Best Raspberry Rugelach Recipe (Classic Jewish Cookies)

Rugelach are pastry-like cookies, rolled and filled with chocolate or fruit jam and sprinkled with sugar and/or cinnamon. They’re buttery and flaky, almost like tiny croissants. My main weakness has always been chocolate rugelach, but that was before I created this Raspberry Rugelach Recipe. Move over chocolate, fruit’s going to be the big winner today!

What are Rugelach?

Rugelach originated in the Jewish communities of Poland and are still very popular in Israel. They usually make an appearance around the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and even Hannukah, on a dessert tray with other sweet treats.

The dough itself is what makes rugelach special. It’s made with cream cheese, which adds richness and smoothness to the dough with just the tiniest bit of tang. Then the dough is rolled flat, filled and rolled again, jelly roll style. Then it’s sliced into bite-sized pieces and baked to flaky perfection.

What’s in this Raspberry Rugelach Recipe

Here is what you’ll need to make these magical little bites of heaven:

• all-purpose flour
• unsalted butter
• cream cheese
• raspberry preserves
• granulated sugar
• brown sugar
• vanilla extract

If you prefer a different filling flavor, perhaps another fruit jam, Nutella or chocolate, just swap it in for the raspberry preserves.

How to make Raspberry Rugelach

You’re going to love how easy it is to make the dough for these cookies. One bowl is all you’ll need! Just beat the butter, cream cheese and sugars until they’re fluffy. Then beat in the vanilla and flour. Chill the dough for at least an hour, but you can definitely keep the dough in the fridge for up to several days.

Use lots of flour on your work surface and your rolling pin. The cream cheese in the dough for these Raspberry Rugelach can get sticky. Roll the dough into a rectangle and smear a line of jam or preserves down the middle. Roll it from long end to long end, like a jelly roll. Then cut it into little pieces and bake.

It’s a really fun activity to do with kids!

Enough to Share

The recipe for these Raspberry Rugelach makes enough to enjoy and also to share. I love wrapping them in little paper bags or boxes and gifting them to friends and neighbors.

Everyone loves them, and I hope you will too. And when you make them, I’d love to hear about it! Drop a rating or leave a comment below. Enjoy!

For more cookie recipes, try these:

• Homemade Oreo Cookies
• Fluffernutter Thumbprint Cookies
• Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

For more Jewish holiday recipes, try these:

• Easy Kugel Recipe with Cottage Cheese & Cherries
• Mom’s Best Homemade Jewish Apple Cake
• Cherry Hamantashen

Best Raspberry Rugelach Recipe (Classic Jewish Cookies)

Cream-cheese based pastry dough, filled with jam and rolled into bite-sized pieces

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

chilling 1 hr

Total Time 1 hr 50 mins

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 5 dozen

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 sticks unsalted butter room temperature
• 8 oz. cream cheese room temperature
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 3/4 cup raspberry preserves
• turbinado sugar for sprinkling

Instructions

 

• In a stand mixer, cream together the butter, cream cheese, sugars and salt. Mix in the vanilla, then the flour. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a floured surface, roll dough into strips that measure 12"x 4". Place jam in a line down the center of the dough strip. Roll from the long end into a log. Cut into 1" pieces. Place cookies onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Beat the egg with 1 Tbsp. of water in a small bowl. Lightly brush the tops of the rugelach with egg wash. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake 15-17 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet.

Keyword bourbon, cookies, dessert

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