Rugelach Dough

• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour and salt. Pulse to mix well.
  2 cups all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• Add the butter and cream cheese cubes. Pulse 3-4 times to mix, then pulse for 30 seconds just until the dough starts to clump together.
  1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed, 8 ounces cream cheese, cold and cubed
• Turn out the dough and divide into 3 equal portions. Shape each portion into a disk shape and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
• Place the pecans in an even layer in a medium skillet over medium low heat.
  ¾ cups pecans, finely chopped
• Cook the pecans stirring frequently until they are golden brown and aromatic, about 3-5 minutes.
• Remove the pecans from the heat. Set aside to cool completely.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the apple butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
  1 cup apple butter, ½ cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon cloves
• Preheat the oven to 350F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the dough disks into a 10" circle.
• Spread ⅓ of the apple butter of the surface of the dough with an offset spatula.
• Sprinkle ¼ cup of the pecans over the apple butter mixture. Lightly press the nuts into the apple butter mixture so they don't fall out when shaping.
• Cut the dough into 12 equal wedges using a pizza cutter.
• Starting at the wider end of each wedge, roll the cookies into a log shape, tucking the end under the bottom of each cookie.
• Place the cookies 2" apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon of water.
  1 large egg
• Using a pastry brush, brush the tops of the cookies with the egg wash. Sprinkle the cookies with demerara sugar.
  ¼ cup demerara, turbinado or raw sugar, for sprinkling
• Repeat steps 9-16 for the remaining two dough disks. Chill the cookies in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Bake the cookies for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown, rotating the pans halfway through baking.
• Cool completely on the pans. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days