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These walnut rugelach are soft, crumbly and flaky. Rugelach (a.k.a. ‘rogaliki’) are the perfect cookies and are surprisingly easy to make (the cookie dough will surprise you)! My Mother is famous for her rugelach recipe (a.k.a. ‘rogaliki’ cookies) and they ALWAYS disappear fast. These walnut rugelach are based on Mom’s classic recipe and filled with a cranberry-apricot and walnut filling.
This recipe is sponsored by our friends at Fisher and these cookies are loaded with crunchy Fisher walnuts making the flavor and texture of the rugelach irresistible.
Watch the how-to video until the end to see 3 generations get in on the taste test – SO FUN! Seeing my Mom and baby girl loving on the cookies just makes my heart sing. I hope you love these rugelach cookies – they are perfect for Mother’s Day or any holiday really, but are easy enough for every day.
Watch How to Make Walnut Rugelach Recipe:
I really want you all to discover this rugelach recipe. It may just become your go-to cookie! We have been loving these cookies for as long as I can remember and Mom makes them for nearly every potluck. She taught me how to make these after all and getting her seal of approval is just the best! I just love that she was in this video.
Happy Mother’s Day Mama – I love you more than words could ever express!
Ingredients for Walnut Rugelach Recipe:
1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, melted (not hot)
1 cup (8oz) warm milk (2% or whole milk)
4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour, *measured correctly
3/4 Tbsp active dry yeast
For Rugelach Cookie Filling/ Topping:
10 oz apricot preserves
1 cup Fisher walnuts**
3/4 cup dried cranberries/craisins, (or dried cherries, or raisins)
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Powdered sugar to generously dust cookies
**A Big thank you to our friends at Fisher Nuts for sponsoring this recipe! I feel good about buying Fisher nuts for my family because they don’t have preservatives and are non-GMO project verified. You get the nuts and only nuts – it’s as if you had cracked them out of the shell yourself, minus all the effort and mess of course ;). You’ll recognize the right nuts by their blue resealable “Fisher” brand bags.
I wasn’t kidding when I said to lay on the powdered goodness at the end. My kids always go for the ones with the most and I don’t blame them! Mmm… These walnut rugelach cookies are impossibly good!
⬇ Print-Friendly Rugelach Recipe:
Walnut Rugelach Recipe (VIDEO)
Ingredients
Ingredients for Rugelach Cookies:
- 1 cup 226 g unsalted butter, melted (not hot)
- 1 cup 8oz warm milk (2% or whole milk)
- 4 cups 500 g all-purpose flour, measured correctly*
- 3/4 Tbsp active dry yeast
For Rugelach Cookie Filling/ Topping:
- 10 oz apricot preserves
- 1 cup Fisher brand walnuts
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries/craisins, (or dried cherries, or raisins)
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- Powdered sugar to generously dust cookies
Instructions
How to Make Walnut Rugelach Recipe:
- In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together 1 cup walnuts, 3/4 cup dried cranberries, 2 Tbsp sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon until ground up.
- Melt 1 cup butter over low heat (it should be warm, not hot), and add it to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with dough hook attachment. Stir in 1 cup warm milk.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 4 cups flour (measured correctly*) and 3/4 Tbsp yeast. With mixer on speed 2, add flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time, letting it incorporate with each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed then continue mixing/kneading the dough another 3-5 mins. Dough should be very soft and won't stick to your hands.
- Divide dough into 5 pieces and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Work with one piece at a time, rolling it into an 11-inch circle. You should not have to flour the work surface. Spread 3 heaping Tablespoons of preserves evenly over the surface then sprinkle the top with 1/3 cup of the nut mixture.
- Use a pizza cutter, slice through the circle (just like a pizza), cutting into 12 triangles. Roll each triangle from the outside in then transfer rugelach with the points facing down to a parchment-lined baking sheet.***
- Let cookies rise in a warm oven (no more than 100˚F) for 30-45 minutes or until noticeably puffed and about 50% larger. Remove from the oven and preheat oven to 350˚F. Bake in preheated oven for 30 min or until tops are lightly golden. Transfer to serving platter while still warm and dust each layer generously with powdered sugar - remember the dough has no sugar in it so don't skimp on this last step :).
Notes
*To measure flour correctly, spoon flour into a dry ingredients measuring cup and scrape off the top, or if you have a scale, weigh out 500 grams.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Fisher nuts. As always, all opinions and text are my own. Check out all of the Fisher Nuts recipes for more Mother’s Day inspiration.
I hope you all have a beautiful Mother’s Day! And if you’re thinking about what to get the Mom’s in your life this Mother’s Day, keep in mind the best gifts are tight hugs, “I love you’s,” and homemade treats of course! 😉
Hello Natasha could I substitute active dry yeast for instant yeast ?
I do think instant would still work in this recipe if that is what you have on hand but i haven’t tested it here to provide those instructions.
OK, I just saw this recipe so I haven’t tried it yet. I gave it five stars, but I’ve tried many of your recipes and have never been disappointed! My mom uses the recipe that she got from a Jewish friend she had while we live in N.Y. My family making this every Christmas. But the recipe that my family has used is completely different. We use cottage cheese and cream cheese in the batter and then after cutting and rolling we then roll them in the cinnamon/sugar mix. Can’t wait to try your recipe!!! My daughter was diagnosed with celiacs and the cottage cheese recipe has been hard to make gluten free.
Hi Natasha, my rugalachs are in the rising stage, I needed to use two pans. Can I bake two pans at the same time? Thank you.
Hi Kris! You can try two pans, but I would switch them through the baking process for even baking.
Recipe sounds wonderful, like all your recipes! If I’m not using nuts, what adjustments need to be made? Thanks very much…
Hi Frannie, we believe the nuts make this recipe, but if you wanted to make it not-free, you can omit the nuts.
The most perfect soft yet crunchy cookie! Thank you for the recipe! I filled them with cherry preserves, like the kind you use for cherry pie. I just added one cherry per roll (the way my mom always makes them) and they came out fantastic! My oven bakes hot so I turned my baking time down to 23 minutes. Perfect golden brown goodies!
Thank you for sharing that with us. That sounds amazing. I’m glad you loved the recipe.
HI natasha what can I substituted the apricot preserves with? Thanks
You can choose another preserve of your choice.
Natasha,
Can I make the dough a few days in advance and refrigerate until ready to bake?
Hi Renee, I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Hi Natasha, can you freeze these cookies once they’re baked?
Hi Virginia! I haven’t tested freezing that but here is what one of our readers wrote: “Made these awhile ago and my husband loved them – to save time wondering if I could divide the dough and then roll out into rectangle place filling onto dough and roll them – like a cake roll and cut (instead of triangles) and they do freeze well.” I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha, can I make these a few days in advance? How long would they stay fresh for if I keep them in an airtight container? Thanks 🙂
Hi Valentina, yes, these can be kept in an airtight container for a couple of days. Just be sure they are completely at room temperature before covering them up
My mom used to cook it with homemade apricot jam, that she made from our apricot tree. So many childhood memories. I will try to find European apricot jam and cook it Tomorrow. Thank you for reminding me about this great recipe.
The best. I even used Nutella for half of these instead of apricot preserve, and both ways are delicious and so easy to make. Thank you.
You are very welcome! Thank you for sharing with us.
Wish I could give this 10 stars! Brought back childhood memories of eating these with tea :). Recipe was very easy to follow, it was my first time working with yeast and dough so I was a bit apprehensive but everything turned out beautifully. Can’t wait to make these again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review, Tanya!
hi,
can you use any type of preserves? has to be apricot? thanks
Hi Samantha! you sure can! We love it with apricot though!