Pecan Rueglach

Rugelach is a scrumptious Jewish pastry. Rugelach can have many different fillings, but I love pecans. These cookies have a slight tang from the cream cheese, which is one of my favorite parts. The filling is nutty, sweet, sightly spicy, with a hint of vanilla. I'm sure you could omit the nuts and replace it with more sugar if you dislike nuts. These pastries are best eaten the same day. I will not post anything new until New Year's Day, which is a Wednesday. I'll still answer any questions though. Makes 24 pastries.
Ingredients:
2 sticks (1 Cup) unsalted butter, softened
8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened. You may use light, but not fat-free
2 Cups flour
1/2 Cup (packed) brown sugar, light or dark.
1/2 Cup pecans or walnuts
1/2-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. I actuality doubled it, because I personally thought more was needed.
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Egg wash. 1 egg white and 1 teaspoon water; whisk together. Set aside
Brown sugar or granulated white sugar

1. Cream butter and cream cheese together, until smooth. Add the flour. Mix until the dough comes together in a ball. Divide dough in half. Wrap each half into discs about 1/2-inch thick. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. While dough is chilling, put the brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, and vanilla extract in a food processor. Process until the mixture is sandy.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease baking sheets with nonstick vegetable spray. Sprinkle flour on a rolling pin. working with one chilled disc at a time, roll the dough into a circle 1/8-1/4-inch thick. Cut the circle into 12 wedges, as if you were cutting a pizza.
4. Spread half of the nut mixture over the circle. Roll each wedge up, starting from the wide end. Place rugelach 1-inch apart on the baking sheet. Brush some egg wash on top of each cookie. Sprinkle the cookies with sugar. Do the same to the other disc.
5. Bake cookies for 25-30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Once cookies are done baking, cool on the sheet for 2 minutes. Remove the cookies, and let cool competently on wire racks.

From The Year of The Cookie--Rose Dunnington