Rugelach. What the heck is it? While I grew up with jam rugelach showing up at our house, I never really knew anything about it. So, when I went to make my own rugelach recipe, I did a little digging.
Rugelach originated in Poland, morphing out of the Hungarian kifli, Austrian kipfel and Polish rogal. It’s a cross between a pastry and a cookie, and a favorite Jewish pastry found at delis and bakeries in Israel, as well as across the United States.
What does Rugelach mean?
According to the Merriem Webster Dictionary, rugelach is “a pastry made with cream-cheese dough thatisrolled around a filling (such as nuts, jam or chocolate) and baked.”
Well, that could be another cookie found across Eastern Europe– the kolaczki.
The Polish also have a Kolachy cookie (kołaczki), which I also grew up with as a kid, thanks to a friend in high school who’s parents owned a polish bakery. It took has a butter and cream cheese base.
Plus, cream cheese can also be used in sugar cookies and as a substitute for butter in many baked goods.
Naturally, I was more confused than ever, especially since I make Kolachy and the dough is really, REALLY similar to rugelach. But, who am I to question delicious pastry goodness. I just went with it and moved on.
Is rugelach kosher?
I have two Jewish neighbors, who observe some kosher food laws. While baking for a little Chanukah (Hanukkah) party on our street, I learned a lot about what makes something kosher and how to create parve baked goods that can be served during Chanukah.
If you want a non-dairy option, Pesach Rugelach can be served if you make a few substitutions. Create a parve rugelach by replacing the butter with margarine and the cream cheese with a non-dairy cream cheese alternative.
Rugelach Recipe
Since I love butter, I went a more traditional route with my rugelach recipe. One thing to note is that I like to make my rugelach tiny, about an inch wide at the top of the wedge. This way I can eat a lot of different flavors without feeling too guilty.
I’ve included instructions on how to make larger rugelach. Basically, it’s all in how many slices you cut into your dough rounds.
You will also notice that there is an egg yolk in this recipe, which you won’t find in many rugelach recipes. The egg yolk, along with the vanilla, gave this cookie dough a bit more flavor, as well as a fluffier rise when it baked.
RUGELACH RECIPE FILLING IDEAS
Whenever I make rugelach, I have a variety of fillings on hand. Traditionally, you use jam or a chocolate and cinnamon mix. For this recipe, I’m sticking with walnuts (I had a ton on hand) and two different flavors of jams– strawberry and blackberry.
Apricot preserve rugelach is also traditional, but we all have what we love.
- Chocolate and cinnamon
- Chocolate and crushed hazelnuts (or Nutella)
- Walnuts, cinnamon and brown sugar
- Walnuts, melted butter, honey, granulated sugar and vanilla
- Strawberry jam or strawberry preserves
- Apricot jam or apricot preserves
- Blackberry jam
- Peach jam
- Raspberry jam
- Pumpkin butter with cream cheese frosting
- Apple butter with cinnamon glaze
- Chopped dates or figs
- Pistachio Cranberry
- Cranberry Orange
Rugelach Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (I prefer King Arthur Flour)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
- 8 oz cream cheese (1 block of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, chilled and cubed)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg yolk (save the egg white for meringues)
- Powdered sugar for dusting work surface
- Granulated sugar for sprinkling (or a cinnamon sugar blend)
- Egg wash (whisk together one 1 egg with 2 tbsp water)
Rugelach Directions
- In a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, combine flour and salt.
- Add the cold cream cheese and butter, which you already cubed and is still chilled.
- Pulse in the food processor about 12 times until a nice crumb forms.
- Whisk together the egg yolk and vanilla in a separate bowl.
- Add the egg mix to your cream cheese crumb mixture and pulse until larger clumps form.
- Dump your dough out onto a your work surface dusted with powdered sugar.
- Knead the rugelach dough a few times (or roll the dough) into a ball.
- Divide the dough into four equal pieces and wrap in plastic wrap (each piece separately).
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or up to two days).
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Take one dough pack out of the fridge and stick on the counter.
- Dust your counter with powdered sugar.
- Using a rolling pin, roll your first batch of rugelach dough into a circle (or as close to a circle as possible).
- Spread the walnut mixture (recipe below), lightly pressing the filling into the dough, or spread your jam of choice over the surface of the circle.
- Use a knife or a pizza cutter to cut equal wedges (8 wide or 16 thin triangles)
- Roll each wedge, starting at the wider side, rolling down until you have a cute little rugelach (kind of like a Pillsbury crescent roll is rolled).
- Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet, brush with egg wash, making sure the tip of your rugelach is tucked under the bottom of the rugelach.
- Sprinkle tops of walnut rugelach with cinnamon and sugar (1 tsp cinnamon + 4 tsp sugar) or granulated sugar on jam rugelach.
- Stick your rugelach in the freezer for 5 minutes.
- Bake rugelach for 20- 30 minutes, until golden brown on top (bake times depend on your oven).
- While your first batch bakes, take out your second dough round and repeat the steps above, moving onto the third and forth dough discs as each previous dough goes in the oven.
- Try switching up your rugelach fillings between rounds.
NOTE: You can freeze your dough for up to 3 months, allowing dough to thaw in the refrigerator and then come back up to room temperature before rolling out).
Walnut Filling
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- Place your walnuts, sugar and cinnamon in a food processor.
- Pulse until you get a nice crumb.
- Transfer crumb to a bowl.
- Stir in melted butter and vanilla.
- Set aside until ready to assemble walnut rugelach, allowing filling to cool to room temperature.
Jam Filling
- 1/4 cup of jam (strawberry jam, apricot preserves, blackberry jam, rasperberry jam, etc.)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- Spoon jam into a microwave safe bowl.
- Add 1 tablespoon of sugar to your jam.
- Microwave in 30 second increments until your jam is liquid.
- Give it a good stir and set aside to cool.
Pin it and Start Baking!
Yield: 36
Rugelach Recipe with Three Fillings
Rugelach originated in Poland, morphing out of the Hungarian kifli, Austrian kipfel and Polish rogal. It's a cross between a pastry and a cookie, and a favorite Jewish treat found at delis and bakeries in Israel, as well as across the United States. Whip up a batch for the holidays, or your next brunch with friends. It's so easy and will impress everyone at your table.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Cooling Time2 hours 3 minutes
Total Time2 hours 38 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
- 8 oz cream cheese (1 block of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, chilled and cubed)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg yolk (save the egg white for meringues)
- Powdered sugar for dusting work surface
- Granulated sugar for sprinkling (or a cinnamon sugar blend)
- Egg wash (whisk together one 1 egg with 2 tbsp water)
Walnut Filling
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Jam Filling
- 1/4 cup of jam (raspberry, apricot, blackberry, etc.)
- 1 tbsp sugar
Instructions
Rugelach Directions
- In a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, combine flour and salt.
- Add the cold cream cheese and butter, which you already cubed and is still chilled.
- Pulse in the food processor about 12 times until a nice crumb forms.
- Whisk together the egg yolk and vanilla in a separate bowl.
- Add the egg mix to your cream cheese crumb mixture and pulse until larger clumps form.
- Dump your dough out onto a your work surface dusted with powdered sugar.
- Knead the rugelach dough a few times (or roll the dough) into a ball.
- Divide the dough into four equal pieces and wrap in plastic wrap (each piece separately).
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or up to two days).
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Take one dough pack out of the fridge and stick on the counter.
- Dust your counter with powdered sugar.
- Using a rolling pin, roll your first batch of rugelach dough into a circle (or as close to a circle as possible).
- Spread the walnut mixture (recipe below), lightly pressing the filling into the dough, or spread your jam of choice over the surface of the circle.
- Use a knife or a pizza cutter to cut equal wedges (8 wide or 16 thin triangles)
- Roll each wedge, starting at the wider side, rolling down until you have a cute little rugelach (kind of like a Pillsbury crescent roll is rolled).
- Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet, brush with egg wash, making sure the tip of your rugelach is tucked under the bottom of the rugelach.
- Sprinkle tops of walnut rugelach with cinnamon and sugar (1 tsp cinnamon + 4 tsp sugar) or granulated sugar on jam rugelach.
- Stick your rugelach in the freezer for 5 minutes.
- Bake rugelach for 20- 30 minutes, until golden brown on top (bake times depend on your oven).
- While your first batch bakes, take out your second dough round and repeat the steps above, moving onto the third and forth dough discs as each previous dough goes in the oven.
- Try switching up your rugelach fillings between rounds.
NOTE: You can freeze rugelach dough for up to 3 months, allowing dough to thaw in the refrigerator and then come back up to room temperature before rolling out).
Walnut Filling
- Place your walnuts, sugar and cinnamon in a food processor.
- Pulse until you get a nice crumb.
- Transfer crumb to a bowl.
- Stir in melted butter and vanilla.
- Set aside until ready to assemble walnut rugelach, allowing filling to cool to room temperature.
Jam Filling
- Spoon jam into a microwave safe bowl.
- Add 1 tablespoon of sugar to your jam.
- Microwave in 30 second increments until your jam is liquid.
- Give it a good stir and set aside to cool.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
King Arthur Flour, 100% Organic All-Purpose Flour Unbleached
Tiptree Apricot Preserve
Stonewall Kitchen Gluten-free Seedless Blackberry Jam
Sweet Strawberry Jam by Good Good
McCormick Organic Ground Saigon Cinnamon, 10 oz
Organic Walnuts
KRAFT PHILADELPHIA CREAM CHEESE BRICK ORIGINAL 8 OZ
Baking Trays Half Sheet (2 Pack)
DOMINO GRANULATED PURE CANE WHITE SUGAR
Food and Baking Scale
KitchenAid Stand Mixer
Cuisinart 6-Color Knife Set with Blade Guards
IF YOU CARE FSC Certified Parchment Baking Paper, 70 sq ft
Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls
Silicone Pastry Brush Set
Nielsen-Massey Pure Vanilla Extract
Domino Dark Brown Sugar 2 Lb (Pack of 2)
Domino Powdered Sugar
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
48Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 143Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 66mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 0gSugar: 6gProtein: 2g
All information and tools presented and written within this site are intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on twisttravelmag.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. The nutritional labels are a product of online calculators, such as Calorie Count. Even though I try to provide accurate nutritional information to the best of my ability, these figures should still be considered estimates.
