Go Back
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Apricot-Almond Rugelach

Rolled up in cinnamon-laced cream cheese pastry, apricot jam mingles with sweet almond filling to deliver bold flavors and textures in these Apricot-Almond Rugelach. Adapted from Real Simple. Makes 48.

Ingredients

Dough

  • 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3/4 cups unsalted butter cut into pieces
  • 8 ounces cold cream cheese cut into pieces
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Almond Filling

  • 3/4 cup slivered almonds
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • pinch freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Assembly

  • 9 tablespoons apricot jam
  • 1 large egg beaten
  • coarse sugar for sprinkling

Instructions

Dough

  • Pulse the flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor until combined.
  • Add the butter and pulse briefly; some peanut-sized pieces should remain. Add the cream cheese and vanilla. Pulse until the dough looks like coarse meal. Small pieces of butter and cream cheese should still be visible in the mixture.
  • If you don't have a food processor, simply mix in the butter and cream cheese with your fingers or a pastry cutter as you would with pie dough.
  • Turn the mixture out and press it into a mass of dough (set the food processor bowl aside without washing to use for the filling). Divide the dough in three evenly-sized pieces. Shape each one into a flat disk and wrap tightly in plastic. Chill until completely firm, about 2 hours (or up to two days).

Almond Filling

  • In a skillet, toast the slivered almonds over medium heat until fragrant and pale golden brown. Set aside to cool.
  • Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and salt in the food processor bowl. Whirl to combine. Add cooled almonds and whirl to chop (less if you like larger pieces, more if you prefer smaller). Set aside.
  • If you don't have a food processor, chop the nuts by hand and mix them into a bowl with the other dry filling ingredients.

Assembly and Baking

  • Preheat oven to 350° F. Line three baking pans with parchment paper.
  • Working with one piece at a time, roll the dough on a floured surface into an 11 to 12-inch round about 1/8-inch thick. Top the dough with 3 tablespoons of apricot jam, spreading almost all the way to the edges. It will be thin.
  • Sprinkle 1/3 of the almond filling over the jam and spread it out evenly to cover the jam.
  • Using a pastry cutter or pizza wheel, cut the round into 16 equal wedges.
  • Starting at the wider outside edge, roll up the wedges into small crescents and place them on one of the prepared baking pans. Refrigerate for 15 minutes while you work with the next piece of dough.
  • Right before baking, brush the rugelach with the beaten egg and sprinkle generously with coarse sugar.
  • Bake the rugelach until pale golden and firm to the touch, about 25 to 30 minutes.
  • Transfer the hot cookies to a rack and cool briefly before eating.