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Rugelach

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Delicious to eat and fun to make, rugelach are miniature crescent-rolled pastries with a sweet filling.

Rugelach on a wire rack.

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.Girl rolling dough while smiling.

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.

What you’ll need to make Rugelach

ingredients to make rugelach

How To Make Rugelach

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.

blended flour and salt in food processor

Add the cubed butter, cream cheese, and egg yolk. The cream cheese is what makes the dough pliable, easy to work with, and reliably tender. The egg yolk adds a little extra richness and helps the dough turn golden in the oven.

adding butter, cream cheese and egg yolk to the flour mixture

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.

Food processor of crumbly dough.

Dump the crumbly dough onto a work surface. It will look like a mess but don’t worry, it will come together.

crumbly rugelach dough on work surface

Knead the dough just until it comes together and shape it into a square or rectangle.

dough kneaded and shaped into rectangle

Divide the dough into 4 equal portions.

slicing dough into quarters

Flatten each portion into 1-inch thick disks, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

rugelach dough disks wrapped in plastic

Wipe out the food processor and make the filling by combining the brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins and walnuts in the bowl.

rugelach filling ingredients in food processor

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.

finely chopped rugelach filling

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.

rugelach dough ready to roll out

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.

11-in circle of dough

Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the filling evenly over the dough and press down firmly with your hands to anchor it.

pressing the filling down 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.

sliced rugelach before rolling

Roll each wedge up, beginning with the wide end and ending with the narrow end.

rolling up the rugelach wedges

Place the rolls point-side down, about an inch apart, on parchment lined baking sheets.

rugelach ready to bake

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until lightly golden.

Baked rugelach on a lined baking sheet.

Transfer the rugelach to a rack to cool completely. They are best served warm out of the oven, but keep well for several days stored in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Rugelach on a wire rack.

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Rugelach

Delicious to eat and fun to make, rugelach are miniature crescent-rolled pastries with a sweet filling.

Servings: 48 cookies
Cook Time: 25 Minutes
Total Time: 2 Hours 45 Minutes

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

  1. Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse a few times to combine.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Preheat oven to 350ºF and set two oven racks in the centermost positions. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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

Powered by Edamam

  • 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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Comments

  • The best most tasty and easiest recipe. Make these and people will think you bought them at a fancy bakery!

  • These are great and not hard to make. My husband says “They taste like my Aunt Sadie’s”! One really nice thing about these is that they are not overly sweet like a lot of rugelach.

  • These were so delicious! My husband decided to make these for a holiday party. They went fast and were his favorite. They are now in our party recipes file along along with your fantastic Pecan Shortbread Bars. He made those too. I’ve been singing your praises at home and on Facebook for quite some time. He is now too! We look forward to receiving our copy of your cookbook in April. Happy New Year!

  • Amazing! Love them.

  • The dough was really crumbly and did not come together well.

    • I’m sorry to hear you had a problem with these, Lynzi! Did you make any changes to the recipe?

  • Omg I just made these. So good. 5 stars thank you so much for sharing.

  • These were amazing. I made them exactly as directed the first time brushing the dough with boiled cider and the were fantastic. The second time, I decided to use mince meat in half of them which were also fun for Thanksgiving. This recipe is a go-to for the holidays in particular.

  • My book club read “A gentleman From Moscow” this month so I had to make these to end our Russian themed lunch. All the gals loved them. The dough is so easy to work with and you can go in so many different directions with the filling. Once again, another great recipe

  • I have always assembled my rugelach with an apricot preserve, topped with a cinnamon/brown sugar, nut, and raisin mixture. This recipe is less messy (no oozing while baking). I also like that the raisins are finely processed with the nuts. Delicious. Thank you.

  • We make these every year when we do our holiday baking and everyone raves about them, absolutely delicious and the dough is fabulous, thank you for this fabulous recipe!

  • Can these be frozen?

    • Yes- they freeze nicely!

  • I have made these cookies many many times and each time I receive plenty of compliments. They turn out perfect and the mix of ingredients rolled up deliver an incredible taste. I also candied orange peel last winter and spread about a tablespoon or two of the candied peel onto the rolled out circle of dough. A little bit goes a long way and it adds a hint of sweet-citric taste. I think this is one of my favorite recipes on your site!

  • I am a huge fan of yours! My son has tons of allergies–What do you recommend for this as far as wheat-free/nut-free alternative?

    Thanks!

    • Hi Khristina, You can use a gluten-free flour blend (whichever one you like for baking) and omit the nuts. Or maybe try mini chocolate chips for the filling instead — my kids love them this way.

  • Could these Rugelach cookies be made gluten free? It would be nice to have them as a treat again.

    • Hi Marie, I do think they’d work with gluten-free flour. Please let me know how they turn out if you try them this way!

  • Hello! I’ve seen rugelach made with sour cream, could I possibly substitute that for the cream cheese? I have an extra tub of it and I’d like to use it up! Thank you!

    • Hi Mais, I haven’t tried it so I can’t be sure, but I think it would work. I’d love to hear how they turn out!

      • Thank you! I’ll definitely update you!

  • This was delicious! I brushed a small amount of seedless red raspberry jam to the dough before adding the filling…dough is very easy to work with…does not stick..my family is eating these day and night!!

    • — Wendy G Schoenburg
    • Reply
  • Great recipe for this holiday treat. I followed the recipe with the addition of adding a small amount of homemade fig jam to the filling. Well received at the office cookie exchange.

  • This recipe is very similar to the one I’ve used for years from “Joy of Cooking Christmas Cookies” although yours uses 2 more oz. of of cream cheese and 1/4 c. less of flour…a wonderful recipe…I did not know you could freeze the rugelach then cook when desired…I also like the idea of putting the raisins in the food processor…Whole raisins are too large to use…can’t wait to try your recipe…Which of your cookie recipes are best for mailing? Thanks.

    • — Wendy G Schoenburg
    • Reply
  • I needed a quick easy recipe for my daughter’s Heritage Studies Assignment: Bring a food item from your family heritage. My family immigrated from Germany in the late 1800’s. What better way to celebrate our Jewish ancestors than Rugelach! Thank you for posting with beautiful step by step photos, this made it easy and perfect for us to make together!

  • This looks wonderful!! For the nutella version, do you JUST use nutella for the filling? Or do you add the walnut, raisin, cinnamon mixture as well? Thanks!

    • Kristen, Just the nutella. Enjoy!

  • Planning to try this recipe. If I only have salted butter, can I omit the 1/4 tsp of butter?

    • Hi Mina, I would really recommend unsalted butter but if you plan to use the salted, I would definitely cut back on the salt you use.

  • The rugelach are devine!! My grandmother used blond raisins, she liked the color contrast to the other ingredients. Easy to make, the rugelach freeze well.

  • I did it for the first time,turn out wonderful,I get A+ from my children.

    • — my children approved
    • Reply
  • My family loves these. They make a very impressive holiday gift and they are easy to make. I always double the recipe…they go fast!

  • Amazing rugelach and the easiest recipe I have found. I always struggled with remembering how to roll them and the video could not have been more helpful. I made apricot and (amazing) cinnamon, chocolate and raisins using ground pecans as the base. Thanks so much!

  • Love love love. I just finished baking 16 dozen for tonight’s holiday and to share with friends and neighbors. Delicious as written as well as with a tweak I spread a very thin layer of apricot preserves before I add the cinnamon nut mixture along with an egg wash on top before baking

  • The first time I made these it was for Thanksgiving which corresponded with Hannukah, and I thought they would be a nice change from pumpkin pie. I substituted prunes for the raisins because that is what I had. The dough was easy to work, though the kitchen was warm and it got a little sticky. The rolling up took a little practice but the taste was so fantastic it didn’t matter that there were a few ugly ducklings. The next time I made them, it was with apricot jam instead of raisins, and pecans instead of walnuts and once again, fantastic. This is not a traditional thanksgiving dessert!

    • — Dianne Friedman
    • Reply
  • This is a fun recipe for kids to join in with. Even when you don’t have time to make the dough from scratch and substitute with crescent rolls, they still like helping and it’s a great quick, yummy dessert! They love being able to personalize the fillings to their own tastes.

  • Just finished baking these, scaled the recipe down to two dozen. Added sour cream and glazed with some egg yolk before I put them in the oven. This pastry is absolutely delicious! The crust was flaky and buttery. Will be making at least 8 dozen for my church’s tea party this month. Thank-you so much for this recipe. Oh and I did not have walnuts so I substituted with pecans and baked for 20 minutes.

  • I baked the Original and Nutella versions and the Nutella were dangerously delicious (hard not to love anything with chocolate and nuts). As to keep the regulach similiar sizes for cooking, I rolled out the dough and then placed a bowl on top and cut around the bowl. Much easier to keep them the same size and looked great when cooked.

    Thank you for the recipe!

  • I made these rugelach so many times, every time they come out perfect. As an experiment, I used dried cranberries and cherries instead of raisins and they were heavely good.

  • Delightful bites of deliciousness! Kids love rolling these up and gifting cookie boxes for the holidays. Yummy anytime of year and we change up the filling too – Use your favorite chocolate & nuts or raisin & cinnamon. Fun project for kids during the cold winter months – the oven heats the house and the smell is divine! Easy too.

    • — Georgianna Goetsch
    • Reply
  • 4 teaspoons cinnamon?are U serious???

    • Hi Paula, Yes, that’s correct!

  • Hi Jen,
    I’ve made this recipe many times and it never fails. Reminds me of when I was little and my grandmother would bake rugelach. The smell!! I was wondering if these could be frozen AFTER baking. I made a batch today and, after the fact, my friend asked me to bring some to her home on Saturday for dessert. I have no time before then to bake again. Will these last until Saturday ? Or can I freeze them now.
    Thanks.

    • Hi Sharyn, I’d say they keep well stored in an airtight container for about 3 days, so Saturday might be pushing it a little. Theoretically, you should be able to freeze baked rugelach without any issues (most recipes say they freeze well, baked or unbaked) but I’ve never tried it myself so can’t say with 100% certainty.

  • Just made these for the first time last night. Loved the combination of flavours, and it was easy to make. It takes a bit of skill/practice to roll out the dough evenly and roll up the rugelachs neatly, but you get 4 chances to practice 🙂 It’s important not to roll the dough too thin, also, don’t make the rugelachs too tight (because the dough needs space to get puffy, otherwise they unroll and get dry). I also brushed the rugelachs with egg/milk mixture to give them a golden shine (my granny always did that), and I think it really improved their appearance. Last, for me the time was 18-19 minutes…
    I finished making these late at night, and my husband was already in bed. He smelled them, and came down to have a couple, and absolutely loved them.
    Very happy with this recipe! It’s a keeper!

  • I recently made these because I remember my grandmother making & sending them to us when I was growing up. These are super! I omitted the raisins (can’t stand those myself) but it didn’t matter – they were wonderful & easy! I gave some to neighbors who loved them too!

  • I absolutely love your rugelach reciope…it’s so easy and tastes amazing. I make it very often now that I have your recipe.

    • — Lothar Niemann
    • Reply
  • My mother in law used to make these and I was thrilled when i found the recipe. Super easy to make and soo delicious!

  • These were wonderful to eat, but not as pretty as yours in the picture – do you have suggestions for if the dough is too mushy? Many of my rugelach stuck to the table, despite my use of copious amounts of flour. Thanks!

    • Hi Michelle, Did you use the dough right out of the refrigerator? If you let it sit out too long, it will get too soft. You might try rolling it out on parchment paper; that way if it gets sticky, you can lift the parchment paper right up and chill in the fridge for a bit. u As for making them pretty, it just takes practice 🙂

  • Would this work with anything else that could make it dairy free? Like margarine?

    • Hi Eliana, Yes, just be sure it is unsalted.

  • almost like our family recipe -but we spread just a touch of warm honey on the dough, then sprinkle on the brown sugar/nut mixture. We don’t use the berries, but nice idea Be careful if you use honey though – too much will ooze all over the place and burn…

  • They look delicious, but can you recommend a substitute if you can’t use nuts (allergies)? Thanks.

    • Hi Debbie, You can just leave them out…it won’t make a difference. Or try adding a few tablespoons of apricot jam or dried apricots to the filling. There are also some wonderful chocolate variations…see the instructions in the actual recipe.

  • Here the ending is kh as in a khet ×—. If you see what I mean. I like them (bought) with chocolate in and heated in the microwave. Yum.

  • My mom spreads seedless raspberry jam over the dough, then sprinkles a similar nut/raisin mixture.

    Another use for this very easy dough is cheese knishes. Cut circles out and then add a TB of a filling made of cream cheese, farmer’s cheese, eggs, and sauteed onions in the middle of the circle. Fold dough over the filling and use fork tines to seal. Cook time is about the same as rugelach.

    • Apricot jam is delicious too…and I love the idea of savory fillings.

  • Wow! Looks easy! I must try it!

  • I’m tempted to make this today! I have all of the ingredients 🙂 Looks delicious.

  • You make it look so easy. Have you tried freezing these. Would be nice to stock up for the holidays

    • Hi Jane, Yes, you can freeze rugelach before baking. They can go straight from the freezer to the oven, just might take a bit longer to cook.

  • Yes Jenn, these would make for a very happy new year!

    These rugalehs sure seems like something your great grandmother used to make and serve to us at the holiday dinner.

    Thanks for bringing those memories alive!

  • My mom used to trim pies, and use the left over to make similar ones. She just added sugar, cinnamon, butter. So yummy. 🙂

    • — Veronica Hughes
    • Reply
    • Yes, this dough is very similar to pie dough. Bet those were delicious!

  • I’ve had this recipe since a baby shower given for me before my oldest daughter was born. I’ve always been afraid to tackle it. Your instructions have spurred me on. I’m going to do it. Thank you for shairng.

    Wishes for tasty dishes,
    Linda @ Tumbleweed Contessa

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