These flaky buttery cookies are very popular in Israel, commonly found in most cafes and bakeries.
Traditional rugelach is made in the form of a crescent by rolling a triangle of dough around a filling.
You may also seen this cookie/pastry spelled differently IE rugelakh, rugulach, rugalach, ruggalach, rogelach, rugalah, rugulah, rugala.
The dough is made with butter and cream cheese, the filling has jam, nuts, and spices and we have several recipe fillings to choose from in our favorite filling section below.
Scroll down to this easy rugelach recipe and let's get baking!
A Little History on Rugelach
The original baked rugelach, a favorite Jewish pastry, dated back to the Hungarian kifli, Austrian kipfel, and Polish rogal.
The crescent-shape filled pastry was originally made with yeast dough and filled with fruit jams, poppy seed paste or nuts.
Rugelach has existed since at least the 18th century and was to commemorate the expulsion of the Turks from Austria in 1783.
Today the most popular flavor in these little crescent roll-shaped rugelach to buy is filled with raspberry jam, chocolate, spices, and nuts.
Tips for Making Rugelach
- use a ruffled edged pastry cutter for pretty edged rugelach
- store these in an airtight container
- these will freeze up to 5 months
- always preheat the oven
- use butter only and full-fat cream cheese
- always refrigerate the dough for at least 4 hours or overnight wrapped in plastic or wax paper
- do not overwork the dough with flour to keep the pastry tender
Tools You Will Need
- cutting board
- pastry cutter
- rolling pin
- measuring cup
- measuring spoons
- electric mixer
- spatula
- spoons
- nut chopper
Favorite Fillings
- Nutella with added chopped hazelnuts (no preserves) sprinkle the dough with cinnamon sugar mixture or roll them while hot in the granulated sugar or cinnamon-sugar mixture
- any flavored fruit preserves like strawberry or raspberry plus the addition of mini chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, cinnamon sugar
- melted butter brushed on the dough, then add the cinnamon, and sugar with nuts mixed with or without the addition of mini chocolate chips
- any dried fruits instead of raisins like dried craisins, chopped fig or dates, red and green chopped cherries using the same cinnamon sugar mixture
- apples and cinnamon (raw peeled and finely diced apples) spread with preserves of choice (IE red raspberry), melted chocolate or mini chocolate chips, and chopped walnuts, and apricot jam for fillings.
- for all chocolate use 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt, melt chocolate in the microwave add the sugar and salt after melted spread on dough
Here are more of our favorite cookie recipes:
24 One-Stop Cookie Shop
Coconut Chocolate Chip Banana Bars
Pin for later
Filled Rugelach Cookies
The cookie is simple to make and basic so fill it with whatever you like.
Rugelach is a delicious and classic cream cheese pastry filled with a variety of nuts, fruit, preserves, and cinnamon sugar but the dough is so versatile you can fill it anything you like.
There are plenty of recipes out there for this Jewish-style cookie I have tried but I always come back to mom's tried and true recipes I have had hers since the early 1960s and we always experiment with making a new filling flavor.
Make sure you look at all our newest rugelach filling suggestions to pick out exactly what you may be looking for or better something new to try!
Rugelach Filled Butter Horns
Rugelach (pronounced rug-a-lah) is a buttery pastry-style cookie with a variety of fillings. This cookie originating in the Jewish communities of Poland is a delicious addition to your cookie collections.
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 12 MinInactive time: 2 HourTotal time: 2 H & 27 M
Ingredients
- Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 - 8 - ounce package of cream cheese softened at room temperature
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Cinnamon Walnut Chocolate Raspberry Filling:
- 1/2 cup sugar mixed with the cinnamon
- 2- 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 cup chopped coarsely of walnuts
- 1 jar seeded or seedless raspberry jam or another flavor you prefer
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
- Options: see under notes for more filling suggestions
Instructions
- Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until light around 2 minutes.
- Add the cream cheese, sour cream and beat until smooth.
- Stir in the flour, and salt.
- Refrigerate the dough overnight wrapped in wax paper. or for at least 4 hours.
- Remove from the refrigerator a 1/2 hour before rolling.
- Roll out on a cutting board.
- Spread the filling over the dough starting with preserves, sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture, then top with chopped walnuts then mini chocolate chips.
- Cut into triangles, like a pie, and roll up to the tips to look like mini crescent rolls.
- Bend each end into a crescent moon shape and place on parchment paper or Silpat mat.
- You can brush with egg and sprinkle with coarse or granulated sugar before baking.
- Bake at 375 degrees until browned on top for around 12 minutes.
- Note: We usually garnish ours with powdered sugar or cinnamon-sugar mixture after baking instead of before baking them.
Notes:
Favorite Fillings
- Nutella with added chopped hazelnuts (no preserves) sprinkle the dough with cinnamon sugar mixture or roll them while hot in the sugar
- any flavored fruit preserves like strawberry or raspberry plus the addition of mini chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, cinnamon sugar
- melted butter brushed on the dough, then add the cinnamon, and sugar with nuts mixed with or without the addition of mini chocolate chips
- any dried fruits instead of raisins like dried craisins, chopped fig or dates, red and green chopped cherries using the same cinnamon sugar mixture
- apples and cinnamon (raw peeled and finely diced apples) spread with preserves of choice (IE red raspberry), melted chocolate or mini chocolate chips, and chopped walnuts, and apricot jam for fillings.
- for all chocolate use 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt, melt chocolate in the microwave add the sugar and salt after melted spread on dough
- Cinnamon Walnut Raspberry Filling:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup chopped coarsely of walnuts
- 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
- 1 jar seedless raspberry jam
Tips for Making Rugelach
- use a ruffled edged pastry cutter for pretty edged rugelach
- store these in an airtight container
- these will freeze up to 5 months
- always preheat the oven
- use butter only and full-fat cream cheese
- always refrigerate the dough for at least 4 hours or overnight
- do not overwork the dough with flour to keep the pastry tender
Pin for later
More Recipes To Try:
Banana Chocolate Chip Biscotti
Chocolate Spice Cookies
Old Fashioned Buttermilk Cookies
These look so wonderful! I've never had (or made) them, but this is the year I will. Pinning. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteRenee - Kudos Kitchen
Dear Claudia, My grandmother used to make these in all varieties. Oh, they were delicious!!
ReplyDeleteYour cookies look wonderful.
I am glad that you are enjoying the spirit of the season.
xo Catherine
We love rugelach! I've been eating it my whole life. I've always hesitated to make it at home though. I have to try this recipe though!!
ReplyDeleteThese are such classic delicious cookies! I've had them since I was little, and I love the recipe. Thanks so much for sharing, and for all of the filling ideas!
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite Christmas cookies from my childhood! My grandmother always made them with raspberry jam and walnuts! Can't wait to try the other flavors!
ReplyDeleteI always assumed rugelach was too complicated, but this recipe makes it seem totally do-able! Can't wait to try this recipe for the holidays!
ReplyDeleteMade these cookies last night! My whole family loved them and ask to repeat that experience. They tried to learn how the cookies are called : Rugelach!! :)
ReplyDelete