Apricot and Pistachio Rugelach

PersonalPoints™ per serving

Total Time: 52 min

Prep: 30 min

Cook: 12 min

Serves: 24

Easy

Refrigerated crescent roll dough makes these classic Jewish cookies a snap to prepare. You can have all of them ready to go in under an hour. The dried apricots are flavored with a simple combination of lemon zest and brandy. Pistachios and a bit of demerara sugar add lovely crunch. The rugelach can also be shaped into crescents. Here's how to do it: After topping the dough, cut it into 24 triangles, roll, arrange on baking sheet, and curve the ends. Customize the filling by using your favorite kind of dried fruit and nuts. You can also experiment with reduced-sugar fruit preserves.

Ingredients:

½ cup dried apricot halves
1 strip lemon zest
1 tbsp Brandy
8 oz crescent roll dough
½ tsp Ground cinnamon
¼ cup shelled pistachio nuts, finely chopped
1 large egg white, lightly beaten with a pinch of salt
2 tsp Demerara sugar

Instructions

Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add apricots and zest; cover and remove from heat. Set aside 15 minutes to soften. Discard zest; drain apricots, reserving a few tsp of water.
Add apricots and brandy to a mini chopper or food processor; process until smooth, adding a tsp or two of reserved water, if necessary, to loosen mixture. Set aside to cool completely.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Unroll dough onto a large sheet of waxed paper. Press perforations and seams together. Cover with a second sheet of wax paper. Roll to a roughly 8- X 16-inch rectangle.
Spread dough with apricot mixture, sprinkle with cinnamon and top with pistachios. Cut dough in half lengthwise. Cut each half into 12 strips widthwise to make 24 pieces.
Roll each piece of dough into a little bundle; arrange on prepared baking sheet. Brush with egg white; sprinkle with sugar. Bake until golden, about 12 minutes.
Serving Size: 1 cookie