• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Jo Cooks

Simple - Easy - Comfort

Main Menu
  • Browse All Recipes
  • By Course
    • Breakfast
    • Appetizers
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Desserts
    • Side Dishes
    • Soups
    • Salads
    • Sandwiches
    • Drinks/Cocktails
    • Sauces & Dressings
  • By Method
    • Crockpot
    • Instant Pot
    • One Pot
    • Air Fryer
    • Casseroles
  • By Season
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Fall
    • Winter
  • By Cuisine
    • Asian
    • Italian
    • Mexican
    • European
    • Indian
    • Romanian
    • Mediterranean
    • Middle Eastern
    • American
  • By Ingredient
    • Chicken
    • Pork
    • Beef
    • Seafood
    • Lamb
    • Vegetarian
    • Pasta
    • Spices
  • By Holiday
    • Christmas
    • Easter
    • Thanksgiving
    • Game Day
    • Valentine's Day
    • St. Patrick's Day
    • Cinco de Mayo
    • Mother's Day
    • Memorial Day
    • Father's Day
    • 4th Of July
    • Labor Day
    • Halloween
Cookbooks
Shop Favorites
About Jo
Contact
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
YouTube
TikTok
FREE recipe eBook!
Search...
All Recipes
Soups
Baking
Pasta
Sides
Sandwiches
Instant Pot
30 Minute
One Pot Meals
Dips & Dressings
Desserts Cookies
4.6 from 12 votes

Poppy Seed Rugelach

Jump to RecipePrintRate
By: Joanna Cismaru •12/17/22 9 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

pin for poppy seed rugelach cookies.

Rugelach is a traditional holiday cookie, but this Poppy Seed Rugelach brings new, fresh flavors to an old favorite. I like to bring flavors from my childhood to the blog whenever I can, and these cookies are worth the trip down memory lane.

a bunch of poppy seed rugelach cookies on a plate.
Table of Contents Open
  • Easy Poppy Seed Rugelach Cookies Recipe
  • Why Make These Poppy Seed Rugelach Cookies
  • Ingredient Notes
    • Dough
    • Filling
    • Optional Toppings
  • How To Make Poppy Seed Rugelach
    • Make The Dough And Filling
    • Prep The Dough
    • Assemble The Cookies
    • Bake
  • Frequently Asked Questions
    • What Are Rugelach Cookies?
    • What Else Can I Fill My Rugelach Cookies With?
    • Can I Make These In Advance?
  • Tips
  • Storing Leftovers
    • Freezing/Make Ahead
  • More Delicious Recipes To Try
  • Poppy Seed Rugelach
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Equipment
    • Notes
    • Nutrition Information
  • Did You Make This?

Easy Poppy Seed Rugelach Cookies Recipe

Super flaky, rich cream cheese based dough, sweet and syrupy filling, I mean does it get any better? Around the holidays I love to share with you treats from my childhood, whether you’ve heard of them or not! This Poppy Seed Rugelach is exactly that.

This version of rugelach cookie is a bit different than my usual, in the sense that I typically make them with jam, Nutella, or nuts. However, I’m from Eastern Europe, and us Eastern Europeans love our poppy seeds, so these poppy seed rugelach are a must for my family during the holidays!

Although the instructions may look like a feat, these are fairly easy to make. I’ve kept it straightforward and simple so that even a novice baker can achieve the perfect rugelach!

Why Make These Poppy Seed Rugelach Cookies

  • Perfect For The Holidays
  • Delicious & Different
  • Flaky, Crispy & Croissant-Like Cookie
  • Versatile/Customizable

Ingredient Notes

overhead shot of al the ingredients needed to make poppy seed rugelach cookies.

Dough

  • Flour – All purpose flour is all we’re using today.
  • Butter – Unsalted at room temperature.
  • Sea salt – We want something a little more coarse, you can always substitute this for table salt if that’s all you have on hand.
  • Cream cheese – Look for natural cream cheese that doesn’t have stabilizers, make sure it’s at room temperature. I prefer Philadelphia.

Filling

  • Citrus – Fresh lemon and orange zest as well as fresh lemon juice.
  • Poppy seeds – Lots of poppy seeds. They add sweetness, crunch, and flavor!
  • Honey – This will give us some sweetness and help create a syrupy texture in our filling.

Optional Toppings

  • Sugar – Granulated white sugar.
  • Spices – Cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg.

How To Make Poppy Seed Rugelach

process shots showing how to make the dough for rugelach cookies.

Make The Dough And Filling

  1. Combine butter and cream cheese: To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the butter and salt. Add the cream cheese in large pieces and mix on medium-low speed until combined.
  2. Make the dough: Turn off the mixer, add the flour and over low speed mix until the dough is shaggy and has a few dry spots but starts to gather around the paddle into a ball, should take about 1 minute. Use a rubber spatula to transfer the dough to a large piece of plastic wrap. Fold the plastic wrap over the dough and use the plastic wrap to help shape the dough into a 1-inch-thick rectangle. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
  3. Make the filling: Add the poppy seeds to a small sauce pan along with the honey, water, lemon zest and juice, orange zest, and salt, over medium-low heat. Stir the mixture together and cook until the mixture thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Transfer the mixture to an airtight container and refrigerate until completely chilled, about an hour.
process shots showing how to make the filling and prep the dough for rugelach cookies.

Prep The Dough

  1. Roll the dough: Lightly flour your work surface, remove the plastic wrap from the chilled dough and place it on your work surface. Sprinkle a bit of flour over the top of the dough and roll it into a ¼-inch-thick rectangle with the short end facing you. Use a pastry brush to remove any excess flour from the top of the dough, then fold the dough into thirds like a business letter. Roll the dough again until it’s ¼-inch-thick, and fold like a letter. Repeat this step one more time. Cut the dough into 3 pieces and wrap each piece of dough in plastic wrap. Chill for 1 hour.
detailed process shots showing how to make poppy seed rugelach cookies.

Assemble The Cookies

  1. Preheat the oven: Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Prepare the topping: In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg; set aside.
  3. Assemble the cookies: Lightly flour the work surface and roll out a piece of the chilled dough into a 12-inch circle. Place a 12-inch cake pan or a lid over the dough and cut around it, to end up with a perfect circle. Lightly moisten the edge of the dough (about ½ inch around the perimeter) with water and dollop ⅓ of the poppy seed filling over the surface of the dough. Using a spatula spread the filling into an even layer that just reaches the about ½-inch from border.
  4. Roll the cookies: Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to divide the circle into quarters. Slice each quarter into 3 so that you have 12 small triangles. Starting at their wide ends, roll up each triangle. Place the rugelach cookies on a baking sheet so the small tip is on the underside of the rugelach. Repeat with the remaining triangles. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough and filling.
side by side photos of poppy seed rugelach cookies before and after baking.

Bake

  1. Finish: Sprinkle the cookies with the spiced sugar. Bake until the rugelach are nicely browned, about 30 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are Rugelach Cookies?

Rugelach cookies, pronounced rug-a-lah, are mini crescent-rolled pastries with a super flakey dough usually made with cream cheese. They resemble a schnecken which is an Eastern European Jewish pastry.

What Else Can I Fill My Rugelach Cookies With?

If you’re looking for a quick and easy filling, definitely try one of these in your Rugelach.
– Jam or marmalade – any kind you’d prefer!
– Nutella
– Ground nuts such as pecans, almonds, or pistachios.
– Peanut or almond butter

Can I Make These In Advance?

Absolutely! I always like to make double the holiday cookies in advance because they go like hot cakes. If you want to save some time, scroll down to u0022Freezing/Make aheadu0022 for full instructions.

overhead shot of poppy seed rugelach on parchment paper.

Tips

  1. If you want to make these rugelach gluten free, you can! Just be sure to substitute the regular flour with your favorite gluten free flour mix. No need for xanthan gum.
  2. Make sure to chill your dough for AT LEAST 2 hours. Chilling allows the present gluten strands time to settle down and relax. By doing this, it’s easier to roll out the dough and prevent shrinking during baking.
  3. Play around with different fillings to find your favorite type of rugelach!
a bunch of poppy seed rugelach cookies on a plate.

Storing Leftovers

Store baked poppy seed rugelach in an airtight container right on the counter top for about a week.

Freezing/Make Ahead

To make the dough ahead, you can actually freeze the cookie dough for up to 3 months, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. Thaw it out in the refrigerator overnight.

Shaped, unbaked rugelach 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.

overhead shot of a bunch of poppy seed rugelach cookies on a plate.

More Delicious Recipes To Try

  • Walnut Cookies
  • Rugelach Recipe
  • Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
  • Gingerbread Cookies
  • Poppy Seed Roll

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

a bunch of poppy seed rugelach cookies on a plate.
Print
4.59 from 12 votes

Poppy Seed Rugelach

Prep 30 minutes
Chilling time 3 hours
Cook 30 minutes
Total 4 hours
Rate Recipe
Rugelach is a traditional holiday cookie, but this Poppy Seed Rugelach brings new, fresh flavors to an old favorite. I like to bring flavors from my childhood to the blog whenever I can, and these cookies are worth the trip down memory lane.
36

Ingredients

Dough

  • 1 cup butter ((2 sticks) unsalted and at room temperature)
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt (or regular salt)
  • 8 ounce cream cheese (at room temperature, preferably natural cream cheese without stabilizers)
  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

Filling

  • 1 ⅔ cups poppy seeds
  • ¾ cup honey
  • ⅓ cup water
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest
  • 1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice (freshly squeezed)

Optional Toppings

  • 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • pinch nutmeg (freshly grated )

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

Instructions 

  • Combine butter and cream cheese: To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the butter and salt. Add the cream cheese in large pieces and mix on medium-low speed until combined.
  • Make the dough: Turn off the mixer, add the flour and over low speed mix until the dough is shaggy and has a few dry spots but starts to gather around the paddle into a ball, should take about 1 minute. Use a rubber spatula to transfer the dough to a large piece of plastic wrap. Fold the plastic wrap over the dough and use the plastic wrap to help shape the dough into a 1-inch-thick rectangle. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
  • Make the filling: Add the poppy seeds to a small sauce pan along with the honey, water, lemon zest and juice, orange zest, and salt, over medium-low heat. Stir the mixture together and cook until the mixture thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Transfer the mixture to an airtight container and refrigerate until completely chilled, about an hour.
  • Roll the dough: Lightly flour your work surface, remove the plastic wrap from the chilled dough and place it on your work surface. Sprinkle a bit of flour over the top of the dough and roll it into a ¼-inch-thick rectangle with the short end facing you. Use a pastry brush to remove any excess flour from the top of the dough, then fold the dough into thirds like a business letter. Roll the dough again until it's ¼-inch-thick, and fold like a letter. Repeat this step one more time. Cut the dough into 3 pieces and wrap each piece of dough in plastic wrap. Chill for 1 hour.
  • Preheat the oven: Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Prepare the topping: In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg; set aside.
  • Assemble the cookies: Lightly flour the work surface and roll out a piece of the chilled dough into a 12-inch circle. Place a 12-inch cake pan or a lid over the dough and cut around it, to end up with a perfect circle. Lightly moisten the edge of the dough (about ½ inch around the perimeter) with water and dollop ⅓ of the poppy seed filling over the surface of the dough. Using a spatula spread the filling into an even layer that just reaches the about ½-inch from border.
  • Roll the cookies: Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to divide the circle into quarters. Slice each quarter into 3 so that you have 12 small triangles. Starting at their wide ends, roll up each triangle. Place the rugelach cookies on a baking sheet so the small tip is on the underside of the rugelach. Repeat with the remaining triangles. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough and filling.
  • Finish: Sprinkle the cookies with the spiced sugar. Bake until the rugelach are nicely browned, about 30 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Equipment

  • KitchenAid Classic 4.5 Quart Stand Mixer
  • Pizza Cutter
  • Aluminum Baking Sheet (2 pack)

Notes

  1. Recipe yields 36 cookies.
  2. If you want to make these rugelach gluten free, you can! Just be sure to substitute the regular flour with your favorite gluten free flour mix. No need for xanthan gum.
  3. Make sure to chill your dough for AT LEAST 2 hours. Chilling allows the present gluten strands time to settle down and relax. By doing this, it’s easier to roll out the dough and prevent shrinking during baking.
  4. Play around with different fillings to find your favorite type of rugelach!
  5. Store baked poppy seed rugelach in an airtight container right on the counter top for about a week.
  6. To make the dough ahead, you can actually freeze the cookie dough for up to 3 months, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. Thaw it out in the refrigerator overnight.
  7. Shaped, unbaked rugelach 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.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1cookieCalories: 129kcal (6%)Carbohydrates: 13g (4%)Protein: 2g (4%)Fat: 8g (12%)Saturated Fat: 4g (25%)Cholesterol: 17mg (6%)Sodium: 64mg (3%)Potassium: 61mg (2%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 7g (8%)Vitamin A: 192IU (4%)Vitamin C: 1mg (1%)Calcium: 79mg (8%)Iron: 1mg (6%)
© Author Jo Cooks

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.

a bunch of poppy seed rugelach cookies on a plate.

Did You Make This?

We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @jocooks or hashtag #jocooks so we can see your creations!

Rate Recipe
Add Your Photo!
  • 524
Home Recipes
Joanna Cismaru

Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

Read More
iPad showing title of ebook 30 recipes from around the world
Subscribe

Get our FREE recipe eBook + weekly newsletter!

Loading

guest
Did you make this recipe? Rate it:




The comment form collects your name, email and content to allow us keep track of the comments placed on the website. Please read and accept our website Terms and Privacy Policy to post a comment.

guest
Did you make this recipe? Rate it:




The comment form collects your name, email and content to allow us keep track of the comments placed on the website. Please read and accept our website Terms and Privacy Policy to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

9 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Inazuma
Inazuma
Posted: 3 months ago

4 stars
Great croissant but not rugelach. Flakey. You get an AAA+ good for almond rollup

0
Reply
Rebecca O
Rebecca O
Posted: 2 years ago

Do I need to grind the poppy seeds before making the filling?

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Rebecca O
Posted: 2 years ago

No, you don’t.

0
Reply
W
W
Posted: 2 years ago

Do you think this dough would translate to a savory application? I was thinking a parmesan and herb filling for a savory appetizer bite.

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  W
Posted: 2 years ago

Yeah, absolutely! That would be delicious.

0
Reply
Deborah Clark
Deborah Clark
Posted: 2 years ago

5 stars
This brings back all good memories from the time I spent teaching in Poland. I had Mac (Macovecz? or poppy seed in Polish) attacks regularly! Now I have a new reason to stem my mac attack! Thanks so much!

0
Reply
Lauri Schwab
Lauri Schwab
Posted: 7 years ago

Jo: Planning ahead for the holidays…the recipe for Poppy Seed Rugelach looks good but I fear you omitted some ingredients. The instructions refer to orange zest and juice and additional sea salt. Please provide the quantities and any other missing information.

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Lauri Schwab
Posted: 7 years ago

Thanks for catching this, updated the recipe, there’s 1 tsp of orange zest missing, the juice is from the lemon it’s together with the lemon zest ingredient.

0
Reply
RP
RP
Posted: 8 years ago

I’m going to try these with crescent roll dough. I plan to make a mixture of honey and whipped cream cheese, then after spreading a layer of the cheese mixture, sprinkle the poppy seeds on and rolls them up!

0
Reply

sidebar

Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
YouTube
TikTok
Visit our Other Site: Craving Home Cooked

Explore

Recipes
Cookbooks
About Jo
Contact

Legal

Privacy Policy
Accessibility
Disclaimers
© 2023 Jo Cooks
Site Credits
Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled
Back to Top
wpDiscuz