We love cookies as little snacks – but not all snacks have to come in the form of round, flat discs. These little Walnut Crescents aka. Walnut Rugelach are also perfect when you have a craving for something sweet. Similar to cookies, these little crescents are quite easy to make and can be stored for a while – a win-win situation for everyone!
Rugelach are traditional Jewish pastries with roots in Ashkenazi baking traditions of Eastern Europe, especially Poland and Hungary. The name likely derives from the Yiddish word »rugel« (little twist), describing their typical shape: small, rolled crescents. Through migration, Rugelach then made their way to the US, where they became a popular sweet pastry, particularly in New York City, and were favored by Jewish bakeries. It’s also said that the version with butter and cream cheese, which we use in this recipe, originated there.
Traditionally, these little crescents are filled with nuts, cinnamon, chocolate, poppy seeds, or fruit. The combination of crumbly dough and aromatic filling makes them a popular pastry for holidays like Hanukkah, but also for festive occasions throughout the year. But let’s be honest – you don’t need a holiday to bake and enjoy these delicious little treats. We love them because they simply taste wonderful. 365 days a year!
Over the years, we’ve published several Rugelach recipes here on the blog – some traditional, some more experimental, like our Red Bean Rugelach. While we bake these little crescents all year round, they definitely have their peak season at Christmas for us. Simply because they go perfectly with all the sweet treats on the cookie plate during Advent.
As mentioned before, you can bake these little croissants all year round and serve them to your guests with a coffee or some tea. Or simply enjoy them all by yourself if you prefer that. We would rather not deprive anyone of their happiness. Every so often you have to be a little selfish, and then sharing isn’t necessarily the best option. ;P
5 Tips for Perfect Rugelach
Chill the dough sufficiently.
The cream cheese dough is quite soft and slightly sticky at first. Chilling it for at least an hour (or even a little longer) stabilizes the dough’s structure and makes it easier to work with. Cold dough rolls out cleanly and ensures defined layers when rolling and baking.
Roll it out thinly – but not paper-thin.
For the amount of dough in the recipe, a diameter of about 30cm for the dough circle per dough portion is ideal – this gives you the perfect thickness and beautiful Rugelach. Just make sure you roll it out evenly and that there aren’t too many differences in thickness throughout the dough circle.
Spread the filling evenly and not too thickly.
Even if a generous filling sounds tempting, too much can cause it to leak out during baking and potentially caramelize or even burn on the baking sheet. Nobody wants that. A thin, even layer ensures neat spirals and it simply looks better.
Roll up with light pressure.
Roll up the triangles tightly, but not too tightly, from the wide end. Rolling them up too loosely causes the croissants to unravel during baking – rolling them too tightly prevents them from rising and the individual layers from forming properly. Try to find a middle ground. With a little practice, this isn’t a problem.
Bake the Rugelach golden brown, not too dark.
Rugelach should be light golden brown. The sugar in the filling causes them to brown relatively quickly – which can lead to them becoming too dark. Therefore, keep a close eye on them towards the end of the baking time.
We actually love anything that can be served in the shape of horns or croissants. It doesn’t always have to be minis. While small croissants like Rugelach are great for snacking, larger horns, such as Almond Marzipan Crescents, are also very popular with us. You can’t necessarily eat/snack several of these in one sitting, so you have to spread them out over a few days…
If you make the horns/crescents even bigger, you quickly find yourself in the realm of croissants and the like. Our Potato Croissants with Blueberries & Streusel Topping, for example, fall into this category. They’re incredibly fluffy and taste absolutely delicious thanks to the blueberry filling. And yes, you read that right – there are potatoes in the dough. A lovely variation on the classic yeast or croissant dough, both of which are commonly used for such pastries.
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(48 Rugelach)
For the dough:
1 cup (230g) butter, at room temperature
8 oz. (230g) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract*
2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
For the filling/decoration:
1 cup (200g) sugar
2 tbsp. ground cinnamon
about 1/2 cup (120g) butter, melted & divided
1/2 cup (100g) walnuts, very finely chopped
(48 Hörnchen)
Für den Teig:
230g weiche Butter
230g Frischkäse (Zimmertemperatur)
1 TL Vanille Extrakt*
260g Mehl (Type 405)
1/2 TL Salz
Für die Füllung/Dekoration:
200g Zucker
2 EL Zimt
etwa 120g Butter, geschmolzen & aufgeteilt
100g Walnüsse, fein gehackt
Ingredient Alternatives & Variations
Dough:
+ Instead of wheat flour, you can also use spelt flour for the Rugelach. Everything else can remain the same and doesn’t need further adjustment.
+ You can adjust the ratio of butter to cream cheese slightly if you like. A little more cream cheese will give you a softer dough.
+ Vanilla extract can be replaced with vanilla sugar or the seeds from a vanilla bean pod, if you prefer.
Filling:
+ Instead of walnuts, you can use many other types of nuts – as long as they are finely ground.
+ Instead of white sugar, you can also use brown sugar or even sugar alternatives like xylitol.
+ If you like more than just nuts, you can add some chopped chocolate to the filling as well.
+ Additional spices or orange zest will add extra flavor.
+ If you like it fruity, you could also use some jam for the filling in addition to the nuts – in that case, however, reduce the amount of sugar a little, otherwise it might become too sweet.
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. In a large bowl, mix butter, cream cheese, and vanilla extract until well combined. Next, add the flour and salt and mix well/knead until you get a smooth dough – it will be a bit sticky, though. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and set aside. Combine sugar and cinnamon for the filling and set aside. Melt the butter and let cool down a bit. Chop the walnuts very finely – you could also throw them in a mixer to get fine pieces.
3. Divide the dough into four pieces (keep the ones you are not working with in the fridge). Roll out the first dough piece on a floured surface into a circle with a diameter of about 30cm. Brush the dough circle with about 1 tbsp. of the melted butter and sprinkle everything with about 3 tbsp. of the sugar-cinnamon mixture. Next, sprinkle 1/4 of the chopped walnuts evenly on top.
4. Use a knife or pizza roller* and cut the dough circle into 12 triangles – pretty much like a pizza. Roll up each of the triangles from the wide side to the tip to create a crescent shaped Rugelach. Place the Rugelach on the prepared baking sheet – you should get two batches onto one baking sheet.
5. Bake the Rugelach for about 22-24 minutes, or until lightly golden in color. Take them out of the oven and place them on a wire rack. Brush the still warm Rugelach with some melted butter and sprinkle with the remaining sugar-cinnamon mixture. Let cool down completely. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.
1. Butter, Frischkäse und Vanille Extrakt in einer großen Schüssel verrühren. Mehl und Salz dazugeben und alles zu einem glatten Teig verarbeiten – wird etwas klebrig sein, aber das ist OK. Den Teig in Klarsichtfolie einschlagen und mind. 1 Stunde in den Kühlschrank legen.
2. Den Ofen auf 180°C (350°F) Ober-/ Unterhitze vorheizen. Ein Backblech mit Backpapier auslegen und zur Seite stellen. Den Zucker für die Füllung mit dem Zimt vermischen und zur Seite stellen. Die Butter schmelzen und etwas abkühlen lassen. Die Walnüsse fein hacken – kann man per Hand oder mit einem Mixer erledigen.
3. Den Teig in vier Stücke teilen (alles, was man gerade nicht bearbeitet, im Kühlschrank lassen). Das erste Teigstück auf einer leicht bemehlten Fläche zu einem Kreis mit einem Durchmesser von etwa 30cm ausrollen. Den Teig mit etwa 1 EL der geschmolzenen Butter bestreichen und dann etwa 3 EL der Zucker-Zimt-Mischung darüber streuen. Als Nächstes etwa 1/4 der gehackten Walnüsse auf der Zuckermischung verteilen.
4. Den Teigkreis mit einem Messer oder Pizzaroller* ähnlich wie eine Pizza in 12 Dreiecke schneiden. Diese Dreiecke dann von der breiten Seite zur Spitze hin zu kleinen Croissants aufrollen. Die Hörnchen auf das vorbereitete Backblech legen – es sollten etwa zwei Chargen der Hörnchen auf ein Backblech passen.
5. Die kleinen Hörnchen etwa 22–24 Minuten backen, bis sie leicht goldbraun sind. Aus dem Ofen nehmen und auf einem Kuchengitter abkühlen lassen. Die noch warmen Hörnchen mit etwas geschmolzener Butter bestreichen und dann mit der etwas Zucker-Zimt-Mischung bestreuen. Vollständig abkühlen lassen. Den Prozess mit verbliebenem Teig wiederholen.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Description
We love these small horns – Walnut Rugelach are our favorite bake that’s shaped like a croissant. Better than the big ones, because they are so easy to make ;P
For the dough:
1 cup (230g) butter, at room temperature
8 oz. (230g) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract*
2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
For the filling/decoration:
1 cup (200g) sugar
2 tbsp. ground cinnamon
about 1/2 cup (120g) butter, melted & divided
1/2 cup (100g) walnuts, very finely chopped
1. In a large bowl, mix butter, cream cheese, and vanilla extract until well combined. Next, add the flour and salt and mix well/knead until you get a smooth dough – it will be a bit sticky, though. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and set aside. Combine sugar and cinnamon for the filling and set aside. Melt the butter and let cool down a bit. Chop the walnuts very finely – you could also throw them in a mixer to get fine pieces.
3. Divide the dough into four pieces (keep the ones you are not working with in the fridge). Roll out the first dough piece on a floured surface into a circle with a diameter of about 30cm. Brush the dough circle with about 1 tbsp. of the melted butter and sprinkle everything with about 3 tbsp. of the sugar-cinnamon mixture. Next, sprinkle 1/4 of the chopped walnuts evenly on top.
4. Use a knife or pizza roller* and cut the dough circle into 12 triangles – pretty much like a pizza. Roll up each of the triangles from the wide side to the tip to create a crescent shaped Rugelach. Place the Rugelach on the prepared baking sheet – you should get two batches onto one baking sheet.
5. Bake the Rugelach for about 22-24 minutes, or until lightly golden in color. Take them out of the oven and place them on a wire rack. Brush the still warm Rugelach with some melted butter and sprinkle with the remaining sugar-cinnamon mixture. Let cool down completely. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.
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