Cinnamon rugelach are a popular Jewish pastry that can be found at most bakeries during the Hanukkah holiday season. This cinnamon rugelach recipe is made with a cream cheese pastry and filled with a cinnamon sugar & walnut mixture.
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What Is Rugelach?
Rugelach (pronounced 'rug a la') pastries are bite-size cookies made with cream-cheese pastry crescents rolled around a filling of nuts, poppy seed paste, chocolate, or jam.
They are flaky treats that can be both eaten warm or cold, and make the perfect sweet snack or dessert. Rugelach cookies are especially popular at Hanukkah.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
This traditional Jewish cinnamon rugelach recipe is made with rich cream cheese pastry dough that is rolled up into a horn shape around a filling, and baked until golden brown.
- Irresistible combination of flavors and textures: The delicate pastry dough encases a sweet and nutty filling of walnuts and cinnamon, creating a delightful contrast of textures and a symphony of flavors that will tantalize your taste buds.
- Easy to make and perfect for any occasion: Whether you're a seasoned baker or a novice in the kitchen, this recipe is easy to follow and can be whipped up in no time. These cookies are perfect for casual gatherings, holiday treats, or simply enjoying a sweet indulgence at home.
- Versatile and customizable: The filling can be adapted to your taste preferences. Experiment with different types of nuts, such as pecans or hazelnuts, or add a touch of spice with nutmeg or ginger. You can also drizzle the cookies with a glaze or frosting for an extra touch of sweetness and decoration.
Rugelach cookies is easy to make and are sure to impress your friends and family at your next gathering!
Ingredients You'll Need
- Set the cream cheese and butter out so that they come to room temperature. You won't preheat your oven yet, as the finished pastry dough will need to chill in the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes.
- All purpose flour
- Cream Cheese, softened to room temperature.
- Unsalted butter, softened to room temperature.
- Salt
- Egg yolk
- Ceylon Cinnamon, ground - get Ceylon, it's superior for baking.
- Brown Sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Walnuts, chopped fine
- Melted Butter
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How To Make This Cinnamon Rugelach Recipe
Mix the softened cream cheese, butter, flour, egg yolk, and salt in a large mixing bowl. The dough will be a little sticky, this is normal.
Make the Cream Cheese Pastry Dough
- Scrape up all the dough into a ball using a spatula.
- Divide the ball of dough into four equal pieces and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill for 45 minutes.
Make the Walnut and Cinnamon Rugelach Filling
- After you chill the cream cheese pastry dough, remove from refrigerator. Let sit a few minutes while you preheat the oven to 350 F.
Lay parchment paper or a Silpat mat on a cookie sheet. Flour a surface that is suitable for rolling out the ball of cream cheese pastry.
- Use a mini food processor to chop the walnuts up into a medium coarse texture. Add the brown sugar, butter, granulated sugar, cinnamon and pulse until blended.
- Roll out the ball of pastry dough to about 8" in diameter and about ⅛" thick. Use a pizza cutter and make 8 wedges.
Roll Up Rugelach Into Crescents
I usually sprinkle my cinnamon walnut topping after cutting wedges, but you can also sprinkle the topping and then slice into wedges. I do the later when covering with apricot jam or Nutella, as the lines are easier to see.
- Spread the cinnamon walnut mixture over the cut wedges and then start rolling them up. Start at the wide end and roll up to the point.
- Place on the cookie sheet about 1" apart and bake for 23 - 25 minutes, or until golden brown. You can just with powdered sugar or serve as is.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these Cinnamon Rugelach as a dessert during the Holiday's or as a great breakfast or snack with coffee or milk. Home baked rugelach are hands down superior to those you find in the grocery stores!
For more festive Christmas and Hanukkah recipes see our Potato Latkes, Matcha White Chocolate Chip Cookies, Blue Velvet Cookies, Frosted Cookies. And, you can never go wrong with our 3 Minute Fudge or Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies!
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- Frozen Sweet Potato Fries In Air Fryer
- Dairy Free Blueberry Muffins
Substitutions and Variations
There are endless variations for rugelach fillings when making this cinnamon rugelach recipe, but some of the most popular ones are:
- Chocolate Rugelach - Use the our cream cheese rugelach cookie recipe and then spread mini semi sweet chocolate chips over the cream cheese pastry dough. Press in lightly, then cut into wedges with the pizza slicer. Roll up and bake.
- Apricot Rugelach - smear apricot preserves lightly over the rolled out rugelach pastry. Cut into wedges with the pizza cutter, roll up and bake.
- Marzipan Rugelach - add crushed potato chips (ketchup chips!).
- Raspberry Rugelach - smear raspberry jam lightly over the rolled out rugelach pastry. Cut into wedges with the pizza cutter, roll up and bake.
- Nutella Rugelach - spread Nutella lightly over the rolled out rugelach pastry. Cut into wedges with the pizza cutter, roll up and bake.
Equipment
Good baking or cookie sheet are a must for an even browning when making this rugelach cookie recipe. Below are the ones I use, they come in a set of two rimmed cookie sheets and a rack.
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Storage Options
- Store cookies in an airtight tin or covered plastic container.
- You can freeze the cookies or the uncooked dough for up to three months.
Tips for Success
- Refrigerate the dough balls for about 45 minutes before rolling out so that the dough is not so soft and fragile to roll up the cinnamon sugar sprinkled triangles into horns.
- Remove frozen dough from the freezer and let it defrost in the refrigerator. This will reduce any condensation and subsequent stickiness with the dough.
- When baking, stack two cookie sheets so they create an air pocket between them, then add the rugelach cookies on the parchment lined top cookie sheet. The double stacked cookie sheets prevent the bottom of the cookies from over browning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Because of the cream cheese, rugelach is a dairy food, and dairy is more traditionally eaten for Hanukkah, the festival of lights, and for Shavuot, a harvest festival celebrated seven weeks after Passover.
The origins of rugelach cookies date back to the Hungarian kifli or kiffle cookies, Austrian kipfel, Polish rogal and kolacky or kolacki cookies. The crescent-shape filled pastries are specific to rogal and kiffles, with kolacky shaped more like mini danish; small squares with the corners folded over.
These related pastries were originally made with yeast dough and filled with fruit jams, poppy seed paste or spices and nuts. Cream cheese or sour cream based pastry is a popular American interpretation.
The correct pronunciation of rugelach is (pronounced 'rug a la'), the ch is silent.
More Delish Ideas
Walnut Cinnamon Rugelach
Ingredients
For the Cream Cheese Pastry
- 2½ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 8 oz unsalted butter room temperature
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 egg yolk
Cinnamon Walnut Filling
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup white granulated sugar
- 1 cup Walnuts chopped fine
- 1 tablespoon Cinnamon ground - Ceylon is preferred for baking
- 2 tablespoon melted butter
Instructions
For the Cream Cheese Pastry
- Mix the softened cream cheese, butter, flour, egg yolk, and salt in a large mixing bowl. The dough will be a little sticky, this is normal.2½ cup all purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, 8 oz unsalted butter, 8 oz cream cheese, 1 egg yolk
- Scrape up all the dough into a ball using a spatula. Divide the ball of dough into four equal pieces and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill for 45 minutes.
For the Cinnamon Walnut Filling
- After you chill the cream cheese pastry dough, remove from refrigerator. Let sit a few minutes while you preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Lay parchment paper or a silpat mat on a cookie sheet. Flour a surface that is suitable for rolling out the ball of cream cheese pastry.
- Use a mini food processor to chop the walnuts up into a medium coarse texture. Add the brown sugar, butter, granulated sugar, cinnamon and pulse until blended.½ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup white granulated sugar, 1 cup Walnuts, 1 tablespoon Cinnamon, 2 tablespoon melted butter
- Roll out the ball of pastry dough to about 8" in diameter and about ⅛" thick. Use a pizza cutter and make 8 wedges.
- Spread the cinnamon walnut mixture over the cut wedges and then start rolling them up. Start at the wide end and roll up to the point.
- Place on the cookie sheet about 1" apart and bake for 23 - 25 minutes, or until golden brown. You can just with powdered sugar or serve as is.
Notes
- Refrigerate the dough balls for about 45 minutes before rolling out so that the dough is not so soft and fragile to roll up the cinnamon sugar sprinkled triangles into horns,
- Remove frozen dough from the freezer and let it defrost in the refrigerator. This will reduce any condensation and subsequent stickiness with the dough.
- When baking, stack two cookie sheets so they create an air pocket between them, then add the cookies on the parchment lined top cookie sheet. The double stacked cookie sheets prevent the bottom of the cookies from over browning.
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