just until combined. Tip the dough out and divide it into 4 equal portions. (You will still be able to see some cottage cheese curds; that’s OK!)

Wrap each portion in plastic wrap and flatten into a disk. Chill the dough for at least 2 hours, and up to 2 days.

For the filling

Put the dates in a small bowl, pour enough boiling water over them to cover completely, and let them soak at room temperature for 10 minutes.

Note: Don’t skip the soaking step. It’s important to reintroduce enough moisture into the dried fruit to ensure it doesn’t rob moisture from the cookie itself. That goes for other recipes too!

Remove the dates from the water and transfer to a food processor. Add the almond butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt and process until smooth.

Preheat the oven to 350°F, with racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

On a floured surface, roll one disk of dough out into a 9½ -inch circle. Use a 9-inch plate to trim the dough to a perfect circle. Spread one quarter of the filling over the dough.

Cut it into 12 equal triangles. (I did 8). Starting from the outer edge of each triangle, roll the cookies up into crescents. Carefully transfer them to one of the prepared baking sheets.

Repeat with a second disk of dough and use the second baking sheet. (If at any point your dough gets too warm, transfer it to a baking sheet and pop it into the fridge for a few minutes.)

Carefully brush each crescent with the beaten egg and sprinkle with sanding sugar.

Bake the cookies for 18 to 22 minutes, or until they are set and golden brown, rotating the sheets halfway through. Transfer the pans to racks to cool completely. Once the baking sheets are cool, transfer the cookies to a separate rack and repeat the process with the remaining dough.

Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month.

Recipe from “Bake Smart" by SAMANTHA SENEVIRATNE