Cinnamon rugelach is a classic pastry with a rich, buttery dough and a warm, spiced cinnamon filling. These delicate swirls are a favorite in Jewish bakeries and homemade treats alike.
I was born in Israel and grew up in a Jewish Moroccan home, and I grew up eating Yeast Dough Chocolate Rugelach. But never the less, I am forever connected to the Jewish communities of Poland by these flaky, tender and addictive little twists known as Rugelach. The combination of butter and cream cheese transform a classic shortbread dough into a flaky, light and tender pastry dough. I used a food processor to make this recipe, and you can also use a mixer like in this Easy Fig Rugelach with Mixer, and last and not least, you can choose between these folded shape, or the classic rolled cookies like these Crescent shaped Raspberry Rugelach.
The Cream Cheese Dough
The complete recipe including measurements can be found below in the recipe card.
The key to tender, flaky rugelach is a rich dough made with cream cheese and butter. This unique dough is easy to work with and ensures melt-in-your-mouth results.
Ingredients you’ll need
- Cold butter and cut into 1/4-inch pieces.
- Cold cream cheese, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- All-purpose flour.
- Powdered sugar.
- Egg yolk for egg wash.
- Torbinadu sugar, to sprinkle over the cookies for an extra crispiness. Another option is cinnamon sugar.
Make It
- In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar and half of the butter until the butter is the size of small pease.
- Add the rest of the butter and cream cheese, processing until the you have a moist crumbly looking dough.
- Dump the mixture over a clean work surface and press it with your hands.
- Divide the dough into two parts, wrap each part with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of one hour.
- Divide the dough into two equal pieces, wrap each in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or overnight).
The Cinnamon Filling
The cinnamon filling is what makes these rugelach irresistibly fragrant and flavorful.
Filling Ingredients
- Unsalted butter at room temperature
- Ground cinnamon
- Powdered Sugar, and Molasses. To prevent the filling from oozing out, we are using powdered sugar which contains cornstarch, and molasses to give the deep brown sugar flavor.
- Chopped walnuts, or pecans. Optional, you can also use chocolate chips for chocolate cinnamon rugelach, or raisins for cinnamon raisin rugelach, or just stick sweet cinnamon filling.
Make the filling
- Measure the ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Use an electric mixer to cream the ingredients until you have a smooth paste.
Shape and Bake
- Use a rolling pin to roll out one part of the rugelach dough over a lightly floured surface into a 10×15-inch rectangle.
- Use a sharp knife, or a pizza cutter to trim the edges, then dived the dough into three 10×5 rectangles.
- Spread half of the filling over the dough, then sprinkle 1/4 cup of the chopped nuts.
- Fold one third of each rectangle towards the middle then fold the lower third over the center.
- Cut each log into 5, 2-inches cookies.
- Place seam side down over a baking sheet lined with. parchment paper, use a pastry brush to brush the top of the dough with the egg yolk and sprinkle with the sugar. Bake
Tips and Troubleshooting
- For best results, place the cookies seam side down so the rugelach won’t unroll during baking.
- Prevent overfilling—too much filling can cause leaks.
- Don’t skip on the chilling process, if your dough is too sticky, it may be too warm. Chill it longer and dust your work surface lightly with flour when rolling.
- If your rugelach turns out dry, the dough may have been overworked, or they may have been baked too long.
- Use a rimmed pan to bake the cookies, so the melted butter won’t drip to your oven’s floor.
- The cookies are ready when they are puffy, with deep golden brown color.
- Allow the cookies to cool over the baking pans before inverting it to a cooling rack.
Yields
This recipe makes about 30 rectangle folded rugelach, or, 30-40 crescent shape cookies.
Storing and Making Ahead
- Store baked rugelach in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, reheat for a few minutes at a 300F preheated oven to give the cookies a new layer of freshness.
- Freeze baked rugelach for up to 2 months. Reheat in a 300°F (150°C) oven for a few minutes before serving.
- The dough can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Cinnamon Rugelach Recipe
Buttery, flaky and tender filled with sweet cinnamon filling.
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 2 Cups (240g) All-purpose unbleached flour
- 2 Tablespoons (15g) Powdered sugar
- 1 Cup (225g) Unsalted cold butter cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1 Cup (225g) Cold cream cheese cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1 Large egg yolk, for egg wash
- 1/4 Cup Turbinado sugar
For the Cinnamon filling
- 5 Tablespoons (70g) Soft butter
- 1/2 Cup (60g) Powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Ground cinnamon
- 1 Tablespoon Molasses
Instructions
Make The Dough
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In a bowl of a food processor, process the flour, powdered sugar and half of the butter (113g) until the butter is the size of small peas. (about 8 pulses)
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Add the rest of the butter and cream cheese, and process until you have a crumbly, moist looking mixture. (about 10 seocnds)
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Dump the mixture over a clean work and use your hands into a a disk, about 1.5-2 inches thick.
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Divide into two, wrap each with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour up to 48 hours.
Make the Filling
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Cream all of the ingredients until you have a smooth paste. The mixture will seem very dry and crumbly, keep cream until it comes together.
Shape and Bake
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Preheat your oven to 400F (200C), and line two pans with parchment paper.
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Roll one part of the dough over a lightly floured surface into a 15×10 inch rectangle.
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Use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter to trim the edges and divide he dough into three 10×5 equal parts.
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Spread half of the filling into an even layer and sprinkle with the chopped nuts if using.
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Fold the top third of each rectangle towards the middle, then fold over the bottom third.
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Cut each log into 2-inch pieces, and place each cookie over the prepared pan, seam side down.
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Use a pastry brush to brush the unbaked cookies with the egg yolk, then prinkle with the sugar.
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Bake over the middle oven rack for 15-17 minutes, until the cookies are puffy and golden brown.
Recipe Notes
- Store at room temperature for up to five days in a cookie jar.
- Freeze for 6-8 weeks in a freeze bag.
- Reheat for a few minutes at 300F to for a fresh texture.
- Don’t skip on the chilling process, if your dough is too sticky, it may be too warm. Chill it longer and dust your work surface lightly with flour when rolling.
