Rugelach made with no cream cheese.
I always get inspired when I go past the baked goods sections at grocery stores. On my most recent visit to Whole Foods I noticed they had 20+ different flavors of Rugelach for sale. I then decided to go home and make my own and cinnamon and sugar is one of my favorite flavors so I kept it simple and just made that flavor. Rugelach is a filled pastry if you are wondering what it is, a dessert that is flaky and the only sweetness comes from the filling as the dough has no sugar.
I noticed that 99% of recipes for Rugelach call for cream cheese but if you are like me it is not an ingredient I have on hand at my house. Sour cream is something I usually have so I am sharing a recipe with you that is made without cream cheese and the dough is just 4 simple ingredients.
Above I show one of the disc’s being rolled out and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and how you roll them up starting from the outer edge inward. I rolled the dough out between 2 floured pieces of waxed paper, helps prevent sticking to the rolling pin.
Recipe makes 36 pieces. If using unsalted butter add 1/4 teaspoon salt.
- Dough:
- 1¾ cups all purpose flour
- ¾ cup or 1½ sticks salted butter, cold & cut into tablespoon slices
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Filling:
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cups chopped walnuts (optional)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- water (for brushing dough)
- sugar for sprinkling the tops
- Use a food processor to mix the the cold butter and flour together until pea sized pieces form. Add vanilla and sour cream and mix until everything is combined. (If you don't have a food processor use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour or two knives. )
- Divide dough into 3 equal pieces, place each piece on plastic wrap, form into a disc about 1" thick, wrap and put in fridge. (Dough will be a little sticky).
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- For the filling: combine all ingredients together in a food processor and pulse until walnuts are minced. If not adding walnuts just mix in a regular bowl and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375 F. line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or baking mat.
- Remove one disk of dough at a time. Unwrap and roll dough out into a circle about 10" in diameter on a floured surface.
- Brush dough lightly with some water to help the filling stick.
- Sprinkle with ⅓ of the filling leaving about 1" around the edges.
- Take a knife or pizza cutter and cut into 12 wedges.
- Roll each piece up starting for the outer edge and place each piece on prepared cookie sheet with the end tucked underneath.
- Repeat with each disk. Then sprinkle tops with sugar.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes.
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