Rugelach Cookies
A Deliciously Rich Cookie with Plenty of Filling Options
My holiday cookie platter isn't quite complete without rugelach. It's made with a cream cheese pastry dough filled and rolled up into a crescent shape. What I love about this rolled cookie is that you can make it with any kind of filling you like—chocolate, cinnamon, nuts, or poppy seeds—you can even make multiple fillings for one batch of dough so you can have a variety of rugelach to dress up your holiday dessert table!
What is Rugelach?
Rugelach is a cookie that looks like either a tiny cinnamon roll or a croissant, but instead of being soft like a pastry, it has the crispy-crunchy texture of a cookie. It's a favorite in the Jewish community and originated in Hungary. The original dough was made of yeast and yielded a soft pastry, but once the recipe reached the United States, it changed. The Rugelach we see in the American recipes today leaves out the yeast, and adds cream cheese for rich dough.
How to Make Rugelach—Tips and Tricks
Making rugelach is pretty easy. The ingredients come together in a food processor to make the dough. For my rugelach recipe, I like to cut my dough like a pie and roll up each triangle like a croissant. They're a cute addition to the holiday cookie platter and they're so much fun to make!
Rugelach Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- Filling of your choice
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ cup sugar
- 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
- Confectioners’ sugar, sifted, for dusting
Instructions
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Process until well mixed. With processor on, add the butter through the feed tube. Process until mixture resembles crumbs. With the processor on, add the cream cheese through feed tube, pulsing until dough starts to form. Using floured hands, turn dough out on a floured work surface and form dough into a log. Divide the log into 4 pieces. Shape pieces into 4 flat discs. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper. Let dough discs rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Place a piece of lightly floured parchment paper on your work surface. Working with one disc at a time, place a dough disc on the parchment. Place another piece of parchment on top. Using a rolling pin, roll dough disc into a 12-inch round about ⅛-inch thick. Remove the top sheet of paper. Top with filling of your choice, spreading evenly. Cover the filling with a piece of parchment or wax paper and gently press it into the dough. Remove and discard paper.
- Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into 12 wedges or triangles. Start by cutting the dough round into quarters and then each quarter into thirds. Starting at the base of each triangle, roll the dough wedges into a crescent. Place, seam side down, on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Make sure the points are tucked under the cookie.
- Refrigerate the formed cookies for at least 30 minutes before baking. The cookies can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight or frozen for up to two months. When ready to bake, do not defrost the cookies. Just add a few more minutes to the baking time.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg white and water. In a separate bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Brush top of rolled cookies with the egg white wash, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
- Bake the cookies for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking cycle. The finished cookies should be golden and puffy. Transfer to a wire rack and cool. Store in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days.
