Aimee’s rugelach

By
10 December 2025
Makes 24
Medium
35 minutes, plus 11/2 hour’s chilling time
20–25 minutes

The name rugelach means "little twists" or "little corners" in Yiddish, because of the shape of the pastry. This biscuit has a flaky texture and is filled with the spiciness of cinnamon and the tang of orange peel. They freeze beautifully so it’s worth making a double batch. This is my daughter Aimee’s take on rugelach. Be generous with the filling as it oozes out and makes a sticky toffee.

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Ingredients

Method
    For the dough:

  • 160 g cake flour
  • ½ t salt
  • 1/2 t baking powder
  • 1 t finely grated lemon zest
  • 125 g butter, cubed
  • 1 t vanilla essence
  • 125 g cream cheese
  • For the filling:

  • 50 g pecans, chopped
  • 100 g soft brown sugar
  • ½ t ground cinnamon
  • 100 g orange peel
  • 2 T apricot jam or marmalade
  • 5 - 6 Turkish apricots dried fruit
  • 1 t lemon juice
  • 1 free-range egg, beaten
  • soft brown sugar, for sprinkling

1 To make the dough, place the flour, salt, baking powder, lemon zest in a food processor and process to combine. Add the butter and blend until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Add the cream cheese and vanilla and process until the dough forms a ball.  Do not overprocess.

2 Tip the dough onto a floured surface and knead for a few seconds. Divide into two evenly sized balls and wrap in clingfilm. Flatten and chill for at least 1 hour.

3 To make the filling, mix all the ingredients except the jam.

4 Take the dough out the fridge and roll into an even round of about 23 cm in diameter. Spread with the apricot jam and sprinkle generously with the filling. Cut into 12 even triangles using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife. Starting on the widest edge of each triangle, roll up the dough towards the thin end.

5 Place seam-side down on a baking tray lined with baking paper, about 3 cm apart. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

6 When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180°C. Remove the rugelach from the fridge, brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the brown sugar. Bake for 20–25 minutes, rotating the trays halfway through the baking time until golden brown all over.

Find more Hanukkah recipes here

Tracy Klass

Recipe by: Tracy Klass

Tracy Klass is a comedian and cook.

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