Mrs. Wheelbarrow's Rugelach

Hear ye, hear ye: Longtime Food52er MrsWheelbarrow has come out with a beautiful new cookbook! All week long, she will be sharing recipes from Mrs. Wheelbarrow's Practical Pantry and giving us new ways to use up the preserves in our cupboards. And we're giving away a copy each day -- so you can finally get over your fear of preserving.

Today: A rolled cookie perfect for using up whatever jam and nuts you have on hand. (Bonus: They freeze beautifully.)

If I could only eat one cookie for the rest of my life, it would be rugelach -- there is so much to love about these rolled-up nuggets. If you’re anything like me and might have a hard time stopping at one, two, or three, you can store the unbaked cookies in an airtight container in the freezer, then remove just what you want to eat and bake (a toaster oven works fine). Make the cream cheese dough ahead; it needs to chill well, or it will be challenging under a rolling pin. Work quickly when rolling, slicing, and forming the cookies to keep the dough cold. Then freeze the unbaked rugelach for another few hours. They must be chilled before baking, or the very rich dough will lose its shape in the oven. 

More: If you're in a savory mood, spread your jam atop focaccia instead.

The filling recipe uses only preserves, nuts, and bread crumbs, so the flavor possibilities are endless. Omit the nuts if you wish, but I like them for the texture they bring to this sweet, silky, crunchy treat. Any preserves will work, but the best results come from smooth jam. If you want to use a jam that is loose and runny or has large chunks of fruit, blend, be sure to chop or crush the fruit and warm the jam to create a thicker, smoother texture, then cool it completely before using. 

Mrs. Wheelbarrow's Rugelach

Makes 16 cookies

For the dough:

4 ounces cream cheese
4 ounces unsalted butter
4 1/4 ounces all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

For the filling:

1/4 cup toasted nuts 
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons soft, fresh bread crumbs
1 egg yolk, beaten
4 ounces any preserves 

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

Photo by Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton

Every day this week, we're giving away a copy of Mrs. Wheelbarrow's Practical Pantry! To win today's copy, tell us in the comments: How do you use up leftover jam? We'll choose winners this Friday, November 7th. (U.S. entrants only, please!) 

Update: Nogaga, pamelalee, littleknitter, lizzaljoelle, and Matteo Cavelier are our winners! We hope you enjoy your copies of Mrs. Wheelbarrow's Practical Pantry.