Babka is a sweet braided bread of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, prepared with a filling such as chocolate, cinnamon, fruit, or cheese.

Ingredients:
– 4 cups flour
– 2 tsp yeast
– 1 cup milk
– 1 tsp salt
– 1 tsp vanilla
– 1/4 cup sugar
– 1/4 cup honey
– 1 egg
– 2 egg yolks
– 150g butter

Cooking Instructions:
1. Combine the yeast and warm milk and let sit 5 minutes.
2. Whisk together the egg, egg yolks, vanilla, sugar, and honey.
3. Add in the yeast mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.
4. Gradually mix in the flour.
5. Add in the butter and mix well.
6. Cover with a towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
7. Knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth.
8. Divide the dough into two equal parts. Cover each with plastic wrap. Let the dough sit at room temperature for at least two hours.
9. Preheat oven to 190C.
10. Once the dough has doubled in size, roll the dough into a rectangle.
11. Cover the dough with a filling leaving 2cm on each side.
12. Roll the dough up.
13. Carefully cut each log vertically in half making sure the seam is side down.
14. Lay one piece of dough horizontally and lay another piece over it vertically so you have a ‘plus sign’.
15. Lay another piece horizontally over the vertical piece, above the other horizontal piece.
16. Lay the final piece vertically on the right of the other vertical piece.
17. Starting with the bottom vertical piece on the right side, bring it to the left layering it over the other vertical lower piece. Do this around the dough clockwise.
18. Once returned to the bottom lower vertical pieces, take the lower left vertical piece and cross that over to the right layering it over the last piece you used. Continue this counterclockwise until back at the bottom.
19. Tuck in the excess pieces of dough under the bread.
20. Transfer the bread into a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and brush with egg wash.
21. Bake for 35-45 minutes.

Rugelach is a sweet and flaky Jewish dessert, often served on Jewish holidays like Hanukkah and Shavuot.

Ingredients:
– 1 cup unsalted butter
– 250g cream cheese
– 1/4 cup sour cream
– 2 cups all purpose flour
– 1/4 tsp salt
– 1/2 cup granulated sugar
– 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans
– 1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
– 1/2 cup berry preserves (raspberry, strawberry, or blackberry)
– 1/4 cup brown sugar
– 1 egg
– 1 tsp water
– 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Cooking Instructions:
1. Pulse cold butter, cream cheese, sour cream, flour, salt and 2 tbsp sugar in a food processor until crumbly.
2. Divide the dough into four equal pieces and form four balls.
3. Cover each ball with plastic and place in the refrigerator. Refrigerate dough balls for at least 1 1/2 hours, for up to 48 hours.
4. Meanwhile, toast the chopped nuts until fragrant.
5. Add the toasted nuts into a food processor along with the chocolate chips, berry preserves, and brown sugar. Pulse together until a thick paste forms. Set aside.
6. Combine the cinnamon and 1/4 cup of sugar in a small bowl.
7. Beat an egg with water.
8. Preheat the oven to 180C.
9. Lightly flour a rolling surface and a rolling pin.
10. Take one dough ball out the refrigerator. Roll out the dough to about 1/3 cm thickness.
11. Lift the dough gently from the rolling surface and re-flour your surface beneath the dough.
12. Use a round 20cm cake pan to make a circle in the dough. Cut the dough into a large circle with the cake pan.
13. Take 1/4 of the filling and place it in the center of the circle, spreading it very thin. Leave about 2 cm around the edges of the circle.
14. Cut the circle into 8 or 12 equal triangles.
15. Roll each triangle, starting from the wide flat end and rolling towards the narrow point.
16. Press the end point into the cookie to secure it.
17. Place the rolled cookies onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, end point down. Leave 2 cm between the cookies.
18. Before baking, brush the top of each cookie with an egg wash, then lightly sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
19. Bake the cookies for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
20. Remove from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack.