Rugelach Recipe

4.61 from 38 votes

These Rugelach Cookies are incredibly flaky and delicious filled with your favorite jam, pecans and finally dusted with some powdered sugar! They're perfect for your holiday cookie spread or even to treat yourself any time of the year!

Prep Time30

Cook Time25

Chilling Time20

Total Time1 15

Course: Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cherry pecan rugelach, rugelach, rugelach cookies, rugelach recipe

Servings:

Calories: 88kcal

Author: Joanna Cismaru

Equipment

Ingredients

1¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup butter unsalted, cold
½ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅓ cup cherry jam
¾ cup pecans ground
3 tablespoons powdered sugar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Add the flour and butter to a large bowl. Using two knives or a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until it forms pea-sized pieces. Gently stir in the sour cream and vanilla, just until the dough holds together. Turn the bowl out onto a flour surface and give the dough a quick knead. Divide it in 3 pieces, wrap each piece with plastic, and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat.
Sprinkle some flour generously over your work surface. Take one disc of the dough and unwrap it. Sprinkle some flour over your rolling pin and roll out the dough so that it’s about 10 inches in diameter.
Spread about 2 tablespoons of jam over the rolled dough. You don’t wan to add too much jam because it’s going to seep out of the cookies while baking. Next sprinkle about a quarter of the ground pecans evenly over the jam. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into 12 wedges, like a pizza. Starting at the long, curved edge, roll each wedge, crescent style, and place the rolls point side down (so they don’t unravel) on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly golden. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to fully cool. Once completely cooled, either sprinkle them generously with powdered sugar or roll them through it.

Video

Notes

For a gluten-free option, replace the all-purpose flour with gluten-free flour. Be aware that some baking ingredients can be a hidden source of gluten.
To make it easier to spread the jam, microwave for a few seconds it until it softens.
Pecans are my favorite type of nut which is why I chose them for these cookies. You can use pistachios, almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts; the possibilities are endless! Have fun with your rugelach and get creative.
You can easily halve or double the recipe as you wish.
To make the dough ahead, you can actually freeze the cookie dough for up to three months, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. Thaw it out in the refrigerator overnight.
Shaped unbaked cookies can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months, no thawing necessary, can be baked straight from the freezer, but may need an extra few minutes to bake.
Store baked cookies in an airtight container for about a week.

Nutrition