A cross between a cookie and pastry, these rugelach are so buttery and flaky. The filling is sweet, nutty, and warm, which contrasts well with the crisp croissant-like pastry. At first glance, it may seem like a challenging treat to make, but the food processor does most of the work! Rugelach is often served on Jewish holidays like Hanukkah and Shavuot, but it is also perfect throughout the year! For another delicious treat to make this holiday, try my easy chocolate babka, homemade black and white cookies, or my linzer cookies!
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Butter — keep the butter cold for this recipe as warm butter will be worked into the flour, leaving you with a less flaky dough. Also, be sure to use unsalted butter as there is already salt added elsewhere in the recipe.
Cream cheese — be sure to use full-fat cream cheese for these rugelach cookies and not the spreadable type in a tub. Make sure to keep the cream cheese in the fridge for as long as possible as you want the cream cheese to be as cold as possible for the cream cheese dough. Cream cheese also makes this dough more pliable and very forgiving as the dough doesn’t tear easily.
Walnuts — for a nutty, flavorful filling, I finely ground the walnuts to go inside of the rugelach pastry.
Jam — raspberry or apricot jam makes for a sweet and delicious filling for the rugelach.
How to Make Rugelach
1. In a food processor, combine flour and salt. Pulse a few times. Add the butter and cream cheese, pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand. Transfer to the counter and knead into a ball. Divide the ball in half and shape each into a disk before tightly wrapping them in plastic wrap and refrigerating for at least 2 hours.
2. Finely chop the walnuts and raisins and place them in a large bowl. Add the granulated sugar and cinnamon, and stir until combined.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll one dough disk into a 1/8-inch-thick round and trim to a 10-inch circle.
4. Spread with half of the jam, leaving about a ½ border at the edge. Cut the circle into quarters and cut each quarter into thirds, creating 12 triangles.
5. Sprinkle the jam with half of the nut mixture.
6. Starting at the widest end, roll each triangle up towards the tip like a crescent roll.
7. Place the rugelach on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Brush each cookie with the beaten egg.
8. Sprinkle lightly with coarse sugar before baking one cookie sheet at a time for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately transfer the rugelach cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Instead of topping with coarse sugar, sprinkle the top of the rugelach with colorful and festive sprinkles for the holidays.
- If you do not have a food processor, use a pastry cutter to cut the butter and cream cheese before mixing it with the flour mixture.
- Adding too much flour will lead to the rugelach dough being stiff and dry. The best and easiest way to measure the flour is by using a kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it.
- Don’t skip chilling the dough. Chilling the dough allows the gluten to relax and prevents your crust from shrinking too much in the oven.
- If the rugelach dough is crumbly, add a tablespoon of water to it and continue to knead it until it’s the right consistency.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do these last?
This rugelach recipe lasts for up to 5 days at room temperature. Storing in an airtight container makes them a little soft so feel free to leave them loosely wrapped or in an airtight container.
Can I freeze the dough?
After wrapping the rugelach dough discs, instead of chilling them in the fridge, you can freeze them instead for up to 3 months. When ready to use, thaw them in the refrigerator overnight.
How do I freeze these pastry cookies?
You can freeze rugelach pastries before or after baking them. Before baking, you can freeze them on a parchment-lined baking sheet until frozen. Then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake them straight from frozen and add 2 to 3 minutes to the baking time when ready to enjoy.
After baked, freeze the rugelach on a parchment-lined baking sheet and transfer them to a freezer-safe bag once frozen. When ready to enjoy, bring them to room temperature.
What other variations?
You can fill rugelach cookies with anything your heart desires!
- Feel free to use your favorite flavor of jam.
- Instead of jam, use Nutella or any other chocolate spread.
- Feel free to use other dried fruit such as dried cranberries, dates, apricots, currants, and more.
- Instead of walnuts, use your favorite nuts. Pistachios, pecans, and peanuts are great alternatives.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Rugelach recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Rugelach
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- Baking Sheets
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour 180g
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup cold unsalted butter cubed (170g)
- 6 ounces cold cream cheese cubed (170g)
Filling and Assembly:
- ¾ cup walnuts (80g)
- ⅓ cup raisins (60g)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons raspberry or apricot jam divided
- 1 large egg well beaten
- coarse sugar
Instructions
For the Dough:
- In the work bowl of a food processor, combine flour and salt. Pulse a few times. Add the butter and cream cheese, pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand but hasn’t started to form a dough ball. Transfer to the counter and knead into a ball. Divide the ball in half and shape each into a disk. Wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
For the Filling and Assembly:
- Position an oven rack in the top third and preheat the oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Finely chop the walnuts and raisins and place in a large bowl. Add the granulated sugar and cinnamon, and stir until combined.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll one dough disk into a 1/8-inch-thick round and trim to a 10-inch circle. Spread with half of the jam, leaving about a ½ border at the edge. Cut the circle into quarters and cut each quarter into thirds, creating 12 triangles. Sprinkle the jam with half of the nut mixture.
- Starting at the widest end, roll each triangle up towards the tip like a crescent roll. Place on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Brush each cookie with the beaten egg and sprinkle lightly with coarse sugar.
- Bake one sheet at a time for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving.
Notes
- Instead of topping with coarse sugar, sprinkle the top of the rugelach with colorful and festive sprinkles for the holidays.
- If you do not have a food processor, use a pastry cutter to cut the butter and cream cheese before mixing it with the flour mixture.
- Adding too much flour will lead to the dough being stiff and dry. The best and easiest way to measure the flour is by using a kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it.
- Don’t skip chilling the dough. Chilling the dough allows the gluten to relax and prevents your crust from shrinking too much in the oven.
- If the dough is crumbly, add a tablespoon of water to it and continue to knead it until it’s the right consistency.