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Today you’re in for a treat because I’m showing you how to make this Rugelach Recipe step-by-step. This is one of my favorite holiday cookie recipes that I actually make all year. I’m showing you TWO versions today and you’re going to love them.
This post is sponsored by Challenge Dairy, whose butter and cream cheese I use to make my Rugelach dough.
Why We Love This Recipe
When I was a teenager one of my best friends would have a Hanukah party every year. We’d grate potatoes for latkes and eat cookies. His mom would make some of the best cookies ever, and one of them was rugelach.
I’ve loved making these little bites forever and I’m finally sharing my favorite recipe with you. These are a classic and can be made so many different ways but today I’m showing you two of my favorites:
- Classic Brown Sugar Walnut with Raisins
- My favorite version with chocolate chips
Table of Contents
What is Rugelach?
These cookies are a filled pastry that originated in the Jewish communities of Poland. Traditionally they are made in the form of a crescent with a pastry dough and a delicious filling.
The dough is kind of like a pie dough, but with cream cheese. It’s flaky and and so yummy when paired with all sorts of fillings. The cookies are like little bites of pie, which speaks to my heart.
Best Ingredients for Rugelach Dough
The basic dough has only 4 ingredients. Here is what you need to make the dough:
- Flour and Salt: I use all-purpose flour
- Challenge Butter: I always use unsalted, make sure it’s at room temperature
- Challenge Cream Cheese: also make sure it’s at room temperature
Just like when you’re making a homemade pie crust, you want to use the best ingredients when making the dough for these cookies. There are only a few ingredients so you want to use the best tasting ones!
That’s why I always use Challenge Dairy when I make Rugelach. As you probably all know by now I have a long history with Challenge (it’s the only butter I ate growing up) and it’s the only one I buy. I’ve been working with Challenge now for a few years and it’s such a natural fit for my recipes.
Challenge butter is farm to fridge in just TWO days; it’s made and ready to be shipped in just 24 hours after the cows have been milked. It has no hormones, additives or fillers and comes from happy cows at family-owned dairies. Challenge Unsalted was even selected as a favorite among top selling brands by Cook’s Illustrated, so you know it has to be good.
Filling Ingredients
You really can fill rugelach with anything (see Variations, below) but today we’re doing a traditional brown sugar walnut filling. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Walnuts: you can toast them if you want
- Brown Sugar: adds great flavor
- Cinnamon
- Raisins: don’t worry, even if you don’t like raisins you’ll like these!
- Mini Chocolate Chips: in place of raisins, for our second flavor variation
Then you’ll just need egg, milk and granulated sugar to make an egg wash for the outside.
How to make my Rugelach Recipe
There are a few steps and lots of chilling, but it’s worth it!
Make the dough: Cut butter and cream cheese into small pieces. In a large food processor, pulse the flour and salt, then add the butter and cream cheese and pulse until mixture is crumbly.
Divide the dough: Divide dough into 4 sections and shape each into a disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.
Make the filling: Finely chop the raisins (easiest in a food processor). Stir together the walnuts, brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir in either finely chopped raisins OR mini chocolate chips.
Filling dough: Roll each disk of dough into a 9-inch round, keeping each disk chilled until ready to roll and fill them. Sprinkle the round with the filling and press it lightly into the dough.
Cutting dough: Cut each round into 12 wedges (like you’re cutting a pizza). Roll the wedges from wide to narrow, like you do a crescent rolls.
Chill: Place the cookies with points tucked under onto cookie sheets lined with parchment or silicone baking mats. Chill 30 minutes.
Bake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat egg with milk to create an egg wash. Brush each cookie with the egg wash and sprinkle the outside with the granulated sugar. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Storing: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to a month.
Variations
You can fill rugelach with almost anything you want. Here are some other ideas:
- Spread the dough with your favorite flavor jam
- Use lemon curd as the filling
- Spread the dough with peanut butter and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips
- Use other nuts, like pecans or almonds, instead of walnuts
- Spread the dough with Nutella or any other chocolate spread
- Skip the nuts and just fill them with cinnamon sugar (like pie crust cookies)
No matter how you make it you’re going to love this easy cookie – they are a classic that can be changed into so many different recipes with one basic dough.
FAQ
Did you measure the flour correctly? Make sure to spoon and level the flour. If you aren’t using a food processor to form the dough then it’s going to take awhile to get it completely worked together. You want the dough cohesive like a cookie dough not like a done-by-hand pie dough.
Make sure you have chilled the dough as directed! It’s a soft dough when it’s out of the refrigerator so don’t skip that step – and be sure to keep each disk chilled while you work on the others.
You do not need to refrigerate it and you definitely can freeze it. Learn how I freeze desserts!
The easiest way is to use a pizza cutter. Simply cut it like a pizza!
Other Favorite Recipes using Challenge
Have you made this recipe?
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Classic Rugelach Recipe
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1 cup unsalted Challenge Butter at room temperature
- 8 ounces Challenge Cream Cheese at room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Filling:
- 1 cup walnuts finely chopped
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup raisins finely chopped OR mini chocolate chips
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Cut butter and cream cheese into small pieces.
- In a large food processor, pulse the flour and salt, then add the butter and cream cheese and pulse until mixture is crumbly.
- Divide dough into 4 sections and shape each into a disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.
Make the Filling
- Note: I find it easiest to finely chop the nuts and raisins in the food processor, but you can also do it by hand.
- Stir together the walnuts, brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir in either finely chopped raisins OR mini chocolate chips. (Tip: divide the mixture in half and add 1/4 cup finely chopped raisins to half 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips to the other half.)
Assemble & Bake
- Roll each disk of dough into a 9-inch round, keeping each disk chilled until ready to roll and fill them. Sprinkle the round with the filling and press it lightly into the dough. Cut each round into 12 wedges (like you’re cutting a pizza). Roll the wedges from wide to narrow, like you do a crescent rolls.
- Place the cookies with points tucked under onto cookie sheets lined with parchment or silicone baking mats. Chill 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Beat egg with milk to create an egg wash. Brush each cookie with the egg wash and sprinkle the outside with the granulated sugar.
- Bake 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
- Cool at before removing from cookie sheets. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to a month.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Tips
- Make sure to spoon and level the flour. If you aren’t using a food processor to form the dough then it’s going to take awhile to get it completely worked together. You want the dough cohesive like a cookie dough not like a done-by-hand pie dough.
- Make sure you chill the dough as directed! It’s a soft dough when it’s out of the refrigerator so don’t skip that step – and be sure to keep each disk chilled while you work on the others.
- Easiest way to cut the dough is using a pizza cutter!
Variations
- Spread the dough with your favorite flavor jam
- Use lemon curd as the filling
- Spread the dough with peanut butter and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips
- Use other nuts, like pecans or almonds, instead of walnuts
- Spread the dough with Nutella or any other chocolate spread
- Skip the nuts and just fill them with cinnamon sugar (like pie crust cookies)
Recipe Nutrition
My Easy Rugelach Recipe are the best holiday cookies! This is a traditional recipe made two ways: classic raisin brown sugar and walnut filling and chocolate chip filling. These are some of the BEST cookies ever!
Last Updated on May 19, 2021
