For bakers, the winter holidays are an annual opportunity (I call it my “Super Bowl”) to treat our families, neighbors and friends to a wide assortment of cookies and sweets. Some recipes are sure to make a regular appearance, but you will definitely want to add Honey Pecan Rugelach Bars to this year’s line-up.
Based on the classic recipe, this streamlined version switches out the individually shaped cookies for a layered, bar-style cookie. Same tender, melt-in-your-mouth dough (with a honey-nut filling laced with cinnamon and chocolate), but without the time-consuming rolling and shaping. As an added bonus, you get 40 cookies out of one pan and that’s a lot of rugelach.
The cream cheese-butter dough whizzes together in the food processor, but you don’t have to bring it together into a ball or other shape – you leave the dough in soft, small crumbles. Once divided, half of the crumbles are pressed into the bottom of the lined pan (use plastic wrap and a flat-bottomed cup/glass to keep it from sticking to your fingers) to form the base layer while the remaining portion is loosely scattered on top of the filling.
The star of these cookies is definitely the filling. Toasted pecans paired with honey, butter and brown sugar plus a hint of chocolate and cinnamon makes for a winning combo. The flavors mingle and support each other beautifully. If you’d like a bigger punch of spice, feel free to add more cinnamon (up to an additional 1/4 teaspoon) or a dash of nutmeg or cloves. Same goes for the chocolate – add up to an additional 1/4 cup. Don’t be tempted to go up much further on the chocolate – you still want the toasty pecan-honey-cinnamon combo to take the front seat.
P.S. In case you had any doubts about how great this recipe is, some early reviews by cross-testers are in:
“Those rugelach bars are classy, elegant and delicious.”
“First rate!!”
“A keeper!”
To round out my Cook the Vineyard cookie box, I’m making Lemon Ginger Butter Cookies, Chocolate Rocky Road Cookies, Gingerbread Cutout Cookies and a few more from Cook The Vineyard’s cookie archives.
Let us know what you are planning for your cookie collections this year. Wishing everyone a happy and healthy holiday season and we’ll see you in 2025 for another fun year of Baking Together!
Kitchen Notes
Vary the Nuts
Substitute almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts or a combination in place of the pecans. Just make sure they’re fresh, and don’t skip the all-important toasting.
Pulse the Dough
Use short pulses so as not to overwork the dough. You’re looking for soft, small crumbles of dough without a trace of visible butter or cream cheese. These fluffy crumbles are just the right consistency to make a tender base layer along with a light, melt-in-your mouth topping.
Trim the Edges
I trim away the darker edges before cutting into bars and save the trimmings for family nibblers (they disappear quickly). I do this only because I think they look more consistent as well as a bit prettier, but this step is optional.
Vary the Shape
While I cut these into bar cookies, they can be cut into small squares or even triangles.
Chill for Easy Cutting
For easy removal and cutting, refrigerate the pan until chilled and firm, 30 to 45 minutes. Use the foil or parchment edges on the sides to lift the cookie from the pan. Carefully peel away the foil or parchment and set on a cutting board. Trim the edges, if desired. Cut crosswise into 5 equal strips and then cut each strip into 8 rectangles. Dust lightly with confectioners’ sugar just before serving, if desired.
Make Ahead
Cookies can be stored, layered between waxed or parchment paper, in an airtight container at room temperature up to 4 days or frozen up to 1 month.
