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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 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! 😉
turns out perfect every time! Thanks for the recipe
These are divine! I left out the raisins but outside of that followed the recipe exactly. The dough was a little difficult to roll out, and you do have to plan ahead for the chilling times. But as so many have said, the results are worth it. Every recipe I’ve made from Natasha’s site has turned out delicious.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Alisha!
Good evening Natasha!!! I love your recipes I have tried several deserts of yours I have had success in all thanks to your very thorough instructions and great videos! I was thinking about trying the rugelach recipe but I have no dough hook! Do you think it will work by me combining all ingredients and kneading the dough by hand?
Hi Maria, it’s easier with the mixer but you can absolutely mix by hand I would start mixing with a spatula or wooden spoon and then knead by hand for 5 minutes 🙂
Mine didn’t rise in the warm oven and didn’t rise significantly during baking.
Milk butter were warm.
Yeast was fresh
Didn’t play with dough
Only think I didn’t knead it for 5min in the mixer.
What could be the problem?
Thanks
Hi Kat, skipping the kneading could definitely cause the issue since the yeast needs time to work into the flour.
So after I ve added all the flour and I have a formed dough, I keep kneading for 5min? In the mixer
Thank u
Hi Kat, yes you will need to knead after the dough has formed.
I tried them today. The smell in the kitchen was so goood 🙂 They came out great (not as perfect as yours but they tasted good 🙂 I used orange marmalade and apricot jam for the filling. Thank you for the recipe.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review 🙂
Hi Natasha, your apricot preserve, is it the same as apricot jam?
I’m going to make the walnut rugelach recipe for Xmas, but I will add raisins, wish me luck!
Thank you for yet another great recipe!
You’re so welcome!! Either should work fine. 🙂
Thank you Natasha, Happy Holidays to you and your family!
And to you and yours as well! Merry Christmas!! 🙂
Ok so I made these wonderful treats… they came out perfect, from the dough to the filling!
No issues whatsoever!
Baked them for 25min.
Will definitely be making these again for sure:)
I couldn’t get 12 cuts per ball of dough, I tried but only got 8.
So folks if you haven’t made these Rugelachs, I’d say get on it!
Christmas is fast approaching!
Thank you for that amazing feedback!!
Hello Natasha! Really like your videos!
Question – can I use baking powder instead of yeast? And if yes – how many? Thank you in advance.
Hi Ana, I have not tried this recipe with baking powder, since baking is such a science, I can’t advise. If you experiment, please let me know how you like that recipe!
I ave been making rugelach for years, but always with a cream cheese dough. I’m anxious to try yours recipe. With regard to fillings, I’ve used all kinds, raspberry, cherry, lemon and Nutella to name a few. All are delicious, but apricot remains my favorite. So, here is my question: whenever I have used preserves I have found that they breakdown and “run” a little and as a result I have been using the Solo brand of pastry filling(s) which can be more costly. Do you ever have a problem of your preserves thinning out and if so what correction would you suggest?
Hi Sandy! I love that this recipe can be so versatile! I haven’t noticed that with ours so I can’t really advise.
The cookies turned out great other than the same thing happening with me, all the preserves caramelized on the baking paper and the bottom of the cookies had a bitter taste due to the preserves being pooled on the bottom and burning. Any idea how to fix this?
What would my measurements be for chocolate rugulah or ideas for different fruit nut combos – we are not big walnut fans
Hi Stacey! I would use the same amount of nuts as listed in the recipe for which ever kind you decide to use. Regarding the chocolate you would need enough to make about 15 TBSP worth. Since we spread about 3 TBSP per round. I hope this helps.
What else can use if a person is allergic to Apricots?
Hi Linda! honestly anything would work! One of our readers even used Nutella!!
Question. I want to cut your cookie recipes by half but I’m not sure of the measurements. For your Walnut Rugelach recipe do you cut in half the yeast? Or do you cut everything by half? Thank you so much in advance!!!
Hi, I would recommend cutting all of the ingredients in half.
Hello natasha, I’m going to make this right know can j freeze the dough or make them bake half & formed put them in the freezer?
Hi Olga, 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 devide 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.
Hello, I just found your site, love it .I prepared your Madeira chicken, it was out of this world. I see your chocolate babka recipe, do you have a cheese Baka recipe , I moved from the east coast to southwest and can’t find any Baka recipes especially cheese. Thank you Joanne
Hi Joanne! Thank you so much for this amazing feedback. I’m so happy you discovered our blog and enjoyed the Madeira dish! We do not have a cheese babka recipe at this time might have to go on a to make list!
these are one of my favorite childhood memories. can’t wait to make these. thanks for the recipe–my mom can’t tell me since she never cooked from a recipe–her mother simply taught her to do it
You’re very welcome! I’m so happy you discovered our blog.
Love you recipe for the rugelach cookies surprised you didn’t put cream cheese in the dough mixture I would really like to know what the original recipe really is with the without cream cheese now I have to try this one to see which one tastes the best thank you for your recipe
I hope you love this walnut rugelach recipe!
Hi Natasha, love your recipes and I have tries some with success especially the wreath bread, love it, my friends are making it now also…However I have to say this recipe is a bust for me, dough is not at all flaky, the first baking batch came hard, cooked a lot less with the second still not flaky or buttery like rugulach should be…I make the Ina Gardner recipe and it is always delicious…I followed your recipe to a T sooo…what do you think went wrong? Your recipe doesn’t require cream cheese could that be the problem? Thanks,
Hi Maria, Ina’s rugelach is more of the Jewish version while this is the Ukrainian version and normally produces a softer cookie. If they came out hard, my first thought is maybe too much flour was added. Check out our post here on measuring ingredients which may help. Also, be sure that the butter is melted and then cooled – if you add hot butter, it can ruin the dough and make the cookies tough. I hope that helps!
These are sooooooooooooooooooo good! Everyone wanted to steal a piece. The only problems are :
1. The dried cranberries (they’re whole) didn’t “chop up” in the food processor. I had to roll the rogaliki up slowly and carefully, to get the craisins in.
2. I haven’t even added all the flour and the dough was already tough and didn’t come together that well or roll out really good. Like dough flakes mashed together. We managed it though. And it was worth it. The apricot preserves are an amazing touch too. I loved them! And of course, the powdered sugar sums it all up! 😉
Hi Olga, I’m so happy you loved it! 🙂 It sounds like maybe your dried cranberries were either very moist or the food processor blades may be dull? In those cases, it would be easier to chop with a knife. Also, flaky dough could mean there was too much flour. This post on measuring ingredients for baking may help 🙂
Thank you Natasha 🙂
You’re welcome!
I was wondering if you can add sugar to the dough instead of coating the cookies with the powdered sugar? My family does not like the feel of powdered sugar
Lisa, I would recommend to sprinkle the dough with sugar before adding the filling. I hope you love them 😀
What temperature is warm?
Hi Judith, warm is about 100˚F. Anything hotter than that can ruin yeast.
Natasha, made those for my friend’s family and they were fantastic! We used pecans and some strawberry jam when we ran out of apricot. Can’t wait to make them again!
Yum, that sounds delicious! I’m glad you enjoy the recipe Tanya! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hello Natasha
I have made a couple of your recipes and my family loved the food.
Can the jam rugaleti be kept for a couple of days in an air tight container.
Спасибо
Hi Antonina, I’m so glad you are enjoying our recipes!! 🙂 Yes, these can be kept for a couple of days in an airtight container. Just be sure they are completely at room temperature before covering them up 🙂
Hi Natasha,
Do you use regular active dry yeast or the instant dry yeast?
Hi Diane, I use regular active dry yeast. I will always specify if I use the instant dry yeast. Although, I do think instant would still work in this recipe if that is what you have on hand.
Thank you, I love your recipes.
mmmm look so good! I wonder if your poppy seed filling would work on this?
Hi Laura, I haven’t tested them that way but I think that would work to use the poppyseed filling. If you experiment, let me know. I’m so curious now and we LOVE poppy seed everything! 😉