Cinnamon-Pecan Rugelach Cookies

08/12/2024
Cheese
Total time: 70 min
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 25 min
Servings: 24
Rugelach cookies with cinnamon and pecans
Cheese Butter Cream

Sink your teeth into palm-sized, moon-shaped flavor with this rugelach cookies recipe. Cinnamon-pecan filling peeks out from a light, flaky dough sliced into triangles, then rolled into crescents—a perfect task for little helping hands to master.

Pronounced “roo-ga-lahk,” its origins are traced to 18th-century Eastern Europe, and the Jewish diaspora made it popular around the world. Rugelach’s cream cheese dough complements a variety of fillings, from cherry to chocolate to raspberry and more. Our rugelach cookie recipe’s cinnamon filling pleases any crowd, and it complements hot chocolate and coffee.

28 people made this

Ingredients:

For Rugelach Dough

  • 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
  • 1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1 Cup Unsalted Butter , cold, cut into pieces (2 sticks)
  • 6 Ounces Cream Cheese , cold, cut into pieces
  • 1/3 Cup Sour Cream , cold
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
See preparation

For the Cinnamon-Pecan Filling

  • 4 Ounces Pecan , finely chopped
  • 1/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar
  • 3/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 1/8 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1 Pinch Ground Nutmeg

For the Egg Wash

Directions:

For Rugelach Dough

  1. Place flour, granulated sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor; pulse to mix. Add butter; pulse until butter is pea-size.
  2. Add cream cheese, sour cream and vanilla; pulse until combined and dough begins to form and pull away from sides.
  3. Gather and press dough together; divide into thirds and shape each into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.
  4. Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon salt and nutmeg in a small bowl. Set aside. Whisk egg, egg yolk, cream, and pinch of salt in another small bowl. Set aside.
  5. Roll out one dough disc to a 10-inch circle on lightly floured surface. Lightly brush circle with water. Sprinkle one third of the pecan mixture evenly over the surface.
  6. Gently press filling into dough with your hand. Cut the circle into 8 equal wedges with a pizza cutter or large sharp knife.
  7. Roll up wedges from the wide end to the tip, tucking the tip under. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets, tip-side down. Repeat with remaining dough discs and filling.
  8. Brush the tops of the cookies with egg mixture. Bake in a 350°F oven about 25 minutes or until golden. Cool on baking sheets on wire rack 1 to 2 minutes to firm slightly. Remove to racks; cool completely.