I spent a good portion of my formative years at my grandparents house, playing gin rummy and listening to big band music. Now Gia (that's what I call my grandmother) has always had a sweet tooth and while she eschewed mainstream goodies like sugary cereal and Oreos, you were sure to find certain staples in her house at all times- Hershey's kisses (only in the fridge), Stella Doro cookies, Entenmann's pound cake, and rugelach from the Publix Bakery. I grew to prefer these mysterious "grown-up" pastries and I wondered, could this week's recipe measure up to the tastes of my childhood?This recipe seriously blew my away! One bite and I was instantly transported back to my grandparents kitchen table. These cookies were rich, but light and flaky at the same time, and not overly sweet. I made half the batch with the traditional apricot jam layer, then added bittersweet chocolate, almonds and cranberries.
The second batch I traded the jam for Nutella and then sprinkled them with more bittersweet chocolate and almonds.
Simpler times in our life tend to disappear as we get older- simple pleasures overshadowed by worry over jobs, the economy, and the health of our family members. The next time I start to fret I think I'll take a breath, put on some Benny Goodman, and make a batch of rugelach. And then maybe quick someone's butt in gin rummy!
8 comments:
Your cookies look great! I had never made or tasted rugelach before and after reading the recipe I realized that my grandmother had made something similar back in the day! I love it when a baked good can bring back fond memories! :)
What a wonderful memory to have of rugelach! Yours look wonderful, and I'm glad they didn't disappoint.
i love when desserts take us back to childhood! :) that is a lovely story, and i'm glad the recipe lived up to your memories. they look wonderful:)
Yum! I used Nutella also. They were awesome.
Hershey's Kisses in the fridge – yes. I'm going to have to try these.
These are so much better than the rugelach I've been eating my whole life. I have got to try that Nutella variation.
So glad these lived up to (and passed) your expectations.
Nothing better than a good grandparents memory.
Your rugelach look very nice... very neat, and that's saying something!
How wonderful that these brought back good memories! They certainly look great.
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