rugelach cookies

Rugelach

48 COOKIES

Prep Time20 MINUTES

Cook Time30 MINUTES

Chill Time2 HOURS

Total Time2 HOURS 50 MINUTES

Make traditional sweet and flaky Rugelach Cookies filled with a sweet filling made with brown sugar, walnuts, and raisins.

Equipment

food processor

Cookie Sheets

Parchment paper or Silicone Baking mats

Pizza Cutter

pastry brush

Ingredients

 

For the Dough:

• ▢1-½ cups all purpose flour
• ▢⅓ cup granulated sugar
• ▢½ teaspoon salt
• ▢1-½ sticks unsalted butter cold & cut into pieces
• ▢6 oz of cream cheese cold & cut into pieces

For the Cinnamon Sugar

• ▢1 cup granulated sugar
• ▢4 tablespoons cinnamon

For the Rugelach Filling:

• ▢½ cup light brown sugar firmly packed
• ▢2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ▢1 cup chopped walnuts
• ▢½ cup raisins
• ▢2 tablespoons cinnamon

For Assembly:

• ▢1 large egg well beaten
• ▢coarse sugar

Instructions

• In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Mix well, pulsing for a few seconds.
• Add in the cold butter and cream cheese pieces and mix again until the mixture is crumbly.
• Remove the dough from the food processor and work into a smooth ball using your hands.
• Divide the ball into 4 sections, and gently pad out each section into a circle. Do not make the dough too flat, as you will properly roll them out later on. Wrap each section in plastic wrap and place inside the refrigerator for 2 hours to chill.
• While the dough is chilling, prepare the filling. Mix 1 cup sugar and 4 tablespoons cinnamon together to make cinnamon sugar, and set it aside.
• Add the brown sugar, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, walnuts, raisins, and 2 tablespoons cinnamon to the food processor and mix until very fine. Remove from food processor and set aside.
• When the dough has properly chilled, preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and prepare a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• Working one section at a time, roll each disc of dough out into a round circle about ¼ inch thick using a rolling pin. If your circle isn’t perfectly round, use a pizza cutter to round off the edge.
• Sprinkle a handful of the cinnamon sugar on the surface of the dough, covering evenly and about ½ inch from the edge.
• Top with the filling, using ¼ of the mixture per disc. Cover the cinnamon sugar completely and evenly.
• Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into quarters moving the cutter completely across the disc in a straight line. Cut each quarter into thirds.
• Starting from the outer circle and widest part of each triangle, tuck the dough in towards the filling, rolling it completely towards the center creating a crescent-like shape. Do this for all 12 triangles.
• Place the rugelach on the parchment paper lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart, placing 12 cookies on each pan.
• Brush egg over the tops of each pastry using a silicone or pastry brush and top with a sprinkle of coarse sugar.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
• Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack before serving.

Notes

• When rolling out the dough, be sure to flour the surface well. Use a spatula to scrape underneath the dough, loosening it from the surface multiple times before topping it with cinnamon sugar. This will ensure that your dough will not stick while you’re rolling.
• You need a food processor to make this recipe. While I'm sure there are ways around it, it is going to be easiest to mix the dough and the filling for rugelach using a full-sized food processor.
• Keep the butter and cream cheese cold. To make a flaky pastry, you want to blend cold fat in with the flour. I usually cut mine into small pieces, then put them back into the fridge until I'm ready for them.
• Chill the dough. This is also important when you're making pastry! Keeping the butter cold up until the point of baking is key.
• Work in batches. You'll make 4 trays of rugelach, and you should keep the dough in the fridge until just before you're ready to work with it. So, while one tray is baking, you can roll out the next piece of dough. Don't try to make all of the rugelach at once.
• To Store: These cookies will keep at room temperature for 3 days if stored in an airtight container, or for up to 1 week in the refrigerator. You can freeze-baked ruglelach for up to 2 months, just let them thaw before eating!
• Make Ahead: The dough or the assembled, unbaked cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw the dough before using, or bake the cookies from frozen. 

• Other Rugelach Fillings

  This cinnamon/sugar/walnut/raisin filling is very traditional, but rugelach can be filled with any sweet fillings! Fruit jams such as apricot or raspberry are amazing, or try caramel sauce or hazelnut spread. You can even play around with savory fillings if you want to. Here are a few tasty combinations to try:

  • Dried cranberries, pecans, and mini chocolate chips
  • Apple Butter, cinnamon, and walnuts
  • Apricot Jam and slivered almonds
  • Nutella, Hazelnuts, and dried cherries

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 108kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 67mg | Potassium: 42mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 96IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 0.3mg