Today Iโm partnering with King Arthur Baking. You know I am a total fangirl for KAF, so imagine my excitement when we began working together on their Holiday Table. The other week, we discussed what weโre grateful for. Working with such a well respected company who consistently puts forth quality products is on my list.
Have you ever made rugelach before? I know it looks ultra fancy and maybe a little intimidating. Truth is, itโs just a matter of mixing up a dough, chilling it, and rolling it up with filling inside. Like cinnamon rolls, but without any yeast. A traditional Jewish treat, rugelach tastes like buttery, light, and flaky croissants, but arenโt nearly as fussy.
Did you read that?!
Easy homemade croissant-like delights!
Rugelach happily accommodates any sort of fillings from jam and chocolate to dried fruit and nuts. You can roll the dough up into different shapes, slicing pinwheels or spirals, thereโs pull-apart or logs, wreaths, twists, you name it. But it all begins with just 1 dough and 1 filling. Hereโs how to make rugelach cookies in 1 million photos.
(Ok, 6.)
Today weโll make a traditional rugelach dough in the food processor and fill it with a sweet brown sugar cinnamon filling that will melt inside the dough as it bakes. The contrast between the salted dough and warm, sweet filling is just about as mouthwatering as cookies get. The dough is similar to the dough I use for maple walnut tassies , though this dough is flakier and more crisp.
The food processor lends a giant helping hand. Itโs preferred because it helps create the light and tender pastry; a mixer creates a tougher pastry. The food processor will cut the various fats into the flour and salt mixture. Weโll be using cream cheese, butter, and sour cream in the dough. Health food? These are not.
You can use a pastry cutter if you preferโand what I always prefer when making pie crust and biscuitsโbut rugelach requires the teeniest, uniformly sized pieces of fat and flour. Thereโs wiggle room in pie dough, but not so much here. A food processor makes the job 150% easier and cuts time down toโฆ maybeโฆ 1 minute? Yup, about 1 minute to make this dough.
Flatten the dough into discs and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Or you can pop into the freezer to enjoy homemade rugelach another day. Thatโs another beautiful thing about rugelach besides being crazy versatile. Itโs patient; bake it later if you want!
But if todayโs the day for rugelach (um and it should be), roll out the doughs after theyโve chilled, spread the filling on top, and cut into triangles like you would a pizza. And use a pizza cutterโฆ like you would a pizza. The filling should be prepared in the food processor as well because weโre pulsing brown sugar, cinnamon, walnuts, and raisins together to make a moist dried fruit/nut paste of sorts. Heavy on that cinnamon becauseโฆ holidays.
Press it down onto the dough so it has staying power.
Roll up!
Bake!
The filling gets all melty and warm, the pastry is buttery, uniquely crisp, light, and flaky. Some filling may spill out and a little butter may drip out of the dough as the rugelach bakes. But this is all OK! That butter dripping out will โfryโ the bottoms into a crispy phenomenon. And thereโs still plenty of good stuff hiding inside, too.
A blizzard of confectionersโ sugar adds a finishing touch.
PS: Letโs talk about savory versions, maybe for any appetizers you need this holiday season? Iโm thinking pesto and parmesan or a sweet/salty rendition with jam and fine goat cheese crumbles. With rugelach, the options are deliciously endless.
Print
Rugelach Cookies with Cream Cheese Dough
- Prep Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 24 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: European
Description
Homemade rugelach is buttery and flaky with a light and crisp pastry dough and sweet cinnamon filling.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 6 ounces (170g) full-fat brick cream cheese, cold and cubed
- 1/3 cup (75g) sour cream, cold
Filling
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 cup (115g) chopped walnuts (chopped pecans work too)
- 1/2 cup (85g) raisins (or dried cranberries for some color!)
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- water for brushing dough
- optional for topping: confectionersโ sugar
Instructions
- For the crust: Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a couple times to blend.
- Add the butter, cream cheese, and sour cream. Pulse until crumbly; this will take 30 seconds or so. Pulse until there are pea-sized crumbs throughout. See photo above for a visual.
- Divide the dough into three equal portions and gently flatten into a disc shape. Wrap in plastic wrap, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to 1 day. Or freeze for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
- For the filling: Pulse the brown sugar, walnuts, raisins, and cinnamon in the food processor until very finely chopped and well combined. The filling will feel a little moist. Youโll have a little over 2 cups total.
- Line 3 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Working with one disc of dough at a time and on a lightly floured work surface, roll into a 10-inch circle (roughly 1/4 inch thick, give or take) and brush it lightly with water. Spread about 1/3 of the filling on top. Gently press the filling down into the dough so itโs compact.
- Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into 8 equal wedges. If youโre cutting on a silicone mat, be careful not to cut the mat. Roll each wedge up, beginning with the wide end and ending with the narrow end. Place the rolls point-side down onto the baking sheets, 8 on each. Repeat with the remaining two discs of dough.
- Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC).
- Bake the rugelach for 25 โ 30 minutes, or until golden brown. As the rugelach bake, the butter will lightly fry their bottoms, giving them a super crunchy crust.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Dust with confectionersโ sugar and serve warm or at room temperature. Cover leftovers and store tightly at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can prepare the dough up to 1 day ahead of time as noted in step 3 or freeze for up to 3 months, also noted in step 3. You can prepare the filling 1 day in advance. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature until ready to use. Baked rugelach freezes well for up to 2 months; simply place in freezer bags. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Food Processor | Rolling Pin | Pizza Cutter | Pastry Brush | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper
- No Food Processor? Use a pastry cutter for the crust. Do not use a mixer. For the filling, simply chop it up very fine and use a pastry cutter again to combine it all.
- In partnership with King Arthur Flour.
Did you miss yesterdayโs cookie palooza recipe? Red velvet whoopie pies.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hello Sally,
Thank you for another fabulous recipe! I was wondering can I freeze the assembled rugelach and then just bake them straight from the freezer?
Hi Andrea, Yes you should be able to freeze the shaped cookies before baking. Bake from frozen (do not thaw) and add a few minutes to the bake time.
Thank you so much!
Would you recommend chilling the formed cookies before baking? You say store at RT up to 5 days or freeze. Can the baked cookies be refrigerated to extend their life instead of freezing?
Hi Laurie, you can chill the formed cookies before baking to help them keep their shape, yes. You can refrigerate the baked cookies if you wish, thatโs fine too.
I would love to make these for a friend who has a nut allergy. Suggested substitutions>>?
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Hi Andrea, how about chocolate chips (still process those with the other ingredients) or more raisins, shredded coconut, or sunflower seeds/pumpkin seeds?
This recipe turned out perfectly! The dough was so flaky and buttery. Iโve never had better rugelach!
This recipe is really excellent! Itโs, easy, quick and delicious! The only change or I should say, addition that I made was to spread apricot preserves on the dough instead of water. Fabulous!!! Sally, I only use your recipesโฆthank you !!!
I have a jar of Marachino Cherries, could I use those in this cookie instead of the raisins or cranberries?
Hi Marianne, we havenโt tested these cookies with maraschino cherries, so are unsure of the result. I think they would probably have too much moisture, though.
The ruggulach are delicious. I cut each piece into 12 pieces. I also use 1/2 cup chocolate chips I crush in the food processor instead of the raisins.