Rugelach Cookies are a classic bite-size pastry filled with apricot jam and chopped walnuts. This recipe is so easy to make and will be a great treat to celebrate Christmas and the holiday season!
Apricot Rugelach are my favorite treats that I make all-year round! They have a tender pastry like dough, made with butter and cream cheese, then rolled with delicious apricot jam and finely chopped walnuts. So, you get a great combo of soft and chewy dough and crunchy nutty filling.
What are Rugelach?
Rugelach (pronounced rug-a-lah) are bite-size cookies, made with butter and cream cheese pastry dough and rolled with filling of your choice. While many people associate them with classic American Christmas treats, they originated in the Jewish community in Poland.
How to make it
In a large bowl, using a stand mixer with paddle attachment or a hand mixer, cream together 1 cup softened butter and 8 oz softened cream cheese for a few minutes. The mixture should become light and airy.
Then add ¼ cup granulated sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract and beat again for a few minutes.
Add 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour and ¼ tsp salt and mix again until everything combines. Don’t overmix this step.
Divide the dough into 4 equal parts, wrap each in plastic wrap, flatten into a dish, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
When ready to bake, take the dough out of refrigerator about 20-30 minutes before baking and let it sit on the counter.
Preheat the oven to 350°F, line a baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
Roll out each piece of dough in a rectangular shape. Add about ¼ cup apricot jam and spread it in a thin layer. Then sprinkle over about ⅓ cup finely chopped walnuts.
Roll the dough in a log, like you would do it for Overnight Cinnamon Rolls. Then cut the log into about 1-1 ½-inch pieces.
Place them on a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Brush them over with egg wash and sprinkle some course sugar on top.
Bake at 350°F for about 20-25 minutes or until golden/brown.
Tips for best results
- When mixing dry ingredients with wet, it’s important not to overmix the dough or it will be tough.
- I found that rolling the dough into a log and slicing it helps the filling stay inside the cookies. While if you make it in crescent roll shapes, more filling will leak while baking.
- It’s also important not to use too much jam in the filling. The layer should be very thin. If you put too much, the jam will simply leak and burn.
- Brushing the cookies with egg wash and sprinkling with course sugar is optional. This step helps to give more color and texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can keep them in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to a week.
There are a few ways you can freeze them:
Freeze the dough. After you divide the dough and flatten it into disks, you can freeze it for up to 3 months. To thaw, leave it in the refrigerator overnight.
Freeze unbaked cookies. You can assemble the cookies with the filling and cut them in pieces. Then put them on a baking sheet and put in the freezer for about 2 hours to freeze completely. Then transfer to a zip-lock bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw on a baking sheet with parchment paper at room temperature before baking.
Freeze baked cookies. After they are cooled off completely, transfer them to an air-tight container or a zip-lock bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
While my favorite filling is apricot jam and chopped walnuts, there are so many other flavor variations for these cookies. Here are a few:
Nutella
Brown sugar/cinnamon mixture
Dried fruits and nuts
Marzipan
Poppyseed filling
Chocolate chips
Hungry for more Cookies?
- Danish Butter Cookies Recipe
- Brownie Cookies
- Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
- Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
- Best Cut Out Sugar Cookies Recipe
Apricot Rugelach
Ingredients
Ingredients for Dough:
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Ingredients for Filling:
- 1 cup apricot jam
- 1 ⅓ cups walnuts finely chopped
Ingredients for topping:
- 1 egg for egg wash
- ¼ cup course sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, using a stand mixer with paddle attachment or a hand mixer, cream together 1 cup softened butter and 8 oz softened cream cheese for a few minutes. The mixture should become light and airy.
- Then add ¼ cup granulated sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract and beat again for a few minutes.
- Add 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour and ¼ tsp salt and mix again until everything combines. Don’t overmix this step.
- Divide the dough into 4 equal parts, wrap each in plastic wrap, flatten into a dish, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- When ready to bake, take the dough out of refrigerator about 20-30 minutes before baking and let it sit on the counter.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, line a baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Roll out each piece of dough in a rectangular shape. Add about ¼ cup apricot jam and spread it in a thin layer. Then sprinkle over about ⅓ cup finely chopped walnuts.
- Roll the dough in a log, then cut the log into about 1-1 ½-inch pieces.
- Place the cookies on a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Brush them over with egg wash and sprinkle some course sugar on top.
- Bake at 350°F for about 20-25 minutes or until golden/brown.
Video
Notes
- When mixing dry ingredients with wet, it’s important not to overmix the dough or it will be tough.
- I found that rolling the dough into a log and slicing it helps the filling stay inside the cookies. While if you make it in crescent roll shapes, more filling will leak while baking.
- It’s also important not to use too much jam in the filling. The layer should be very thin. If you put too much, the jam will simply leak and burn.
- Brushing the cookies with egg wash and sprinkling with course sugar is optional. This step helps to give more color and texture.
- Freeze the dough. After you divide the dough and flatten it into disks, you can freeze it for up to 3 months. To thaw, leave it in the refrigerator overnight.
- Freeze unbaked cookies. You can assemble the cookies with the filling and cut them in pieces. Then put them on a baking sheet and put in the freezer for about 2 hours to freeze completely. Then transfer to a zip-lock bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw on a baking sheet with parchment paper at room temperature before baking.
- Freeze baked cookies. After they are cooled off completely, transfer them to an air-tight container or a zip-lock bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published in 2017, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions, tips, and FAQs in December of 2020.
About how big should each rectangle be when you roll it out? Thanks!
Hi, I too would like to know the approximate size to roll out the dough.
Thank you,
Hi Kathleen! You will need to roll out the dough about 12×8 inches, and it should be about 1/4 inches thick.
Hi Annaliese! You will need to roll out the dough about 12×8 inches, and it should be about 1/4 inches thick.
Yum this looks amazing! I love the step by step photos!
I love rugelach and this apricot version sounds absolutely lovely! I haven’t made these in so long cannot wait to give this recipe a try!
My absolute favorite combination is apricot and walnut. I really loved your recipe; these rugelach cookies came out fantastic. They easily became our favorite, and we will be making them again and again. Thanks so much!!
My cookie jar is empty, so this recipe is so timely! And even if I had plenty, I would still make them – these cookies are so good!
The combination of apricot jam and walnuts sounds so delicious, and I appreciated your tips about how to keep the filling from falling out of these rugelach cookies.
I’ve been looking for different recipe cookies to make this holiday season. These look so tasty and fun to make. I don’t often use apricot when baking, so, these will definitely be unique. Thanks for sharing!
I absolutely love rugelach and look forward to this time of the year to make them! Love the detailed recipe and the video. I have to try the apricot jam next time. I usually go for strawberry or apple.
Since I am a cinnamon roll enthusiast, I was wondering how rugelach would look if baked cut facing up, like cinnamon rolls. Now I’m curious to find out. Just like I needed an excuse to try your recipe and make myself a batch!
This rugelach is amazing! I grew up with rugelach and make them all the time. This recipe with apricot is so good. Thank you for sharing!
Rugelach is one of my favorite cookies at this time of year. I’ve never had them with apricot jam but now I must try these!
You have featured my absolute favourite fruit and nut combination. I just love apricot and walnut together. And you are completely right, rugelach is great ANY time of the year!
They look very tasty! We have something similar in Romania, but they have the shape of a bow tie. I’ve always loved them, it’s a childhood treat.
Thank you, Daniela! Yes, I think I know these bow-tie cookies) They come with different jams inside, right? Love them!)
Yes, mum usually goes for strawberry jam, or sometimes Turkish delight. I must make some soon, l think my little one will love them.