Best cinnamon rugelach recipe (2024)

• For the cream cheese dough:
  • butter, preferably unsalted butter because you will add a lot of salt to the dough, from both fine kosher salt and cream cheese. If you have salted, it will work. Adjust the salt in the recipe accordingly or your cookies may be too salty...
  • cream cheese, preferably the Philadelphia brand regular cream cheese sold in a block format. This recipe uses the entire block. Do not use the cream cheese in the tub or whipped cream cheese.
  • all-purpose flour is needed to bind all the cream cheese dough ingredients together and give structure to the cookies. If you don't use enough flour, your cookies may spread too much as they bake
  • salt is really important to balance out the sweet filling and enhance the savoury nature of the cream cheese dough. Don't skip it. I like to use Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt, but table salt will work, though the cookies will be saltier and you may want to halve the salt in that case.
• For the rugelach filling:
  • nuts—be sure to toast the nuts in the filling ahead of time
  • dried cranberries—dried cherries or dried apricots will also work
  • granulated sugar is used, though brown sugar would also work here and adding more flavour to the filling.
  • ground cinnamon is added to the filling to make these cookies very flavourful
  • cream is needed to bind the filling together but also to help the tops of the cookies brown and to help glue the cinnamon sugar coating on the surface of the cookies
  • vanilla extract adds a ton of flavour to the filling. Don't skimp on it. If you are using an artificial vanilla extract, that will work too but you may have to use less because it tends to be more potent than the real extract.
• For the topping and to make the cookies sparkle:
  • cinnamon sugar is the secret to making the cookies sparkle on top, adding a little more flavour since the dough is plain and unsweetened. You can buy it or make cinnamon sugar yourself!

Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

Step 1: Start by making the cream cheese dough. Combine softened butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer (image 1) and mix until the two ingredients are well mixed, soft and creamy (image 2). Add flour and salt to the mixer bowl (image 3) and mix to form a shaggy but well-mixed dough (image 4).

Step 2: Once the dough comes together, divide it into 4 equal pieces with the help of a kitchen scale (image 5), shaping each into a square and wrapping in plastic wrap (image 6) to chill in the refrigerator until firm, at least 1 hour (image 7).

See Also

The Best Gluten Free and Dairy Free Holiday Recipes ⋆ Tons of GoodnessRecipes From A Pantry - Crockpot Breakfast CasseroleVegan Custard Slices Recipe (with Puff-Pastry and Vanilla) - Carlo CaoBest Sausage Gravy Recipe- 4 Ingredients! - One Sweet Appetite

Step 3: Combine the ingredients for the filling in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal S-blade (image 8) and process into a fairly medium–fine texture (image 9).

Step 4: Roll out each portion of dough to roughly a 7x13 inch (18x33 cm) rectangle (image 10), trimming the edges to straighten them (and patch if necessary). Scatter one-quarter of the filling from edge to edge, pressing it into the dough to anchor all the little bits (image 11). Roll the dough as tightly as possible into a 13-inch (33-cm) log (image 12). Make sure to finish the roll seam-side down so that the seam is under the log of dough.

Step 5: brush the roll of dough with cream and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, then use a ruler or a measuring tape as your guide to mark the dough evenly. You can cut the log into 12 to 14 equal portions, creating slits every inch or so (~2.5 cm) (image 13). Then, cut the dough into cookies using a large chef's knife or a bench scraper (image 14).

Step 6: Place the rugelach cookies upright on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan (image 15), spacing them out and staggering them to allow for airflow. Bake until golden brown (image 16) and baked through. The center of each cookie should look set and baked.

Is babka the same as rugelach?

Babka and rugelach are both baked goods with a swirled interior, made from layers of dough and filling that are rolled together. Though the fillings used may be similar, the doughs are quite different, as is the category of baked goods. Babka is a rich, fluffy bread made from an enriched yeasted dough (enriched with butter, eggs, some sugar, and milk). It may be baked in a loaf or a round pan to slice (like this dark chocolate babka), or baked in smaller individual portions in a muffin pan (like these mini chocolate babkas). On the other hand, rugelach are much smaller, more like a cookie, made from a tender cream cheese dough (may be flaky like pie crust). Rugelach are often shaped like croissants, though this varies.

How do you store rugelach? What is the shelf life?

Store rugelach in an air-tight container for up to 1 month in a cool dry place. For longer storage, I recommend freezing them after baking and cooling completely. To freeze rugelach, place them on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan in the freezer until frozen solid, then transfer to a freezer bag (air removed). Defrost rugelach in the refrigerator overnight and then transfer to a container at room temperature. Make sure the cookies stay dry.

Cinnamon rugelach with dried cranberries and walnots

These cinnamon rugelach are made with a cream cheese dough that is very easy to work with. They are filled with cinnamon, dried cranberry, vanilla, and walnuts. They are very popular on Christmas cookie trays!

Nutrition

Calories: 137kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 28mgPotassium: 36mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 206IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 14mgIron: 1mg