Jam and walnut rugelach cookies are perfect for holidays, parties, or potlucks all year round. They are easy to make, easy to serve, and delicious.
I was thinking that if I were going to make the world a better place, I would do it with cookies. Everyone loves cookies. They bring joy when we have a sweet tooth or a heartache. 🙂
This recipe is part of my collection of cookies and bars on the blog. My favorite cookies, among others, are Rum Raisin Cookies, Kossuth Kifli (Half Moon Cookies), or Pumpkin Cranberry Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies. you have to try them and tell me what you think!
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What is a rugelach cookie?
Traditional rugelach are cookies made in a crescent form by rolling a triangle of dough filled with different ingredients. The filling could be any jam. It could be only nuts, chocolate spread, Turkish delight, or a mixture of them. The fillings are versatile and vary from country to country. These little delicious cookies are one of the many memories of my childhood.
The name "rugelach" seems to come from European Jewish communities, but it is, in fact, a trendy dessert all over Eastern Europe. If you travel to Transylvania, the dough is made with sour cream, sometimes lard, while in other parts of Romania, people use yeast or farmer cheese, etc.
The cookies are easy to make, melt in your mouth, and you cannot stop eating after just one or two. Goodbye, diet, goodbye common sense! THEY. ARE. DELICIOUS! Over the years, I have tried multiple recipes that use different ingredients, from lard to margarine and butter, yeast to yogurt, and baking soda. There are so many recipes out there that I had to try some of them.
I recently found this old recipe I forgot about while looking through the books and recipes I have all over my house. A pastry dough made with farmer cheese. You can easily make Farmer cheese at home, so don't think you cannot make the cookies if you don't have any cheese.
I used to make this dough all the time because it is versatile and easy to make. You can use the dough for anything. Romanians make pies, cookies, and pastries with it. The dough will not stick to your hands, it is easy to work with, and the final result is a flaky, delicious product that will make you beg for more.
This particular type of dough uses equal amounts of flour, farmer cheese, and butter. The recipe works for sweet or savory pastries, as you can either add sugar or salt to it, based on what you plan to make.
Ingredients needed
- All-purpose flour: This is your safe option for making good cookies, in general.
- Granulated sugar: It makes the dough sweet. It is only one tablespoon, so there is no need to reduce that amount.
- Unsalted Butter: Is always the choice for baked goods unless the recipe requires salted butter. If you use salted butter instead, the cookies will be salty.
- Farmers Cheese: I wrote an article about how to make farmer's cheese at home, which is a very easy process. However, the closest cheese version to farmer's cheese in the United States is ricotta.
- Salt: We use just a pinch of salt to enhance the taste, so please do not skip it.
- Powdered Sugar: We use it to powder the cookies before we serve them.
- Fruit Jam: Any fruit jam is excellent. I like thicker ones, as they hold better inside the cookie. Choose from strawberry, raspberry, peach, apricot, or even lingonberry or cranberry jam.
- Walnuts: They are optional, but they do add an extra layer of texture to these beautiful cookies.
How to make the jam and walnuts rugelach
Step 1. Make the dough. In a bowl, mix the soft butter, farmer cheese, flour, a pinch of salt, and one tablespoon of sugar. Cover the bowl and refrigerate it for a few hours or until the next day.
Step 2. Gather the ingredients on the table. When ready to make the cookies, remove the dough from the refrigerator, and take out the jams and some chopped walnuts(optional). Preheat the oven.
Step 3. Roll out the dough. Roll out the dough over a lightly floured surface, giving it a round shape, like a small pizza.
Step 4. I used a pizza cutter to slice the dough. The idea is to have triangles of dough filled with jam and then rolled. The rugelach cookies in Romania are tiny, about the size of one bite. The ones I saw in the United States are bigger than the Romanian ones.
Step 5. Place a dollop of jam and a small piece of walnut (optional) on the bottom of one of your triangles.
Note: I learned another technique later in life that might be easier: After you roll out the dough, spread the jam on the entire surface and sprinkle chopped walnuts.
Loosely roll up the cookie and place it on the cookie tray covered with parchment paper.
Whatever method you use for this particular step is up to you. There is no right or wrong. Continue doing this with all your triangles until done.
Step 6. Bake the cookies at 350F for about 13-15 mins or until golden brown. Remove the cookies from the tray and place them on a cooling rack.
Prepare a bowl or a plate with powdered sugar. When cookies are cool, toss them in the powdered sugar, then place them on a platter. They are absolutely delicious and super easy to make.
Questions From Readers
Yes, I have done this numerous times in the past. You make a batch or more and use what you need. You can freeze the rest. The dough should be good for about three months in the freezer.
Yes, I do not see why not. Place them in an airtight container before you put them in the freezer. However, do not toss them in powdered sugar until you are ready to serve.
These cookies can be stored at room temperature, in an airtight container, like a tin, for up to 5 days. If you are baking for Christmas, you can freeze them until you need them. You can also freeze the dough and bake the cookies when you need them.
Enjoy them!
More Recipes To Love
- Christmas Cookies&Bars From Around The World
- Walnut Shortbread Cookies
- Apricot Jam With Ginger Almonds And Mint
- Farmer Cheese Sweet Pastries
- Coffee Flavored Sugar Cookies
- Walnut and Jam Bars- Hungarian Londoni Szelet
- Peanut Butter Snowball Cookies
- Easy Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies
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📖 Recipe
Jam And Walnuts Rugelach Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 sticks PLUS 5 tablespoons soft unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups farmer cheese or ricotta
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- a pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 4-5 tablespoons powdered sugar
For the filling:
- 13 ounces Fruit Jam I used apricot jam and blackcurrant- you can use strawberry, raspberry, plums, apple
- ¼ cup Chopped walnuts optional
Instructions
- Mix the soft butter, farmer cheese, flour, pinch of salt, and sugar to obtain a dough.
- Wrap in plastic foil and place the dough in the refrigerator to chill for an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Remove the dough out of the refrigerator and roll it over a floured surface, giving it a round shape, about 13 inches big.
- Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough. The idea is to have triangles of dough that will be filled with jam and then rolled. Cut about 16 triangles.
- Put a dollop of jam and a small piece of walnut(optional) on the bottom of one of the triangles.
- Loosely roll-up.
- Place the cookie on a baking tray covered with parchment paper.
- Continue doing this with all your triangles until done.
- Bake them at 350F for about 13-15 mins or until golden brown.
- Remove them from the tray and place them on a cooling rack.
- Prepare a plate or a bowl with powdered sugar and roll the cookies in it to cover.
Adriana Bernea says
I’m so glad I found you.
Always looking for recipes from the old country that follow the standardized US measuring system.
Now I can make “cornulete”,
“Tort Diplomat” and many more delicious recipes which you so beautifully share with us all.
The Bossy Kitchen says
Welcome to my blog! Enjoy and let me know if you have any questions!
Rita says
Regarding the question to freeze or not to freeze. It's easy to freeze the baked cookies, if you leave off the powdered sugar, and dust them after they defrost. Also, I like to spread the cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet & put them in the freezer for an hour and then put them into a freezer bag. If they are frozen before they go into the bag, they do not stick together and you can remove a half dozen or how many you want at a time. Just make sure to remove the air from the freezer bag before you put it back into the freezer.
The Bossy Kitchen says
Rita, this is great advice! Thank you!