Cream Cheese Rugelach

Cream cheese rugelach are my friend Mrs. S’s signature pastry. After dropping by for a visit, family and friends (and even the plumber) inevitably leave with a carefully prepared package of these flaky cream cheese treats swirled with apricot or raspberry jam, nuts, sugar and cinnamon. Mrs. S’s cardiologist beamed with delight when she presented him with a neatly wrapped box of these homemade delicacies on her last visit. After all, everyone agrees that eating a little fat is good for you. Have I mentioned that Mrs. S. (G’d bless) is turning 98 next week?

Cream Cheese Rugelach

Made with almost equal measures of butter, cream cheese, and flour by weight, Mrs. S. says that this sturdy, silky, dough rolls out like a charm. For best results, work with the dough when it’s cool. A traditionalist, Mrs. S. rolls the filled dough into individually formed crescents but it can also be rolled up in a log shape and treated like slice-and-bake cookies. This treasured recipe is by Bonnie Stern & Anna Rupert, recently published in their latest cookbook, Don’t Worry, Just Cook. Happy birthday Mrs. S. We look forward to sharing tea and rugelach with you for many years to come.

Assemble your ingredients. 

For the pastry: Place the flour in a food processor bowl fitted with the S-blade. Cut the butter into the flour, pulsing the machine 6-10 times. Cut the cream cheese into the mixture with short pulses, just until the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto the counter, gather it into a ball. Divide the dough into 4 balls. Flatten each into a 4-inch round (approximately), wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least a few hours and preferably overnight.

For the filling: In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, toasted nuts, and cinnamon. Set the mixture aside.

When ready to bake the rugelach, preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 15 minutes before rolling it out. Lightly flour your work surface. Working with one disc at a time, roll each ball into a 10 to 11-inch circle. The circle does not need to be perfect. Spread the circle with about 2 tablespoons of jam and sprinkle with about 1/4 of the brown sugar mixture. Cut each circle into 12 wedges. Roll up each wedge from the outside (wider part) to the middle. Place the rugelach on the lined baking sheet. (The unbaked cookies can be frozen in a single layer on a baking sheet at this point and baked at a later time.) 

Brush each cookie with the egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 20 minutes or until browned. Allow the cookies to cool completely before sampling.

Print Recipe

Cream Cheese Rugelach

Cookies, Cakes, Pies and Desserts

By Bonnie Stern & Anna Rupert, – Serves: 48 cookies

Prep Time: 40 minutes + overnight rest – Cooking Time: 25 minutes X 2 – Total Time: 90 minutes

Flaky cream cheese treats swirled with apricot or raspberry jam, nuts, sugar and cinnamon

Ingredients

• Pastry
• 1 cup butter, cold and cut into evenly sized chunks
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 8 ounces full-fat brick-style cream cheese, cold, cut into evenly sized chunks
• Filling
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup lightly toasted and finely chopped pecans
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup best-quality apricot jam
• Glaze
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 cup coarse sugar (I used raw sugar)

Instructions

For the pastry:

1

Place the flour in a food processor bowl fitted with the S-blade. Cut the butter into the flour, pulsing 6-10 times. Cut the cream cheese into the mixture with short pulses, just until the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto the counter, gather it into a ball. Divide the dough into 4 balls. Flatten each into a 4-inch round (approximately), wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least a few hours and preferably overnight.

For the filling:

2

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, toasted nuts, and cinnamon. Set the mixture aside.

3

When ready to bake the rugelach, preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 15 minutes before rolling it out.

4

Lightly flour your work surface. Working with one disc at a time, roll each ball into a 10 to 11-inch circle. The circle does not need to be perfect. Spread the circle with about 2 tablespoons of jam and sprinkle with about 1/4 of the brown sugar mixture. Cut each circle into 12 wedges. Roll up each wedge from the outside (wider part) to the middle. Place the rugelach on the lined baking sheet.

5

Beat the egg and tablespoon of water together. Brush each cookie with the egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 20 minutes or until browned. Allow the cookies to cool completely before sampling.

Notes

Bonnie Stern originally published a version of this recipe in her book Desserts (1988).