Easy Raisin Rugelach
These Raisin Rugelach are bursting with sweet and gently spiced raisins wrapped in a homemade tender and flaky pastry dough.
Servings 2 dozen
Ingredients
RAISIN RUGELACH PASTRY DOUGH INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 16 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
RAISIN RUGELACH FILLING INGREDIENTS
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 1/2 cup "regular" raisins
- 1/2 cup apricot jam
RAISIN RUGELACH TOPPING INGREDIENTS
- 1 egg, mixed with a little water
- turbinado sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
RAISIN RUGELACH DOUGH INSTRUCTIONS
- In the bowl of a stand-mixer, beat together the salt, butter, and cream cheese until smooth.
- Add in the flour a little at a time, beating between each addition, until all ingredients combine into a soft, thick, and sticky dough.
- Divide the dough into three equal portions, then shape each portion into a disk.
- Wrap each dough disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until dough is firm. You could also refrigerate overnight.
RAISIN RUGELACH FILLING INSTRUCTIONS
- While the dough is chilling, make the filling: Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, brown raisins, and golden raisins in a food processor. Pulse ingredients until they are finely chopped, but not pureed. This will take a few minutes. Set aside.
RAISIN RUGELACH PREP INSTRUCTIONS
- Spoon the apricot jam into a small dish. Set aside.
- Crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk in a little bit of water. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Line four baking sheets with parchment paper. Place sheets in refrigerator.
- Fill a small bowl with a few tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Sprinkle some flour over your work surface and keep the rest of the flour nearby for additional sprinkling as you roll out the dough.
RAISIN RUGELACH BAKING INSTRUCTIONS
- Roll out one dough disk on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch circle.
- Brush the dough all over with a thin layer of apricot jam, then sprinkle 1/3 of the raisin mixture evenly over the jam. Press the filling into the dough to help it stick.
- Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to slice the dough into 4 large pieces, then slice each large piece into 3 smaller triangles. Roll up each triangle, starting at the wide end and ending at the tip of the triangle (like you’re rolling a crescent roll).
- Place raisin rugelach on the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart. If your rugelach pieces are different sizes, that’s okay – just bake all the small pieces on one sheet and the larger pieces on another.
- Brush raisin rugelach with egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
- Repeat the rolling and filling process with the remaining two dough disks. Refrigerate the raisin rugelach for 10-15 minutes before baking.
- Bake raisin rugelach at 350F for 20-22 minutes, until they are golden-brown and doubled in size. Let rugelach cool completely (either on baking sheet or wire rack) before serving.
Notes
If you can’t get the dough to make a perfect circle, that’s okay! You’ll just end up with slightly uneven pieces. If you want the pieces to be as identical as possible: Roll the dough to about 13 inches. Take a cake pan, plate, or something else circular that’s about 12 inches wide and place it on the dough. Cut away the excess dough so you have a perfect circle left and proceed with the rest of the steps.