Rugelach
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Delicious to eat and fun to make, rugelach are miniature crescent-rolled pastries with a sweet filling.
Delicious to eat and fun to make, rugelach (pronounced rug-a-lah) are miniature crescent-rolled pastries posing as cookies. They’re made by rolling a triangle of dough around a sweet filling of fruit, nuts, chocolate or pretty much anything your heart desires. If you’ve never had rugelach or made them from scratch, definitely roll up your sleeves and give this classic walnut-raisin version a try. They’re easier than they look and vastly better than store-bought. I’ll be honest: they do take some time to make because the dough needs to be refrigerated for a few hours, but I promise you, it’s worth it. Fresh out of the oven, they’re buttery and flaky with a sweet cinnamon scent that will tempt you to eat the entire batch.
Since rugelach are hands-on, they are wonderful to make with kids. Mine love rolling out the dough (which, thankfully, is very forgiving!), creating their own fillings (don’t miss their favorite chocolate rugelach) and then rolling the cookies into little twists.
Table of Contents
“I love rugelach but was always too intimidated to make them. Then I found your recipe and decided to go for it. So glad I did. Delicious and fun to make.”
What You’ll Need To Make Rugelach
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides the structure for the dough. Measure it by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off to ensure accuracy.
- Butter: Gives the dough a flaky, rich texture.
- Cream Cheese: Makes the dough pliable, easy to work with, and reliably tender.
- Egg Yolk: Adds a little extra richness and helps the dough turn golden in the oven.
- Light Brown Sugar: Adds sweetness and a hint of molasses flavor to the filling. When measuring brown sugar, always pack it tightly to eliminate air pockets.
- Granulated Sugar: Provides additional sweetness.
- Walnuts: Adds a crunchy texture and earthy, nutty flavor to the filling.
- Raisins: Contribute sweetness and chewiness to the rugelach.
- Ground Cinnamon: Adds warmth and spice to the filling.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Begin by making the dough. Combine the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, and pulse a few times to mix.
Add the cubed butter, cream cheese, and egg yolk.
Pulse until the mixture forms large curd-like pieces. Be careful not to over-mix; all those little chunks of fat will steam while the rugelach bake, making the dough tender and flaky.
Dump the crumbly dough onto a work surface. It will look like a mess but don’t worry, it will come together.
Knead the dough just until it comes together and shape it into a square or rectangle.
Divide the dough into 4 equal portions.
Flatten each portion into 1-inch thick disks, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Wipe out the food processor and make the filling by combining the brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins and walnuts in the bowl.
Process until the nuts and raisins are finely chopped, then transfer the filling to a bowl and set aside until the dough is ready to roll.
Once the dough has chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough with flour as well so the rolling pin doesn’t stick.
Roll each disc into a rough 10-11″ circle (it should be just under 1/8″ thick). Turn the dough and dust with more flour as necessary so it doesn’t stick. Don’t worry if the edges are a little cracked or rough.
Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the filling evenly over the dough and press down firmly with your hands to anchor it.
Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, slice the dough into 12 wedges, just like you would cut a pizza or pie.
Roll each wedge up, beginning with the wide end and ending with the narrow end.
Place the rolls point-side down, about an inch apart, on parchment lined baking sheets.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until lightly golden.
Transfer the rugelach to a rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Make Ahead, Freezing & Storage Instructions
The rugelach are best served warm out of the oven but keep well for several days stored in an airtight container. The rugelach can also be frozen; you have several different options when it comes to freezing; you can freeze the dough, the assembled (unbaked) rugelach, and the baked rugelach. The dough can be frozen for up to 3 months — shape it into 2 discs, wrap each securely in plastic wrap, and place them in a sealable bag. When ready to bake, thaw the dough in the refrigerator overnight, and then proceed with recipe. To assemble and freeze the rugelach before baking, arrange them on a baking sheet (so they’re not touching) and freeze until very firm. Transfer them to an airtight container. They can be baked directly out of the freezer; they may just need a few extra minutes in the oven. To freeze the rugelach after baking, let the rugelach cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove them from the container and let them come to room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s fine to omit the nuts without any other modifications. Or you could replace them with the same amount of mini chocolate chips. My kids love them this way!
Sure! Just keep in mind that the jam will ooze out a bit as the rugelach bakes, so limit the amount you spread on the dough to a relatively thin coating to avoid too much oozing.
Yep, gluten-free flour will work! A number of readers have commented that they have good luck with King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten-free flour and Cup4Cup gluten-free flour.
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Rugelach
Delicious to eat and fun to make, rugelach are miniature crescent-rolled pastries with a sweet filling.
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off with back edge of knife, plus more for rolling dough
- Heaping ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into ¾-inch chunks
- 8 oz (1 package) cold cream cheese, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 egg yolk
For the Filling
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup walnuts
- ½ cup raisins
- 4 teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
- Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse a few times to combine.
- Add the chunks of butter and cream cheese, as well as the egg yolk. Pulse until the dough is moistened and crumbly with curd-like pieces about the size of peas. Dump the dough out onto a work surface. Knead just until it comes together and shape into a square or rectangle. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and flatten into 1-inch thick discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Wipe out the food processor. To make the filling, place the brown sugar, granulated sugar, walnuts, raisins and cinnamon in the bowl of the food processor and pulse until the walnuts and raisins are finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl and set aside until the dough is ready.
- Preheat oven to 350ºF and set two oven racks in the centermost positions. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove one disc of dough from the refrigerator, unwrap it and place it on a lightly floured work surface. (If necessary, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes until pliable enough to roll, but not too soft.) Dust the top of the dough lightly with flour, then use a rolling pin to roll it into a 10 - 11-inch circle, or just under an ⅛-inch thick. Sprinkle more flour and turn as necessary so the dough doesn't stick. Spread ½ cup of the filling over the dough; using your hands, press the filling into the dough to anchor it.
- Using a pizza cutter or very sharp knife, cut the dough into twelve equal wedges (just like you would cut a pizza). Roll each wedge up, beginning with the wide end and ending with the point. Place the rolls point-side down, about an inch apart, on the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining dough. You should have 24 rugelach on each baking sheet.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back midway through, or until the tops are lightly golden and the bottoms are golden and crisp (at first glance, it might look like the bottoms are burnt, but that's just the dark filling oozing out). Transfer the rugelach to a rack to cool.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The Dough can be Frozen for up to 3 Months: Shape the dough into 2 discs, wrap each securely in plastic wrap, and place them in a sealable bag. When ready to bake, thaw the dough in the refrigerator overnight, and then proceed with recipe. They can also be assembled and frozen before baking: Arrange them on a baking sheet (so they’re not touching) and freeze until very firm. Transfer them to an airtight container. They can be baked directly out of the freezer; they may just need a few extra minutes in the oven. To Freeze After Baking: Let the rugelach cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove them from the container and let them come to room temperature.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 2 cookies
- Calories: 181
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated fat: 7g
- Carbohydrates: 17g
- Sugar: 8g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Sodium: 58mg
- Cholesterol: 38mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Just got done making these!!! Sooooooo delicious and easy to make…….
If you have never worked with any type of dough before, I strongly suggest you try this recipe.
Dough rolls out beautifully…..is not dry at all….nor sticky…
Once rolled out, I did add a little raspberry jam…….and mini chocolate chips….
This is my favorite rugelach recipe………
I love rugelach but was always too intimidated to make them. Then I found your recipe and decided to go for it. So glad I did. Delicious and fun to make. Can’t wait to share them at the cookie swap.
Embarrassed to ask…but can I cheat and make these using premade dough, like Pillsbury crescent rolls?
No need to be embarrassed but I wouldn’t recommend using a premade dough for these. I think there are too many variables that could change with the recipe and don’t know that you’d get great results. Sorry!
Hi Jenn!
This recipe looks so fun, but I am doubting whether it would work for me. I live in Norway, and our cream cheese (although Philadelphia brand) does not come in brick-form like yours, but in tub/spread form. That there was a difference occurred to me just recently as I was having trouble following American cream cheese frosting recipes for layer cakes, where the frosting always ended up too runny for a stable cake without adding loads more powdered sugar. The cream cheese works just fine for other recipes such as your amazing cheesecake.
I am worried however, that using the cream cheese with more liquid would not work for pastry like this. What do you think? I see you have recommended shortening for others – but that is basically impossible to get here.
If you have any other thoughts or tips for using European-style cream cheese for baking in general I would love to hear it!
Hi Elise, I think you could get away with using the tub cream cheese. (You could also use more butter in place of half of the cream cheese and then the remaining half with the cream cheese.) Hope that helps and please let me know how they turn out if you make them this way!
Hi Jenn, Do you think I could do a mashup of this recipe and your chocolate rugelach recipe, using that rolling method but this filling? And, would it work well to spread a thin layer of apricot preserves under this filling or would it make it too gooey/sticky? Thank you so much! These look like great recipes.
Yes and yes (but I’d use the apricot preserves sparingly; if not, it may seep out of the rugelach). Hope you enjoy! 🙂
These sound yummy. Could I make the filling at a more coarse consistency? And, would sprinkling granulated sugar on top affect baking time or outcome? Your recipes are wonderful, thank you.
Sure, but I wouldn’t make the filling much more coarse or it will be difficult to roll the dough around it. And adding sugar to the tops won’t impact the baking time at all (and glad you like the recipes)! 🙂
Hey Jenn,
trying to print off your recipes for Rugelach and it doesn’t seem to appear? The link “jump to recipe” only gives me the reviews?
Hi Jacquie, that happens if you’ve been reading the reviews and then click on “jump to recipe” at the top of the page. Scroll to the very top of the reviews and immediately above that, click on the word “recipe.” That will show you the recipe and on the right side of the recipe box, click on the print icon. Hope that clarifies!
Do these cookies need to be refrigerated after baking?
No – you can store them in an airtight container and leave them on the counter. Enjoy!
What a great recipe. I didnt change a thing. It came out perfect and this was my first try at making it.
Thank you
Hello….Love your recipes. For the rugelach to be crunchy and flakey, would the flour need to be rolled thinner and cooked a little longer? Trying to recreate crunchy rugelach I used to enjoy as a child.
Yes, Tara, I think what you mentioned will help you achieve a crunchier pastry.