Let me make the case for second attempts.

flaky butter butter cream cheese butter. OMG.Gluten-free Rugelach, round two. I used Gluten-free Girl’s recipe (again), with massive, butter-laden success.

[Not that the first try was a bummer or anything. It was deceivingly gluten-free and flaked its way into the mouths of unsuspecting family members.]

Why your second attempt will be more fun than the first:

1. Pre-stocked cupboards. All I needed today was a box of cream cheese. Fancy that.

2. Memory in (re)action. Some of the stressful disappears into the fabric of “I remember”. Today, I fretted not at the fact that my rugelach’s cook time was (still) double the directive. I had faith in myself (and the lengthy browning process required in Brooklyn vs Seattle.)

3. Creative licensure granted. You made it once; it didn’t suck. Flex your adventure muscles and see what happens when you toss a little flair (deviance) in here and there. My filling was a rather daring experiment today: 5-Spice Kumquat Marmalade with a sprinkling of fresh ricotta (which couldn’t have turned out tastier, by the way.) I also swapped arrowroot starch for the recommended cornstarch, living on the edge.

4. You’re bound to have learned something (unless you were dead at the time) first time ‘round. Today, I didn’t slather my dough quite so full with filling (avoiding super-ooze scenario) and I rolled out the dough extra thin (facilitating the ease of rolling). Would you look at that, I’m damn near a rugelach expert.