The final installment. Sure, it's after Christmas but this is another of my Grandmother's recipes that I just couldn't resist posting. A bit perplexing, this one appears to be our family's take on rugelach. If I had to guess, I'd assume that the recipe dates back to my great-grandfather Vito Vaccarelli, a pastry chef.

Grandma Ann's Ragalachs

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup cream cheese, softened
1/4 teaspoon, salt
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 cups sifted flour
powdered sugar

Steps:

Mix butter, cream cheese and salt until creamy. Slowly add in flour until a soft dough forms.
Separate into 14 individual balls and refrigerate overnight.
Roll each ball into 6" circles and cut each into quarters.
In a bowl, mix together the nuts, sugar and cinnamon.
Drop a rounded teaspoon onto each quarter of dough and pinch together into triangles.
Bake for 12 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Dust with powdered sugar. My Grandmother used to put the finished product into shirt boxes lined with parchment paper and hide them under the sofa. Of course, we always knew exactly where they were and would sneak over to snatch a cookie or two whenever her back was turned. Happy New Year!

I'll be back next year with my favorite posts of 2011 and a few resolutions for 2012.