Amazing Cranberry Orange Rugelach Recipe

I’d be lying if I said this rugelach recipe has been in our family for years. Like most of the recipes I’ve been posting recently, they stem from me seeing them somewhere and wanting to try them. My wife was recently in the hospital and the Heidelberg pastry shop is around the corner. When she was finally able to go home, I stopped in to pick a few things up for her to try. I saw these rugelach after I decided on the hamantaschen, so I decided to make them myself so here we are. This flavor combination comes mainly from seeing the maple orange cranberry jam at Trader Joe’s and wanting to try it in a recipe. No worries if these flavors don’t appeal to you. You can’t miss with the traditional combination of apricot jam with golden raisins and walnuts.

Rugelach Dough Instructions

Cut the butter and cream cheese into half-inch pieces and place back in the fridge. Add the flour, sugar, and salt to the bowl of your food processor. If your food processor is less than 8 cups, you will need to split the dough recipe in half and make two batches. Pulse the dry ingredients to combine the ingredients. Next add the butter and cream cheese pieces from the fridge into the food processor.

Pulse the ingredients in 1″ long pulses until the mixture looks like wet sand. This usually takes around 15 pulses.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead by hand until the mixture comes together. Using a bench scraper, divide the dough into two equal pieces. Shape each piece of dough into a rectangle roughly 5″x3″ and 1-1/2″ thick. Wrap each rectangle of dough tightly in cling film and refrigerate overnight, or at least 6 hours.

This dough comes together rather quickly and when cooked is reminiscent of puff pastry. If you’re looking to spend even more time preparing these cookies. Feel free to try them with my puff pastry dough. If you’re lazy (smart), or just strapped for time, buy premade puff pastry dough and save a bunch of time. This rugelach recipe is time consuming so I’m all for shortcuts.

Rugelach Recipe Assembly Instructions

Once your dough is sufficiently chilled, cut the rectangles of dough in half so you have four (4) 5″x3″ rectangles. Take one rectangle of dough and place it on a floured work surface. Place the rest of the rectangles in the fridge to chill. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a rectangle roughly 12″x8″.

Take care to rotate the dough every few rolls to prevent sticking. Make sure to roll out the edges so the dough is uniform in thickness. Once the dough is rolled out, place it in the fridge to chill and repeat with the other rectangles of dough. The rolled-out pieces can be stacked on top of each other with the cling film in between to prevent sticking.

Ingredient Prep Notes

Once all of the rectangles are rolled out, place them in the fridge to firm up for a few minutes. Chop the dried cranberries into small pieces and set aside. Chop the walnuts into small pieces and set aside. The smaller the pieces are chopped, the easier it will be to roll the logs up later. Combine the sugar and cinnamon, mix and set aside. Feel free to make this rugelach recipe your own by varying the jam, fruit, and nuts you use. The nuts can be omitted if you are making them for someone with an allergy.

Take one rectangle of dough and place on your work surface with the long side facing you. Spread 75 grams of the maple orange cranberry jam on the dough. Leave a 1″ border along the sides and top of the dough. Next, sprinkle a quarter of the lemon and orange zest over the jam. Sprinkle 40 grams of the dried cranberries evenly over the dough. Next, sprinkle 40 grams of the chopped walnuts over the dough. Sprinkle a spoonful of the cinnamon sugar over the top.

Next, starting on the end closest to you, roll the dough up into a log. Take care to keep the roll tight when rolling. When the log is rolled up, place seam side down. Take a fork and tamp down the edges to seal the log closed. Repeat with the other three pieces of dough.

Rugelach Final Prep & Baking Notes

Place the four logs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the logs with milk and sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar. Place the logs into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Make 3/4″ cuts into the logs in 1″ sections. Take care to not cut all the way through the dough. Leaving the dough on the bottom will help keep everything in during baking.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees at the 25 minute mark. Once the logs are golden brown, the cookies are done. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan, roughly 30 minutes. Once cool, transfer to a cutting board and finish cutting the logs into pieces. Serve the rugelach while still warm. Store any leftovers at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.