Best. Day. Ever

Cherry day. The day when cherries first arrive at the market is one of the happiest days of the year. I am often cheap, but no price is too great for sweet ripe cherries. I once went for 2 days eating nothing but fresh cherries. I got sick, but I have no regrets. 

I love rugelach. It is a household favorite. And it's different every time. Use what you have on hand. I use various mixes of jam, fruit, nuts and chocolate. Real rugelach is made with cream cheese or non-dairy dough. I didn't have any

 butter, but I had some ready made pie crust. No one has to know the difference. 

Fake Rugelach

 2 pie crusts (or cream cheese dough if you want to be a show off)

fresh pitted cherries cut in half ( about 1.5 cups)

apricot or other jam

chocolate chips

sliced almonds

To pit cherries, I use a paperclip flattened then bent in half. Go in through the stem end, make a circle and pop out the pit. This is the fastest way I know. 

Roll out your pie crust on your cookie sheet. Spread on the jam in a thin layer. (You could use preserves and leave out fresh fruit. That'd just be silly, but you could.) Sprinkle cherries, chips and nuts on the crust leaving the center bare. Using a pizza cutter, slice the pie into triangle. Roll them up from the outside, like croissants. give a little press to seal. Space evenly. Put in a 350 degree oven till done. 

Make sure your cookie sheet is lined, as the jam will go everywhere and caramelize, which is tasty, but an absolute mess. A silicone bake sheet is perfect. 

Also try:

apple preserves, cinnamon, craisins & pecans

strawberry jam, plums & dark chocolate