Perfect Christmas Rugelach — Cream Cheese Pastry Crescents

Rugelach is Jewish pastry that's perfect for Christmas tables too — flaky cream cheese dough rolled around jam and nuts.

The recipe

Ingredients (makes 32)

Dough:

• 1 cup butter, cold
• 8 oz cream cheese, cold
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt

Filling:

• 1/2 cup raspberry or apricot jam
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon

Method

Dough:

1. Cut butter and cream cheese into flour, sugar, salt
2. Pulse food processor or work by hand until coarse meal
3. Form 4 disks; chill at least 2 hours

Assembly: 4. Roll one disk to 9-inch circle 5. Spread thin layer of jam 6. Sprinkle nuts, sugar, cinnamon 7. Cut into 8 wedges (like a pizza) 8. Roll each wedge from wide end to point 9. Curve slightly into crescent 10. Place on parchment, point-down 11. Chill 30 minutes 12. Bake 350°F for 25-30 minutes until golden

Variations

Fillings

• Apricot + walnut (classic)
• Raspberry + almond
• Chocolate + hazelnut (Nutella)
• Pumpkin butter + pecan
• Date + walnut

Toppings

• Egg wash + coarse sugar before baking
• Powdered sugar after baking

Storage

• Airtight at room temp
• 5 days
• Freeze unbaked 1 month

Cross-references

For Best Christmas cookies — broader.

For Christmas cookie exchange — adjacent.

For Interfaith Christmas — broader.

Perfect rugelach is flaky pastry with jam and nuts. Crescents. Beautiful on Christmas cookie trays. Worth the effort.