The Donnas, who will hit the road starting tomorrow to tour alongside the Hives, aren’t all freewheeling fun like the ’70-inspired rock they play might have you think. Sure, the cover for their latest album, Bitchin’, features a leather-pants-held-up-by-rhinestone-studded-belt-clad ass, and singer Brett Anderson sings lines like "I'm gonna party till the day I die,” but behind the glam are some baked goods. Just ask bassist Maya Ford, who crafted a rugelach recipe one lonely holiday. "The first time I made rugelach was for my friends on Valentine’s Day because I didn't have a date,” she tells me. “Now I make it when I wanna bribe someone into liking me."

Maya Ford’s Rugelach

Dough:
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 cup or 2 sticks unsalted butter
1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt (if you feel like it)

Filling:
1/2 cup your favorite jam or jelly (blackberry or raspberry with seeds, or apricot are good choices. Strawberry rhubarb is also amazing. If you can get some homemade jam, I recommend that.)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
Chocolate chips, toffee chips, peanut butter chips, Reese’s Pieces, etc.
Cinnamon sugar
1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water

1. Make sure butter and cream cheese are at room temperature and then proceed to smash them together. Slowly mix in flour and salt. Smoosh dough into a ball and freeze for two hours or refrigerate overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Cut cold dough into six pieces and form six balls. Roll each ball of dough out into 9 inch circles about 1/8 of an inch thick. Mix together jam, nuts, and lemon rind. Spread a thin layer of filling over dough and cut into 10 pizza-shaped slices.
4. If you want to make chocolate rugelach, just cover the dough in chocolate chips or get experimental and use some toffee or your favorite candy. I used Nutella the other day and it was pretty awesome.
5. Sprinkle on a little cinnamon and sugar.
6. Starting with the pizza crust roll up the slice and create a crescent. Do the same with the rest of the sweet pizza.
7. Carefully move sweet and juicy crescents onto a cookie sheet. Brush each one with egg wash using a pastry brush. Bake for 12-15 minutes until they are golden brown. Don't burn 'em or you will cry. Cool on wire racks or a plate.
8. Eat warm with your friends at a big party with loud music or put them in a nice little box and give them to a cute boy you wanna impress. They last for about a week. It's always good to have some extras around the house because they are great bargaining tools. Try trading them for chores--like, "Hey, I'll give you this last piece of rugelach if you take out the trash"--it usually works. It's also good for making people think you're magical and then they’ll worship you. That is, if you make them right.