Name: Cinnamon Rugelach
Prep time: 120 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 140 min
Ingredients: 8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature); 8 ounces unsalted butter (room temperature); 1/4 cup sugar ((1.8 ounces)); 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 cups all-purpose flour ((9 ounces)); 6 Tablespoons sugar; 1/4 cup light brown sugar (packed (1.8 ounces)); 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 cup walnuts (finely chopped); 1/2 cup apricot preserves (pureed in a food processor); 1 egg; 1 Tablespoon milk; 3 teaspoons sugar; 1 teaspoon cinnamon

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Cinnamon rugelach cookies are traditionally served during Hanukkah, but the rich, cream cheese dough and variety of possible fillings make this a delicious any-holiday cookie recipe.

This is one tasty cookie. Or is it a pastry? Let’s discuss.

What Is Rugelach?

Rugelach are crescent-shaped cookies made from a rich cream cheese dough that’s somewhere between a cookie and a pastry dough. They are filled with a variety of nuts, jam, chocolate, poppy seeds or raisins.

Rugelach, pronounced ROO-gah-lah, originated in Poland, but is eaten in Jewish communities all over the world. You can find them in coffee shops all over Eastern Europe and Israel as well as any good Jewish bakery.

According to Wikipedia, rugelach can mean “little twists,” “corner,” or “horn,” all of which describe its shape. These cookies look just like miniature croissants.

Others say that the meaning of rugelach comes from “rugel” which means royal.

Closeup of cinnamon rugelach on baking sheet.

Ingredients For Rugelach

This is Ina Garten’s rugelach recipe from Barefoot Contessa Parties! Here are the ingredients you’ll need:

cream cheese
butter
sugar
kosher salt
vanilla extract
all-purpose flour
brown sugar
cinnamon
walnuts
apricot preserves
1 egg for the egg wash
milk for egg wash

Various rugelach fillings in small white ramekins.

How to Make This Cinnamon Rugelach Recipe

Start by letting your butter and cream cheese come to room temperature. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter until light.

Add 1/4 cup sugar, salt and vanilla. Turn the mixer to low and add the flour gradually until just combined.

Turn out the dough onto a well-floured board and roll it into a ball. Cut the dough into quarters. For uniformity, I like to use a scale so that each quarter weighs the same. An inexpensive kitchen scale is such a useful kitchen tool!

Flatten each ball into a disk. Wrap well in plastic and refrigerate for an hour. At this point, you could freeze some of the dough if you want.

Ingredients for rugelach cookie filling.

While the dough is chilling, prepare the filling. Mix the brown sugar, 6 tablespoons of granulated sugar, and chopped walnuts in a bowl.

Next, puree the apricot jam in a food processor so it’s a little smoother and easier to spread.

On a lightly floured board, roll each ball of dough into a 9″ circle. I like to use the bottom of my springform pan as a guide, trimming it and patching the dough as needed.

Shaping dough using a 9" springform pan bottom.

Spread each circle of dough with 1/4 of the jam (about 2 tablespoons) using a pastry brush.

Sprinkle each circle with 1/4 of the cinnamon walnut filling (around 1/3 of a cup). Press the filling lightly into the dough.

Cut each circle into equal wedges using a pizza cutter or sharp knife.

Next, roll the cookies. Starting with the wide end of each wedge, roll each wedge until it looks like a little croissant. The point should be on the bottom.

Rolling the rugelach dough into crescent shapes.

Place the rugelach on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or a silpat. Chill for 30 minutes. (You can freeze the rugelach at this point too.)

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in a small bowl. Make the egg wash by beating 1 tablespoon of milk with the egg.

Brush each cookie with the egg wash, and sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Remove to wire racks and let cool.

Store the rugelach at room temperature for several days in a cookie tin or sealed container.

Can You Freeze Rugelach?

Yes. You can freeze the rugelach dough one of two ways. Either freeze the dough once you’ve rolled it out into a disc shape or freeze the filled and rolled cookies on a cookie sheet then wrap them carefully.

When you’re ready to bake the rugelach, just place the filled cookies on a baking sheet while you heat up the oven. They should be defrosted by the time you pop them in the oven.

If you’re freezing the discs of dough, defrost the dough until it can be easily rolled.

Can You Use Other Fillings For Rugelach Cookies?

Absolutely! You could substitute any jam and nut combination, such as raspberry jam and chopped pecans, or cherry jam and almonds. This could also be easily adapted to a chocolate rugelach recipe.

Here are some additional ideas for rugelach fillings:

Chopped, dried fruit
Honey
Poppy seed filling
Nutella
Shredded coconut
Lemon curd

Looking for more international cookies? Try these great recipes for Italian Biscotti, Scottish Shortbread, Moravian Molasses Cookies, or German Zimtsterne.