Candy Cane Coffee Cake
Ingredients:
- 2 packages (¼ ounce each) active dry yeast
- ½ cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
- 2 cups warm sour cream (110 to 115 degrees)
- 6 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 5¾ to 6¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups finely chopped dried apricots
- 1½ cups finely chopped maraschino cherries
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- Additional cherries, halved
Directions:
- In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Beat in the sour cream, 4 tablespoons butter, sugar, eggs, salt, and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
- Turn onto a floured surface; kneed until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour
- Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into thirds. Roll each portion onto a 14-in. x 7-in. rectangle on a greased baking sheet.
- Combine apricots and cherries; spoon down the center of each rectangle. On each long side, cut 3/4 – in.-wide strips about 2 in. into center. Starting at one end, fold alternating strips at an angle across filling. Pinch ends to seal. Curve top.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Melt remaining butter; brush over warm coffee cakes. Combine confectioners’ sugar and cold water until smooth; drizzle over the tops. Garnish with additional cherries.
From: Taste of Home
Rugelach
Ingredients:
For the Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup plain unsweetened coconut or soy yogurt
For the Basic Filling
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
Variations
- Raspberry = 3 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam
- Chocolate = ¼ cup finely chopped bittersweet chocolate
- Raisin = ¼ cup chopped raisins
Directions:
Prepare the Dough
- In a very large mixing bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add the coconut oil in small clumps. Use a pastry cutter to cut the oil into the flour until pea-size crumbs have formed. Add the applesauce and yogurt and mix to form a stiff dough.
- Divide the dough into four equal parts, then form them into four disks. Wrap each disk with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
For the Fillings
- In a food processor, pulse together the sugar, cinnamon, and walnuts until it is tiny crumbs.
- Roll disks into a 9-inch circle one at a time for best results, leaving the others in the refrigerator until their turn
For Classic Filling
- Sprinkle some cinnamon mixture all over the disk, leaving about ½ inch space at the edges.
For Raspberry Filling
- Spread a thin layer of raspberry jam over the disk, leaving about ½ inch space at the edges, then sprinkle on some cinnamon mixture.
For Chocolate Filling:
- Scatter the chopped chocolate over the disk, leaving about ½ inch space at the edges, then sprinkle on some cinnamon mixture.
For Raisin Filling:
- Sprinkle some cinnamon mixture all over the disk, leaving about ½ inch space at the edges, then scatter on the chopped raisins.
Now comes the fun/tedious part. Have ready a large rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment. Use a pizza cutter to cut each round into 12 wedges, like a pizza pie. Roll each triangle from the base up to the point to form the rugelach. Place the rolled rugelach on the prepared baking sheet and put it in the refrigerator while you continue to prepare each disk.
When all the cookies are formed, let them chill for another 15 minutes in the fridge.
From: The Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz