Rugelach pastries are formed in a crescent shape by rolling a triangular shape of dough around a filling. In Russia, these pastries are also known as гости на пороге, or guests at the doorstep. In other words, if unexpected guests arrive, you can quickly get this dessert in the oven. I use a cream cheese dough and a poppy seed filling for this version of rugelachs. The cream cheese dough makes these pastries unbelievably soft and tender. The dough needs to be refrigerated before you can start shaping them, but you can make it ahead of time and store in the refrigerator or freezer. It’s a great option You can buy poppy seed filling at the store, and I have also included a recipe for homemade poppy seed filling.
Yields: 70-80 rugelachs
Ingredients:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 sticks of butter, softened
1 yolk
2 Tablespoons of water
2 cups flour
Poppy seed filling (there is enough filling in this recipe for 2 batches of rugelachs)
powdered sugar, for dusting the pastries
In the standing mixer with a paddle attachment or using a hand mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter until they are an even consistency. Add the egg yolk and water, mix until incorporated. I was making a double batch, hence the two egg yolks:).
Add the flour and also mix until incorporated.
Wrap in aluminum foil and refrigerate until firm, at least a few hours. You won’t be able to roll out the dough if it’s not firm enough.
I usually make a few batches of this dough and keep the extra in the freezer. Next time I feel like having these pastries, I have dough ready to go. Here’s where the guests at the doorstep aspect comes in:).
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
To shape the pastries, here’s what I usually do. On a floured surface, roll out a portion of the dough and cut out a circle.
I used a 10 inch lid. You can use a dinner plate or anything else round.
Save the scraps and put them in the refrigerator or freezer to firm up again. Place about 2 tablespoons of the poppy seed filling and spread it all over the surface of the dough. If your poppy seed filling is hard to spread and clumpy, add a few teaspoons of hot water to it. Cut the circle into 8 triangles.
Roll up each triangle, starting from the widest part, into a crescent shape.
Place on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 12-18 minutes, until starting to brown on the tips. The pastries will still be white. Do not bake them until they are golden all over, they will be overcooked and hard.
If you like your cookies to be brown, you can use the egg white that you didn’t use for the dough, whisk it up and brush it on the pastries before baking. You can also sprinkle some sugar over the egg wash, since these pastries aren’t very sweet. I prefer to dust with powdered sugar. Repeat will the rest of the dough. Use the scraps too, but make sure to refrigerate until firm first, or they won’t roll out very well. You can use whatever filling you like for these pastries, cinnamon, cream cheese, jam, preserves or nuts.
Olya, this cookies look so good. I love your website and all of your recipes:)
I’ve looking for a good simple rugelachs recipe for a long time! I think this will do just great! Looks very delicious!!! Thank you!
Thank you girl!
Making them now. Didnt have any poppyseed filling (Also, anything else I can grind poppyseed with if I don’t have a coffee grinder?) I am making mine some with cream cheese/sugar and some with raspberry jam
Thank you Olga!
Alla, there really isn’t anything else you can use. I tried everything I could think of, but the poppy seeds are so tiny, it just doesn’t work with anything besides a coffee grinder.
Oh my my my this looks so good will be making them in the morning
i just made them. they are delicious. and i love that i could make the dough yesterday night and have it all ready to use today. will def make them again soon:))
That’s one of my favorite things about them. Around the holidays I make the dough and freeze it. Any time I have a little bit of free time, the dough is ready for action. I love the texture of this dough too. I’m so glad you liked them too:).
How many grams would equal 1 1/2 sticks of butter? Thanks
About 150 grams
How many grams is 8 oz of cream cheese ? Thanks
8 oz of cream cheese is 225 grams.
Great recipe! Easy enough for starting cooks like me
so good!!!thanks olichka!!!!! =D
I’ve seen recipes that ask for yeast. Is there an advantage or disadvantage to it?
Olga G,
It’s not an advantage or disadvantage; it’s just a different type of dough. Each one is distinctly different and delicious in it’s own way.
Love this recipe… I made a double batch like you and left it in the freezer for when I want some.
I love how easy this is and delicious to taste!
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Super, Anna! From all the different cookies and pastries that I make, this is probably one of my favorites too. Thanks for taking the time to write:).
Hi, I’m not a baker at all and would love to try this!!!
When you say to use cream cheese is there a specific type? Like the Philadelphia cream cheese or something specific ?
I was also looking at other desserts and the ingredient was heavy whip cream or something where do I buy these creams to make the frosting? I’m clueless when it comes to baking sorry
Hi Angie! You can use any kind of cream cheese that is sold in the store. I prefer using the full fat, not the light cream cheese. Philadelphia cream cheese is great.
The heavy cream is sold in the dairy section of the store near the milk. It’s labeled heavy cream or heavy whipping cream.
Hi Olga,
Do they turn out to be sweet even though there is no sugar added to the dough?
Since the filling is sweet and they are covered in powdered sugar later, these little cookies are absolutely sweet enough, Natasha! In my opinion, anyway. If you like your baked goodies really sweet, you can add more sugar to the filling or even add some to the dough. We’ve been making these for years in our family, and everyone always raves about them, so I would guess that the sweetness is enough to please almost any tasters.
Hello Olga,
Not quite sure if I changed anything in the recipe when I was making these, but they took me about a half hour to bake fully. Have you had that before?
Hi Ella.
Since the dough is made from cream cheese, the finished cookies will not be as brown as the typical rugelach that Russians make. They do appear kind of white. Some people have told me that I didn’t bake it enough, but when they ate it they were surprised at how tender the cookies were. And done, too:).
However, if you want the cookies to be more brown, just bake them longer. They will be a little crisper around the edges.
It also depends on how thin you rolled out the dough and how big or small you rolled out the circle, which would effect the size of the cookies.
They will taste great either way though.