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If you love rugelach but found them intimidating to make, you’ll love this recipe.
Everyone Loves Rugelach
We all love rugelach, but most of us are reluctant to make it. Some recipes are involved and so complicated that it’s just easier to buy them.
This rugelach recipe has no complicated ingredients. They’re easy to shape too. Even the almond filling is easy to make and uses common ingredients you can buy in any store.
And another great thing about these rugelach is they are considerably cheaper (and better) than anything you can buy.
They’re so easy, you’ll make them often.
Rich Almond Filling
I love all things almond, so naturally, I love rugelach with an almond filling.
You can buy it in a can, but it’s hard to get. The more readily available “almond filling” really isn’t useable for these rugelach because it’s way too liquidy. What you need is called “schmear.” That is what it’s called too but it’s not easy to get. Plus, it’s pretty expensive. Therefore, I make my own almond schmear copycat. That recipe will be enough for two batches of cookies. Don’t worry, that recipe is easy too!
If you’re not fond of almonds or are allergic, other fillings may be used too. A common filling is apricot. For that you can use the pastry filling you find in the baking aisle. But make sure it’s pastry filling and not pie filling. Pie filling won’t work because it’s not the proper consistency.
I wouldn’t advise using jams or jellies either. They’re likely to burn and would be way too sweet.
A simple cinnamon sugar is very nice for filling too. You do it just like you do for cinnamon rolls–brush the dough with melted butter then roll it up and cut it.
Shaping
Most of the time you see rugelach in crescent shapes. I split the dough up into 3-4 equal portions so I can chill/save what I’m not using.
I eliminate that complicated rolling and shaping simply by rolling out the dough in a rough rectangle then spreading the filling over the top. Then I just roll it up, jelly roll style–and it doesn’t matter if you roll from the short or long end–and cut it in 1-2-inch (2.5-5 cm) slices. Be careful to set the rugelach on the baking sheet with the plain dough side down. Don’t place them with the rolled side down!!!
The Recipe
Almond Rugelach
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 8 oz cream cheese cut into chunks
- 8 oz unsalted butter butter cut into chunks
- 1 recipe copycat almond schmear
- 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds optional
- sanding sugar optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Line a large baking sheet with parchment
- Place the flour, salt, cream cheese and butter in bowl of food processor with metal blade. Process until a smooth dough forms, about 10 to 20 seconds.
- Divide dough into 3 or 4 equal pieces and wrap in plastic and chill at least 1 hour before using.
- on a lightly floured surface, roll a portion of dough to about 1/8-inch (0.32 cm) in a rough rectangle. Spread with about 3 tbs of the almond schmear. Sprinkle with about 2 tbs toasted almonds, if desired.
- Roll up jelly roll style and cut into 1-2-inch (2.5-5 cm) slices. Place on prepared sheet plain dough side up—not the filling side. Sprinkle with additional toasted almonds and sanding sugar, if using.
- Bake in a preheated 350ºF oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool on wire racks. I got about 10 rugelach per dough portion.
Amy I says
16 Oz of butter seems like a lot! Is it supposed to be 16 Tbsp?
Judith Hanneman says
Yes, you are right–I have corrected it. What happened was I *doubled* the recipe and put the wrong amount in when I wrote it up. Thanks for catching that!