THE BEST RUGELACH COOKIES
Rugelach cookies are scrumptious little flakey bites of sweetness. And they are so easy to make! What could be better! The dough is made in a food processor so there is no mixing and stirring! And they can be filled with so many different things. Nuts are traditional, chocolate tastes fabulous but my favorite way to fill these little crescents is with jam! I used my homemade strawberry jam. YUM! If you have never made rugelach and like cookies you will want to give them a try!
Rugelach have an almost puff pastry consistency. Light and flakey. With a buttery taste. Perfect for jam!
Here are a couple tips to help your Rugelachs turn out perfectly!
- Use powdered sugar to “flour” your surface and rolling pin so the dough does not stick.
- Roll and turn each dough disc to make a one-eight inch circle.
- Spread out the jam to the edges of the dough.
- Use only 1 rounded TBS of jam. A little goes a long way!
- Roll up each rugelach cookie from the wide end to the smallest, one at a time. Jam will escape out of the sides and that’s okay!
- Make sure to refrigerate the little rugelachs before baking. This will harden up the butter in the dough so they will be flakey when baked.
- Let the rugelach cookies complete cool on a wire rack before putting them in an air tight container.
THE BEST RUGELACH COOKIE
A light, flakey, buttery little crescent cookie. It can be filled with many scrumptious fillings.
Print Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp salt not kosher, use regular
- 8 oz. package of cream cheese cold and cut into pieces
- 1 cup butter 2 sticks, cold and cut into small pieces
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 egg yolk
- 4-6 TBS jam
- powdered sugar
- sanding sugar
Instructions
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour and sugar. Pulse it a couple times to combine.
- Add the cream cheese and butter to the flour. Spread the pieces around the food processor bowl. Pulse 15 times until the dough resembles course crumbs.
- Put the vanilla and the egg yolk into a separate bowl and whisk together. Add to the processor and and process until the dough starts to come together.
- Turn the dough out onto a working surface and form into a ball.
- Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces and form each piece into a 1 inch disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. The dough will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Make sure to wrap it well.
- Use powered sugar to "flour" the working surface and rolling pin. Take each disc out of the refrigerator separately and roll it into an1/8 inch thick circle on the powdered sugar work surface.
- Spread 1 rounded TBS of jam on the large circle of dough. Spread the jam out to the very edges. Cut the circle into 16 wedges with a pizza cutter or sharp knife as shown in the pictures above. Roll up each cookie like a crescent from the outside edge to the inside.
- Put the cookies 1/2 inch apart on parchment lined baking sheets and sprinkle them with sanding sugar. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Put the cookies in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes in the pans. Transfer them to a wire rack and completely cool. They can be eaten or put in an airtight container.
Notes
Sanding sugar can be found at most local grocers.
Yum! I am so going to make these! These are a favorite of my husband and mine, but we usually buy them from a local deli style restaurant. I am game to try your recipe as you have made it seem simple enough! I know this is short notice, but can you please share what type of mixture you make for a nut/cinnamon filing? I will try making half the batch with raspberry preserves and the other half with nuts! Thanks for sharing!
How much sugar do you use in Step #1 when combining the flour and sugar.
My question too! The powdered sugar is for rolling, the sanding sugar is sprinkled on top…
This sounds so easy and yummy. Look forward to trying it soon!
Oh yeah! Those look awesome! I’ve been meaning to make rugelach all month! I even had a recipe all printed out (but NOW I’m going to use yours!). I have the cream cheese waiting for me in the fridge (yeah to long refridgeration shelf life!)! I do need to get some sanding sugar tho. So, maybe this week! I think they would be great for New Years. I like how you roll the dough in to a circle and then just cut that way. Seems easier than doing it any other way! Thank you!
Hi
Do you need to put cream cheese in ? Just use the jam ?
Thanks
Debby
I’m sure you can just use jam in these cookies, Debby. I just like a little tangy flavor with all that sweetness. Merry Christmas!
I think jam would be fine.
These cookies look so yummy! I will have to try this recipe for Christmas baking! thank you!
Yvonne, these look great! I’m planning to make them for Christmas treats. But, do you mean to spread 1 Tablespoon of jam on each rolled out disk, instead of 1 Teaspoon? Your site is my top favorite!
THanks for catching that! I fixed it! So sweet of you to let me know!
Going to make the cookies!!!
These look so yummy! I will have to make time to try these! thank you!
I’ve never seen this kind of cookie before. I’ve so excited to try it. They would be great if coffee, tea or hot cider. Yummmm
Today is baking day and your Rugelach along with Gingersnaps will soon be in the oven! Spending New Years with our daughter and children as hubby will be gone on a (Coast Guard) mission. Will be there early so sending him off with a box of breads and cookies! Thank You, Yvonne for your graciousness.
Thanks for the recipe. By the time I get done with the cleaning and decorating, making myself bake is like pulling teeth, but these look delicious and so easy.
Oh, these are so so good! YOu will love them!
How much powdered sugar do you mix with flour in step #1?
Not listed in ingredients
And what kind of jam do you like to use?
Hi Claudia, just a little dusting.