We make this honey, cinnamon and walnut rugelach every year. It’s just not Christmas without these little cookies!
One of the biggest draws of Christmas is time with family steeped in traditions. We are all creatures of habit and anticipation of something familiar is both exciting and comforting.
When Brad and I got married we moved away from both of our families and were very anxious to establish holiday traditions of our own to pass onto our children.
Special festive food is, of course, a major part of any traditions and Christmas baking became something I dove right into!
Some recipes came from Brad’s family, some from glossy foodie magazines, and the one I am sharing with you today came from a Russian cookbook that was in my family for years.
I was leafing through it one day when I stumbled on it. I marked it with a star * and jotted “Christmas” next to it. That’s how this Rugelach or Rogaliki became our family’s Christmas Tradition.
I’ve been making it ever since. For the last 15 Christmases we’ve enjoyed the taste of a cookie that has truly Russian roots but also became popular in North America through the Jewish immigrants from various Eastern European countries. It is widely known as Rugelach.
Can you hear the similarity between Rogalik to Rugelach? I was also happy to learn that “rugal” in Yiddish means “royal”. Rogalik is so lovely, it’s truly fit for the King of Kings.
How do you make the dough for rugelach?
There are literally hundreds of recipes of Rugelach that are floating around the internet. The biggest difference between them and mine is that most of them use cream cheese to make the dough, which is not authentic at all.
In fact, it is rumoured to be developed by Philadelphia to help with the sale of their brand.
My recipe uses sour cream and after trying many other cream cheese based recipes, I always come back to mine. I might be partial but I believe my recipe is superior.
How to make Honey, Cinnamon and Walnut Rugelach (Rogaliki)
Preheat your oven to 350F/180C and line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
Whip your softened butter together with sour cream in a large bowl. Add flour in small portions and continue mixing. Empty the contents of the bowl on floured surface and continue kneading until you have smooth and pliable dough adding a bit more flour if sticky. Cover and let sit for 10 min.
While your dough is resting chop the walnuts finely or process them in a food processor, mix with sugar and cinnamon and set aside. Make sure your honey is spreadable, heat it if needed to achieve the right consistency.
Divide your dough into 4 parts and rolls out each individually into a circle. The dough shouldn’t be thicker than 1 cm. Brush honey on it and divide into 16 even triangles.
Now sprinkle ¼ of the nut/cinnamon mixture on your circle.
My son came to help me with this important business but got bored quickly and left me to my own devices.
The next step is the funnest of them all. That’s where the famous rogalik takes its shape.
Roll up each triangle starting from the wide end towards the centre of the circle.
Arrange the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet, brush them with the egg wash and bake them for 25-30 minutes.
How do I prevent rugelach from sticking to the pan?
I strongly recommend using the parchment paper because the delicious and gooey filling will leak out a bit and turn into caramel.
If you don’t use parchment paper your rogalik will get glued to the baking sheet and will make it stressful to remove.
Once baked remove them from the baking sheet to a wire rack while still warm.
These little beauties take a bit of work but I get a profound sense of satisfaction and pride then they are done and put away in lovely Christmas tins!
More Christmas treats
- Christmas Chocolate Cake
- White Christmas Truffle Cake
- Meringue Kisses with Mascarpone Cream
- Chocolate Orange Hazelnut Tart
This recipe for Honey, Cinnamon and Walnut Rugelach (Rogaliki) was originally published 12/2012, updated 12/2018
Ingredients
Ingredients for the dough
- 3 cups/350g flour plus extra for rolling
- 1 cup/250ml sour Cream full fat
- ¾ cup/150gr butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
Ingredients for the filling:
- 1 ½ cups/190g walnuts chopped
- 1 cup/200g sugar
- ¼ cup/60ml honey
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 egg for brushing
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F/180C and line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whip your softened butter together with sour cream and vanilla in a large bowl. Add flour in small portions and continue mixing. Empty the contents of the bowl on floured surface and continue kneading until you have smooth and pliable dough adding a bit more flour if sticky. Cover and let sit for 10 min.
- While your dough is resting chop the walnuts finely or process them in a food processor, mix with sugar and cinnamon and set aside. Make sure your honey is spreadable, heat if needed to achieve the right consistency.
- Divide your dough into 4 parts and rolls out each individually into a circle. The dough shouldn't be thicker than 1 cm. Brush honey on it and divide into 8 or 16 even triangles.
- Now sprinkle ¼ of the nut/cinnamon mixture on your circle. Roll up each triangle starting from the wide end towards the centre of the circle.
- Arrange the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet, brush them with the egg wash and bake them for 25-30 minutes.
Lena says
Have you tried using any other nuts? My daughter is allergic to walnuts.
Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
You can certainly use other nuts in this recipe. Almonds and pecans will works especially well.
Joseph says
Hi there Chef ,mom always made these stuffed with peanut butter < chunky kind ,curved like a crescent moon sprinkled with powdered sugar n, yummy and as my associate of the 70s Jimmy , James Beard , would say ,,: Good Eating :
Pooja says
They are absolutely delicious!! Plan on making them a part our Christmas tradition !!!
vikalinka says
So happy you enjoyed them, Pooja!
Molly says
Where do you add vanilla? I’m going with the dough😋
vikalinka says
Hi Molly, add the vanilla when you whip butter and sour cream together. 🙂
Renée says
My son’s class was doing a “Christmas Around The Word” project and he had to bring a Russian dish. I stumbled upon your recipe and absolutely love it! Even my son, who is really picky loved it also. I added your recipe to my recipe book and I believe we will be using this recipe as our new Christmas tradition. So glad I found this. The cookies were delicious!
vikalinka says
That is such good news, Renee! Happy to hear you all loved it. Merry Christmas!
Dina says
I just made these and absolutely love them! ❤️
vikalinka says
Yes!! Aren’t they the tastiest little things! It’s been a while since I’ve made them…maybe it’s time. Thanks for sharing with me, Dina!
Tilli says
Do you use the yolk of the egg in the dough? And the egg white when brushing the tops?
vikalinka says
A whole egg is used in the egg wash, no egg in dough, Tilli.
Eryn says
My grandma made it a tradition to make her grandkids a plate of cookies for their birthdays and this is the last cookie she made for me! I will always have a special place in my heart for these cookies!
Trisha Nagla says
HELP! I know I won’t receive a reply in time since I’m in the midst of preparing these right now but I’d like to try again later!
The dough is just falling apart! I cannot keep it from falling apart no matter how much I am kneading it. I have stuck it in the refrigerator for a while in the hopes that it will help holding together better.
Have I measured the flour wrong? What have I done wrong?
vikalinka says
Hi Trisha, I am sorry the dough is falling apart. I have never had that happen but you can still save it by adding flour 1 tbsp at a time until it holds together.
Nadine says
Hi, Mary, What is the best way to store them? Also how long will they keep their freshness? plan on making them this week for Christmas. Would that be ok?
vikalinka says
Hi Nadine, I usually store them in an airtight container. They are, of course, the freshest for the first couple of days because they are a cross between a cookie and a pastry, so they wouldn’t last as long as a regular cookie. That being said, we often eat ours past their “best before date” they are still pretty great.
Best, Julia
Mary says
I remember reading other earlier comments by Vikalinka. They taste best when baked fresh and eaten right away. They can be kept raw in a freezer ziplock bag and frozen. I noticed the majority of people on the internet agree with this method of storaging raw cookies, then baking and eating them while freshly baked…especially right from the oven.
Mary says
I forgot to also ask: I noticed different variations with sugar: white vs brown.
1. Is white sugar used if using honey and brown sugar used without honey? (I noticed some recipes use honey, other’s don’t).
Thank you again!
vikalinka says
I think it’s a personal preference and a variation on the recipe, Mary. You can use either. 🙂
Mary says
Which do you prefer: white sugar or brown? Which sugar best complements the honey? Will brown sugar be too over-powering with honey? Thank you so much for feedback. There are just SO MANY rugalach recipes out there it’s over-whelming! I don’t know which one to choose, because they all claim to be the “best.”
vikalinka says
Hi Mary, I prefer my recipe where I used white sugar and honey. That being said there is no way to find out which one you would prefer without trying them. People’s tastes are very different and that’s a beautiful thing. 🙂
Mary says
Hi Vikalinka,
I just discovered your site through Pinterest! I love love LOVE Rugalach, but never made it. (I’m so ashamed).
I do have two questions to ask:
1. Is your preference for using sourcream instead of cream cheese have to do with consistency, taste or both?
2. Instead of parhment paper can I use a silpat?
Please let me know, as soon as you can; I am DYING to try them!
P.S. Your little girl is adorable!
vikalinka says
Hi Mary. I found sour cream dough was lighter and flakier and you can definitely use silpat.:-)
tanya says
These turned out Amazing! I love how they are slightly chewy on the edges, due to the baked on oowy gooey stuff:) Thanks for a great recipe! So glad I found your site. Looking forward to making more of your delicious recipes.
vikalinka says
I love Rogaliki so much, my whole family does, Tanya. So glad you found my site too! 🙂
Lani says
Hello! Thank you for sharing this recipe. Would I be able to freeze the dough and when I need it, bake it straight from the freezer? You had commented that you recommend baking it right away but maybe freezing it instead of refrigerating it might keep the flakiness? Also, can I cut the recipe in half?
vikalinka says
Lani, I haven’t tried freezing it so I cannot comment either way but you can definitely half the recipe.
Jessica says
Is it important to bake right after making everything? Or do you think it can be prepped the night before and baked in the morning?
vikalinka says
Jessica, I would bake them right away. They have a texture of flaky pastry that is closer to a cookie rather than a croissant.
karina says
OMG, I totally forgot about rogaliki in the last 10 years! This used to be my favorite childhood treat! 🙂 Definitely baking them soon! Thank you for a wonderful blog – your recipes are delicious, and I’m adding you to my blog roll.
vikalinka says
So glad I can remind you of rogaliki and your childhood, Karina! Thank you for stopping by and your lovely comment.
Delma says
Do they need to cool before removing from parchment? If so, how long?
vikalinka says
Not really, Delma. They are not very fragile, so you can remove them from parchment right away.
Alina says
How many does your recipe yield?
vikalinka says
Well, you get 4 circles with 16 triangles each, so you end up with 64. 🙂
vikalinka says
Hello Reena,
Yes definitely Medovik and Napoleon were the stars of New Year’s celebrations. That is why I titled the post “Traditions native and adopted”. Rogaliki became one of those traditions we adopted as a family because there were no Christmas traditions from Soviet Russia that stuck around when I was growing up. 🙂 Thank you for stopping by!
Рина says
в таком случае приглашаю заглянуть в мой блог за новым вдохновением и рецептами
http://rinav71.livejournal.com/
vikalinka says
Thank you 🙂 I will definitely come and check it out!
Рина says
Юля, у вас замечательные, красочные фотографии, очень много интересных рецептов, особенно понравились истории к ним, но я всегда считала, что Новый год в России встречали тортом “Наполеон” и “Медовиком” :-),
А мы в рогалики добавляем начинку из шоколада, тоже вкусно получается! Удачи, успехов в творчестве и возможно вашим следующим пунктом проживания будет Голландия 🙂 ( прочитала о ваших путешествиях из страны в страну)