Cinnamon rugelach are buttery, flaky crescent-shaped pastries filled with a sweet pecan filling. Perfect for your next holiday cookie tray!
Recipe summary
Flavor/texture: Flaky pastry dough is filled with sweet cinnamon pecan filling. They're like bite-size cinnamon rolls!
Chilling: Dough requires a 30 minute chill time.
Yield: 48 rugelach
Similar to: Raspberry Rugelach, Puff Pastry Cinnamon Rolls, Puff Pastry Cinnamon Twists
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Wet ingredients - Block-style cream cheese, butter, and granulated sugar add moisture and flavor to the dough. Reducing or omitting these ingredients can result in a dry dough.
- Flour - All-purpose flour balances with the wet ingredients and adds structure. I have not tested this recipe with other types of flours, so I can't say for sure how they'd turn out. To avoid wasting ingredients, search for a recipe that's developed for the ingredients you'd like to use.
- Flavor - Vanilla extract and salt add flavor to the dough.
- Filling ingredients - Pecans, brown sugar, and cinnamon create a sweet, cozy, and crunchy filling. Pecans can be substituted with walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, or cashews.
- Egg wash - A simple egg wash is made with egg and whole milk. Egg wash can be substituted with heavy cream or melted butter if desired.
How to make cinnamon rugelach
- Beat cream cheese and butter in a stand mixer until smooth.
- Add sugar, salt, and vanilla and mix until evenly incorporated. Mix in flour last.
- Form dough into a ball then quarter.
- Form quarters into discs and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
- Roll disc into a circle and brush with water.
- Sprinkle pecan filling and gently press to help it adhere. Cut into wedges.
- Starting at the outside edge, roll each wedge into a crescent.
- Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and brush with egg wash. Bake until golden brown.
Heather's Top Tip
For accurate results every time, use a kitchen scale to measure flour by weight. If you don't have a kitchen scale, use the spoon and level method. Stir the flour (especially if it's been packed down in a bag/container), then gently spoon into the measuring cup, leveling off the top with a knife. Scooping with a measuring cup compacts flour into the cup and adds up to 25% extra to the recipe, resulting in dry, bland cookies that don't spread properly.
Tips and tricks
Use room temperature ingredients - They create a consistent and creamy dough that bakes up evenly in the oven.
Using parchment paper - This helps prevent your pastries from spreading too much while baking. A greased baking pan guarantees your pastries spread more than they should.
Sticky dough? - Dust your counter top, hands, and rolling pin with flour. Keep extra flour to the side and continually dust your dough as needed.
Frequently asked questions
The name is Yiddish and roughly translates into "little twists".
Rugelach is a small crescent-shaped filled pastry that originated in the Jewish communities of Poland. Rugelach dough is often made with sour cream or cream cheese, making these pastries extra tender and flaky. There are many sweet filling variations, including cinnamon, fruit preserves, raisins, walnuts, and chocolate. While rugelach may look like a cookie, it is technically a pastry. It is most often served on Jewish holidays like Hanukkah, Shavuot, and Rosh Hashanah, though it's also a popular addition to Christmas cookie trays.
Rugelach are best within 2-3 days of baking and dry out over time. Store your rugelach in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Yes, cinnamon rugelach can be frozen! Store your baked rugelach in the freezer in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
Yes, rugelach dough can be stored in a sealed container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, or thaw for up to an hour at room temperature.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Cinnamon Rugelach
Ingredients
Dough
- 8 ounces (226 g) block-style cream cheese, room temperature
- 8 ounces (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour
Filling
- ½ cup (106 g) dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (114 g) chopped pecans, or walnuts
Egg wash
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, add cream cheese and butter to a bowl and beat until creamy and smooth.
- Add sugar, salt, and vanilla extract and mix until evenly incorporated. Add flour and mix on low until just incorporated (do not over-mix your dough).
- Empty dough out onto a well floured surface and form into a ball. Cut dough into four quarters, form into discs, wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a bowl, add dark brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans. Stir to combine and set aside.
- Working with one ball of dough at a time, roll dough out on a floured surface into a 9-10 inch circle (the edges will be rough, this is fine). Lightly brush the circle with water, then top with a thin layer of pecan filling (about ¼ of your filling on each circle), pressing gently to adhere to the dough.
- Slice each circle into four quarters, then slice each quarter into three even wedges (each circle makes 12 wedges total). Starting at the outside edge, roll each wedge up into a crescent shape. Place onto prepared baking sheet with the points sides facing down.
- In a small bowl, whisk your egg and milk to make an egg wash. Brush each crescent lightly with egg wash. Bake for about 18-22 minutes, or until cookies are lightly browned across the tops. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Make ahead: Dough can be prepared up to two days ahead of time, wrapped in plastic, and stored in the refrigerator. Or, dough can be frozen for up to three months. Tightly wrap in a layer of plastic and a layer of foil, or store in a freezer safe bag.
- Storage: Baked cookies will keep for up to 5 days (but are best within 2-3 days) in a sealed container at room temperature, or up to 3 months in a tightly sealed freezer-safe container in the freezer. Allow frozen baked goods to come to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
- Egg wash substitute: Egg wash can be substituted with milk, heavy cream, or melted butter.
- Brown sugar substitute: Dark brown sugar can be substituted with light brown sugar.
- Top tips: Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking cookies, based on reader comments and questions!
Hi! Is there a way to make this without a stand or hand mixer?
The dough could be mixed together in a food processor. Pulse until the ingredients have come together, then pour out onto a lightly floured surface and shape the dough by hand into a ball. If you have a pastry cutter, you could also cut the cream cheese and butter into the dry ingredients and mix with a spoon.
Dough needs way more than 30 min in fridge. Very sticky &hard to work. Had to add 10 min in freezer.
Butter needs to be cool, more than room temp. I was finally able to roll it out, but it wasn't easy
Hi Adrianne, was the dough quartered into small rounds before refrigerating? Did you dust the counter top and dough with flour before rolling out?
I changed it up a bit used about 1 1/2 cups pecans and a 1/2 cup sliced almonds chopped well. Also, I added more cinnamon sugar to make them a bit sweeter. I also cut them smaller so they were more bit-sized and shook powdered sugar over.. Took the cookies to a party and they were amazing - everyone loved them.
Thank you for the recipe! I’ve made it twice and they always come out delicious! It’s a hit with my family.
So glad to hear you enjoyed them!
Delicious. Never made rugelach before. Thanks for the great directions.
Do you think I could fill with apricot filling instead of nuts? I’m thinking of making two disc filled with nuts and two with apricot.
Yes, apricot jam would work as a filling instead of the listed filling ingredients.
Heather, In your introduction you said that Rugelachs are usually made with sour cream or cream cheese. I wonder if I could use full-fat Greek yogurt instead of one of the other two. My husband is lactose intolerant and can't eat cream cheese.
Thanks! Anita
While I haven't tested Greek yogurt in this recipe personally, I think it should work as a substitute. If you give it a try, let us know how they turn out!