This easy Rugelach Cookies recipe makes flaky, soft, and perfect crescent-shaped pastries filled with sweet jam and dusted with powdered sugar. They are really simple and quick to make; in fact, you don’t even have to wait for butter to soften. Make these cookies for your Holiday cookie platter, or any time!
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Helpful Reader Review
“Thank you so much Natasha for your website, I love Rogaliki (rugelach) but never could make them myself. And I just did it and can’t stop eating them!” – Olga ★★★★★
Rugelach Video
Rugelach cookies are classic Holiday cookies from Eastern Europe that are loved all over the world. They may look sophisticated, but watch the video to see how easy they are to make.
Easy Rugelach Recipe
My mom calls this rugelach recipe “Rogaliki” and whips them up all the time, especially during the holidays and for special occasions. Since it’s so much a favorite, I even featured it in my Natasha’s Kitchen Cookbook.
My mom makes her own blackcurrant preserves for the filling (oh goodness, if I could just let you lick the spoon), but you can use raspberry, strawberry, or any flavor you prefer.
Rugelach Cookie Ingredients
You’ll need just a few simple ingredients to make this rugelach cookie recipe, but they will surely become a favorite Holiday cookie recipe in your house.
- Flour – all-purpose works just fine here, but be sure to measure it correctly to ensure the pastry has the best texture.
- Rapid rise yeast – also called instant yeast. No need to proof this yeast; just make sure it’s not expired and was sealed properly.
- Unsalted butter, melted and then cooled, to easily incorporate into the dough. You can partially melt in the microwave, then stir to melt and cool at once.
- Whole milk – warm to 110°F to help activate the yeast. Make sure it’s not too hot or it can deactivate the yeast.
- Sugar – granulated sugar to sprinkle over the dough before rolling. Don’t forget powdered sugar for dusting the top since the cookies don’t contain much sugar without it.
- Jam – any flavor of your choice, but be sure to choose a thicker-textured jam so it won’t run out of the sides of the cookie. An even consistency jam works best.
Rugelach Variations
Classic rugelach cookies come in so many flavors, oftentimes with nuts or fruit mixed in. Here are a few ideas to finely chop with a food processor before sprinkling over the dough:
- Nuts – try almonds, pecans, or walnuts for Walnut Rugelach
- Dried Fruit – cranberries or raisins
- Chocolate rugelach – mini chocolate chips or chocolate shavings, or swap the jam for chocolate hazelnut spread
How to Make Rugelach Cookies
A stand mixer with a paddle attachment is easiest, but you can use an electric hand mixer to mix the cookie dough.
- Whisk together the flour, yeast, and salt in a small bowl and line two cookie sheets with parchment.
- Make the Dough – use a stand mixer or electric hand mixer to combine the butter and milk, and then reduce the speed to medium-low and add the flour mixture a little at a time. Switch to the dough hook and continue mixing in the stand mixer or knead by hand for 3 minutes until very soft, but not sticky. Rest on the counter for 30 minutes.
- Roll the dough – Divide the rugelach dough into 5 pieces, and then cover 4 pieces with plastic wrap while rolling out the one piece to about a 10″ circle with a rolling pin.
- Make the cookies – sprinkle 1/2 Tbsp of sugar over the dough disk, then use a pizza cutter to cut into 12 slices. Add a small dollop of jam (about the size of a marble) to the large side of each triangle and then roll each triangle up, starting from the jam side. Place on the cookie sheet tail-end-down, then repeat with the other 4 pieces of dough.
- Proof in a warm place (<100°F) for 30 minutes in a warmed oven or until puffed. Do not overheat, or you will exhaust the yeast. You should see them visibly puff, but not double (see the photo below for before and after). Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until they just begin to turn golden, rotating the cookie sheets halfway through baking, then cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE. You can also flip them to see if they are turning golden brown on the bottom.
- Add the confectioners sugar – generously roll the WARM cookies in a bowl of powdered sugar and set on a serving tray. The powdered sugar will stick better if the cookies are warm.
Pro Tip:
Don’t skip that confectioner’s sugar step! The Rugelach cookie dough doesn’t have any sugar besides the little bit we sprinkled on the dough, so it isn’t very sweet and can use a bit of powdered sugar to round out the flavor.
More Christmas Cookie Recipes
‘Tis the season for baking! Once you make these Rugelach cookies, round out your cookie tray with these festive Holiday Cookie Recipes:
- Almond Snowball Cookies
- Palmiers Cookies
- Angel Wing Cookies
- Christmas Sugar Cookies
- Gingerbread Cookies
- Cranberry Cookies
- Russian Tea Cakes
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Baklava
I hope you fall in love with my Mom’s classic Rugelach cookie recipe. These tasty treats are some of my favorites to make and share with friends. The rolled shape, sweet jam filling, and buttery dough make for a beautiful and delicious cookie. Add these rugelach cookies to your Holiday baking list!
Rugelach Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- 2 teaspoons rapid rise or instant yeast
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks), melted and cooled to 110˚F
- 1 cup whole milk, warmed to 110˚F
- 2½ Tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
- 1 cup berry jam or blended preserves, preferably a thick consistency
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, for finishing
Instructions
- Prep – Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Make the dough – In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast, and salt and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, combine the butter and milk. With the mixer on medium-low speed (or speed level 2 if your mixer has this setting), add the flour mixture 1 cup at a time, letting it incorporate with each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed. Continue mixing for another 3-5 minutes, or knead by hand. The dough will be soft and won't stick to hands or the mixing bowl. If the dough is still sticking to your fingertips, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temp 30 minutes.
- Roll the dough – Divide the dough into five equal pieces and loosely cover them with plastic wrap. On a clean, smooth surface, use a rolling pin to roll one piece of the dough into a 10-inch circle, less than ¹⁄8 inch thick.
- Make the cookies – Sprinkle ½ tablespoon of the granulated sugar over the entire surface of the dough disk. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 12 even triangle slices (as you would cut a pizza). Add a marble-size portion of the jam over the wider part of each dough triangle, then roll up the dough from the jam side, keeping a fairly tight roll as you go. Place the rolled rugelach tail side down on the prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Proof – Let the rugelach proof in a warm place (not hotter than a 100°F oven) for 30 to 45 minutes (or at room temperature 60-90 minutes), until they have visibly puffed. Place the oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake the rugelach for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are just starting to turn lightly golden, rotating the baking sheets halfway through. Let the rugelach rest for 10 minutes on the baking sheets.
- Add confectioners’ sugar to a medium bowl. Roll the warm rugelach, a couple cookies at a time, in the confectioners’ sugar and transfer them to a large serving tray – it's ok to stack them. Don’t be tempted to skip the confectioners’ sugar step; the rugelach aren’t overly sweet, and it helps round out their flavor.
Notes
- Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3–4 days. The powdered sugar will soften slightly over time, which is normal.
- To freeze baked cookies, cool completely, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and dust with more powdered sugar if needed.
- For make-ahead, shape and proof the cookies. Freeze unbaked cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet until firm, then store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Bake directly from frozen, adding 2–4 minutes to the bake time.
Nutrition Per Serving
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Hi Natasha,
Do u think I can make these with dulce de lache?
I haven’t tried that but I think it would work. I like using some kind of thick jam because it adds a little tartness to the cookies.
I come from a german/ukrainian background, love baking. Saw your recipe tried it, followed it to a tea. Unfortunately was very disappointed. I think the yeast should of been proofed first. As I was rolling the saw all the yeast , it did not dissolve.. Milk was warm/butter. Did not rise.tell me please what I was doing wrong. Want to try them again.
Was your yeast fresh? Also, was it regular yeast or instant yeast? I’ve never had to proof the yeast and have made these countless times so I don’t know what else it could have been? Did you let them rise after you rolled them in a warm room or in a 100 degree oven?
Hi Natasha can I ise all purpose flour?
Hi Sofiya, make sure to read the second paragraph at the top about using various kinds of flour. It would work, but they wouldn’t be as good. I’ve tested different flours.
I was looking for rogaliki recipe and want to give these a try. So before I add flour, do I need to change my whisk attachment for a dough attachment or mix the dough with hands? Thanks 🙂
Yes, sorry I missed that in the instructions. You’ll need to switch to the dough hook. You can also mix it in by hand since it doesn’t take long 🙂
Made these rogaliki yeasterday with cake flour (I just had to adjust flour amount). Turned out great! I had 6 of them with a glass of ice cold milk at 11 pm! Yes, they are THAT good!
Thank you for the good report Galina :). We just had some yesterday at mom’s house, I never get tired of eating them :).
These were amazing straight out of the oven!
I have tried these a few times over the years of following your blog (since 2013). Yes, the yeast granules (traditional and bread machine kind) also show up in my dough when rolling. Once they are allowed to rise long enough it usually doesn’t, though.
I have “hacked” this recipe a bit into a one-pot recipe (yay, less dishes!)
I use a large soup pot on the stove to melt the butter, take it off the heat and add cold milk. Then I’ll just add in 1 cup of flour and 1/2 tsp yeast at a time and stir; repeat until all added. And then mix until it’s all smooth, as per the recipe.
I also added some powdered sugar to the dough (maybe 2/3 cup) because I just get too distracted to remember the sprinkling afterwards.
Thanks for the great recipe, Natasha and family!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Mariya!
What’s the reason the recipe requires “Canadian” flour? How is it different from regular flour?
I’ve tested with all purpose and Canadian and the Canadian yielded much nicer results. I think it has to do with a higher gluten and protein content. You might have better results with Better for bread flour if you don’t have access to Canadian.
Love all of your recipes ,but would it be possible to have the ingredients in grams too please?
Thanks xxxx
I don’t have anything to convert that easily. I’ll keep it in mind if I come across a good tool for that.
Hi Natasha,
I am unable to find any Canadian flour where I live. We don’t have a Sam’s Club and I can’t find any in the stores… Do you have a suitable substitute flour? Thanks. 🙂
I have tried it with all-purpose flour and it just isn’t the same texture. It will still work, but it won’t be quite the same texture. I would say to just get the best quality flour you can if you aren’t able to find Canadian. Let me know what you end up trying! 🙂
Has anyone tried to make this with Gluten-Free flour? I usually use a rice flour for my pies but I usually don’t make the crust.
I haven’t tried. Anyone else?
Hi,
I’ve got a question for you about this whole CANADIAN flour business as I see it quite often in your recipes.
I happen to live in Canada and I’ve never really seen flour being sold here that specifically states that it’s Canadian. Do you think all flour that I see in the stores here is Canadian? How could I tell?
Thanks,
Julie.
Hi Julie. It won’t specifically say “Canadian” but it will say made in Canada. I have a friend who travels to Canada and buys tons of flour (she’s a baker). Your flour is just the best!
hey Natasha. can I freeze the dough?
To be honest, I haven’t tried freezing the dough so I can’t really recommend it. I’ve always just made them and ate them 😉
Just made rogalah, it’s good. This is the first recepie that worked for me. I could not find Canadian floor so made it with cake floor, like I sad really good and easy. Thank you.
You are welcome Natasha, good job :).
Hi Natasha
Was wondering if I could make these 2 days ahead of my event? If so how can I keep them fresh and where? Thank you
You can keep them in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap, just make sure they are fully cooled to room temp before covering them. We took these on a 4 day camping trip and they lasted the whole trip 🙂
I love all the attention Canadian flour is getting here. We do have lovely flour. As mentioned, Five Roses is a good brand but also Robin Hood or Elison Mills. I believe Five Roses has a little citric acid added to it which makes things rise higher. My cousin even makes her pastry crust with Five Roses 100% whole wheat and says it works beautifully. I was recently in France and read the same rave reviews in a cooking magazine. Thanks for this recipe. I have never made Rugelach with a yeast dough, always more like a cookie so I am anxious to try.
With Canadian flour, these seriously are the BEST! They are soft and flaky at the same time. When I tried with all-purpose, it turned out more cookie-like, but Canadian worked so much better.
Made those last night. They are so light and crunchy. You’re right about Canadian flour. My mom bakes a lot, and she uses that flour all the time. Lucky in WA we have cash and carry, winco and russian stores. Most time russian stores are overpriced, so we buy at the other stores.
Personally I don’t care about flour being bleached, as long as my baking turns out good. I don’t think I’d be happier going through life trying to find everything organic, and healthy, no colors added etc. We just are wiser shoppers and get good quality products. I just do my own cooking and baking most of the time, and not have frozen, or boxed dinners, that’s good enough for me.
I’d have to agree with you there. It’s always best to do your own cooking and baking. It’s amazing what kind of junk they add to store-bought baked goods (even bread!). I still use the Canadian flour which is always bleached. It just works best for specific recipes. If it calls for regular all-purpose flour, It’s easy enough to buy the unbleached. I don’t get to crazy about those things either, but I have been trying to make healthier choices in general and be more aware of the things I buy (some things just aren’t real food anymore!).
Made these twice! Both times they were delicious!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂 Thanks for sharing that with me!
I love this recipe…I’v made it twice now and there is nothing left after each event. I don’t have the canadian flour and used regular all purpose and they are still so good. Also tried using canned cherries( drained)as filling and sprinkled a lot of sugar so wouldn’t be sour and it was so delicious 🙂 Thank You Natasha for your awesome step by step directions and delicious recipes. Anytime i want to try something new i come to your site. Thank you for inspiring me to bake and cook 🙂 May God Bless you and your Family.
Mariana, thank you and God bless you and your family!! I’m so glad you find the site useful and that you loved the recipe. If you come across the Canadian flour, try it! if you loved these, you’ll really really really love it with flour made in Canada. I think it’s because it has a higher gluten level so it’s softer. It blesses me to know that you enjoy the blog 🙂
Hi Natasha,
Is this the right flour?
http://www.amazon.com/Five-Roses-Purpose-Flour-20kg/dp/B000LQJ5ZE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1365905970&sr=8-2&keywords=canadian+flour
Yep! Any flour made in Canada will work great.
Hi Natasha! I really want to find a kind of same rogaliki but with pesochnoe testo, if u find it or have it plz share with us!!! I love ur website!!! God bless u and family!! Thank for sharing!!!
skawute powalysta, a mowna eti rogaliku z tvorogom delat’?
Personally I won’t use tvorog, just because they will be too small to fit it. You can try cutting them in to larger slices and see if that will work.