Rugelach is a beloved Jewish pastry, traditionally made with butter and cream cheese–rich pastry dough. After being rolled out, the dough is spread with nuts and spices, rolled up into crescents, then baked. In this vegan version, vegan butter and cream cheese stand in for the usual dairy versions, and the filling is a tempting mixture of raspberry jam, ground almonds, and a touch of cinnamon. The finished cookies are rich yet light, just sweet enough, and wonderfully tender.
The recipe has several steps, but don't be intimidated! I break down each step so even first-time ruggelach bakers can follow along and achieve great results. My tips for first-time bakers are to be patient, work slowly, and enjoy the process. These special cookies are worth the extra time and effort!
This recipe makes 4 dozen cookies, but you don't need to bake them all at once. I recommend making the dough well in advance and refrigerating it until needed. That way, you can bake a dozen or two at a time. And if you'd like to bake well in advance, you can freeze the baked cookies and defrost when needed.
To make the the dough, use an electric mixer to beat together the vegan cream cheese and vegan butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and almond extracts, and mix again until blended. Add in 1 cup of flour and mix on low speed until a very soft dough is formed. Mix in the remaining 1 cup of flour by hand. Form the dough into a ball and cut into four equal portions. Shape each portion into a disc roughly ½-inch thick, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate the dough overnight, or for at least four hours. (This step can be done well in advance: the dough will keep, refrigerated, for three days.)
When you’re ready to make the rugelach, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking trays with parchment paper or silicone mats and set aside until needed.
To make the filling, I recommend mixing a small batch of filling for each portion of dough, to prevent running out of filling by the fourth round. To fill one portion of dough, in a small bowl stir together 3 tablespoons raspberry jam and 2 tablespoons sugar. Add in 3 tablespoons almond flour and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon to make a soft paste. Set aside until needed.
Generously flour a clean work surface, and place one disc of refrigerated dough in the center. Flour the top of the dough, then use a rolling pin to gently roll the dough into a circle roughly 10 inches across. Roll very gently at first to prevent the dough from forming deep cracks, then slightly increase the pressure as the dough begins to yield. Don’t worry if there are cracks around the edges: we’ll trim those off. For uniformity, place a 9-inch cake pan on top of the rolled dough, and use a paring knife to cut away the shaggy edges. Discard the dough scraps.
Use a teaspoon to dollop on the jam filling, then gently spread the filling evenly across the dough using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Try to get as close to the edges as possible, to ensure the rugelach will hold together when you roll them up.
With a pizza cutter or pastry wheel, cut the dough into 12 even triangles, pizza-style. Starting with the triangle closest to you, roll it away from you to the center point, enclosing the filling and forming a little crescent. Don’t worry if the dough begins to crack as you work: this dough is delicate but will hold its shape when baked. Transfer each rolled cookie to the prepared baking sheet and curve the edges slightly, to accentuate the crescent shape. Repeat with the remaining triangles. To bake two trays at the same time, repeat the rolling, filling, and shaping with one more portion of dough.
Just before baking, brush each rugelach lightly with non-dairy milk, and sprinkle liberally with turbinado sugar. Place in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the trays halfway through the baking time, until the rugelach are lightly browned and the filling is bubbling and starting to caramelize around the edges. Remove from the oven, let cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough until all the cookies have been baked.
To make the the dough, use an electric mixer to beat together the vegan cream cheese and vegan butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and almond extracts, and mix again until blended. Add in 1 cup of flour and mix on low speed until a very soft dough is formed. Mix in the remaining 1 cup of flour by hand. Form the dough into a ball and cut into four equal portions. Shape each portion into a disc roughly ½-inch thick, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate the dough overnight, or for at least four hours. (This step can be done well in advance: the dough will keep, refrigerated, for three days.)
When you’re ready to make the rugelach, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking trays with parchment paper or silicone mats and set aside until needed.
To make the filling, I recommend mixing a small batch of filling for each portion of dough, to prevent running out of filling by the fourth round. To fill one portion of dough, in a small bowl stir together 3 tablespoons raspberry jam and 2 tablespoons sugar. Add in 3 tablespoons almond flour and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon to make a soft paste. Set aside until needed.
Generously flour a clean work surface, and place one disc of refrigerated dough in the center. Flour the top of the dough, then use a rolling pin to gently roll the dough into a circle roughly 10 inches across. Roll very gently at first to prevent the dough from forming deep cracks, then slightly increase the pressure as the dough begins to yield. Don’t worry if there are cracks around the edges: we’ll trim those off. For uniformity, place a 9-inch cake pan on top of the rolled dough, and use a paring knife to cut away the shaggy edges. Discard the dough scraps.
Use a teaspoon to dollop on the jam filling, then gently spread the filling evenly across the dough using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Try to get as close to the edges as possible, to ensure the rugelach will hold together when you roll them up.
With a pizza cutter or pastry wheel, cut the dough into 12 even triangles, pizza-style. Starting with the triangle closest to you, roll it away from you to the center point, enclosing the filling and forming a little crescent. Don’t worry if the dough begins to crack as you work: this dough is delicate but will hold its shape when baked. Transfer each rolled cookie to the prepared baking sheet and curve the edges slightly, to accentuate the crescent shape. Repeat with the remaining triangles. To bake two trays at the same time, repeat the rolling, filling, and shaping with one more portion of dough.
Just before baking, brush each rugelach lightly with non-dairy milk, and sprinkle liberally with turbinado sugar. Place in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the trays halfway through the baking time, until the rugelach are lightly browned and the filling is bubbling and starting to caramelize around the edges. Remove from the oven, let cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough until all the cookies have been baked.
