Pecan Pie Rugelach

Make the rugelach dough

1. If making the dough by hand, combine the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Cut the cold butter and cream cheese into the flour with the back of a fork or pastry blender until the flour is crumbly. In a small bowl, combine the bourbon, vanilla, and water and then add it to the flour mixture, a couple tablespoons at a time, tossing and compressing the mixture gently with your hands until it forms a ball, being careful not to overwork the dough. If making the dough in a food processor, combine the flour, salt, butter, and cream cheese in the processor and pulse until chickpea-sized balls are formed. Pour in the bourbon, vanilla, and water and pulse just until a dough forms and starts to pull away from the edge of the processor bowl.
2. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

Make the pecan pie filling

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Spread the pecans on the baking sheet and bake until the nuts are fragrant and toasted, about 10 minutes. Keep a careful watch as the pecans can go from just right to burnt very quickly. Remove the nuts from the oven and immediately transfer to a plate to cool slightly. Turn the oven off.
3. Pulse the cooled nuts in a blender or food processor until mealy but not finely ground or paste-like, about 30 seconds.
4. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together the brown sugar, butter, maple syrup, bourbon, vanilla, and salt and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the liquid thickens and starts to look like the foam on a just-poured beer and, when you stir it, you can see the bottom of the pan for a split second, 4 to 6 minutes.
5. Remove the pan from the heat and add the ground pecans and cayenne, if using. Let the mixture cool completely.
6. When the dough has chilled and the nuts and sugar have cooled and hardened, preheat the oven once again to 375°F (190°C) and line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

Assemble the rugelach

1. Lightly flour a rolling pin and a surface for rolling the dough. Remove the dough from the fridge, unwrap, and roll it out into a 1/8-inch (3-mm) thick rectangle about 15-by-8-inches (38-by-20-cm). Sprinkle half the nut mixture evenly over the dough, spreading the filling all the way to the edges.
2. Starting on a longer end of the dough, grasp the edge of the dough and gently but tightly roll it into a log. Cut it into 12 equal widths to create spirals. Place the spirals on the baking sheet, with one of the seam sides down, and then place in the freezer while you do the same with the other half of the dough and filling mixture. Freeze the rugelach for no more than 10 minutes.

Bake the rugelach

1. Bake the rugelach until the crust is golden and flaky, 20 to 25 minutes.☞ TESTER TIP: Leave your rugelach in the oven those extra 5 minutes only if you like your cookies to bear quite crisp edges.
2. Transfer the rugelach to a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.