Rugalach

Rugalach is the cream cheese dough cookie that became American Jewish bakery royalty for good reason. The dough combines equal parts cream cheese and butter, both at room temperature, with just enough flour and sugar to hold structure. It rolls thin without cracking and bakes into tender, flaky pinwheels.

The classic filling here is a study in restraint. Apricot preserves brushed onto the rolled circle, then a cinnamon-sugar-pecan-currant mixture sprinkled evenly. Cut into 12 wedges and rolled from outside edge to point, the cookies look like miniature croissants when baked.

Work on one circle at a time as the tips advise. The dough softens fast at room temperature and turns sticky and unworkable, while the others stay rolling-ready in the fridge.

Pro Tips

• Don’t overload the filling. Spread thin and even, generous fillers overflow during baking and burn on the pan.
• Place rolled cookies point-side down on the baking sheet. Points-up rolls unravel during baking, points-down stays sealed.
• Bake on parchment-lined sheets rather than greased ones. Burnt sugar overflow is much easier to peel off parchment.
• Cool on a wire rack as soon as they turn golden brown. Leaving them on the hot pan keeps cooking the bottoms past golden into burnt.

Variations

• Swap apricot preserves for raspberry, fig, or prune (the traditional Hungarian filling).
• Add a quarter cup of mini chocolate chips to the filling for chocolate rugalach.
• Use walnuts instead of pecans for the more traditional Eastern European version.