Apricot Rugelach (VIDEO) (2024)

These Apricot Rugelach cookies are filled with apricot jam and chopped walnuts. They have an incredibly flaky texture that keeps you coming back for more.

If you love nut filled desserts, try our Raspberry Pecan Thumbprint Cookies and Chocolate Walnut Meringue Cookies.

Recipe Details

I love these scrumptious Apricot Rugelach. This recipe is always a favorite when I serve it for dessert or bring it to a holiday potluck because the flavors and textures of this flaky treat are so good.

• TASTE: Sweet and nutty, it’s hard to resist these Apricot Rugelach. The cream cheese and butter give them lots of rich flavor.
• TEXTURE: Flaky pastry with thick apricot jam and crunchy walnuts, there’s a lot of delicious texture in these cookies.
• TIME: This dessert will take an hour.
• EASE: This is perhaps the easiestrugelach recipe you’ve ever seen! It’s really simple.

What You’ll Need

Ingredient Notes

• All-purpose flour- This is the base for the pastry dough.
• Unsalted butter– Cold butter is the key to this flaky pastry dough. Unsalted is best to control the salt level.
• Cream cheese– Rich and creamy, this adds extra moisture and flakiness to the crust.
• Egg yolk– This is a binder that holds the ingredients together and also helps it bake to a golden brown.
• Apricot jam– This will add lots of sweet and tart flavor to the inside of these rugelach.
• Toasted walnuts– Toasting gives these nuts extra flavor. They will add crunch and earthy flavor to this dessert.

Add-ins and Substitutions

• Add chocolate- Add mini chocolate chips or smear melted chocolate on the pastry dough with the jam.
• Substitute other nuts- Besides walnuts, you can also use almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, and pecans.
• Add raisins- Make this even sweeter with the addition of juicy raisins in the apricot rugelach.
• Make it allergen-friendly- Substitute the flour for gluten-free flour, 1:1, and use plant-based butter and cream cheese. You can also skip the walnuts.

How to Make Apricot Rugelach

• Add the butter and cream cheese to the flour. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Then add the cold cubed butter and cream cheese to the flour and cut through it using a pastry cutter/blender.

• Add the egg yolk. Now add the egg yolk to the flour and butter mixture and begin working it in with your hands. Once the rugelach dough is able to form into a ball, cover it with cling wrap and refrigerate.
• Roll out the dough. Now remove the rugelach dough from the refrigerator and divide it into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough out to a large circle and spread the apricot jam and chopped walnuts on top.

• Slice the dough into 12 pieces. Next, you’ll want to slice it like a pizza into12 equal parts. Now roll each rugelach up tightly.
• Bake. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and place the apricot rugelach cookies (seam side down) on top and bake in the oven at 360 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes, or unit golden brown.

Pro Tip: I didn’t have a pastry knife, so I used a pizza cutter instead, which worked great.

Recipe Tips

• Use cold butter and cream cheese– The colder the ingredients, the flakier the dough will be. Keep them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to add them to the flour.
• Use your hands for making the pastry- If you don’t have a pastry blender/cutter, you can use a knife or your hands instead. They work just as well.
• Work quickly- If you use your hands, work quickly so that your warm hands don’t soften the butter too much. This will make the pastry less flaky and more dense.
• Keep the dough cold- When rolling out each dough ball, keep the rest of the dough balls in the refrigerator. This will keep the butter in them from melting.

FAQs

Serving Suggestions

This Apricot Rugelach is sweetly delicious and versatile enough to complement any dessert table. Serve it with cakes, cookies, or other treats.

• Cakes: Serve these with a slice of Honey Raspberry Cake, New York Style Cheesecake, Chocolate Lava Cake (Video), or Gingerbread Cake.
• Cookies: Pair them with Chocolate Meringue Cookies, , Jumbo Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies, or White Chocolate Florentine Cookies (lace cookies).
• Sweet treats: Serve these Apricot Rugelach with Pecan Tassies, Mini Pavlova Recipe with Chocolate (VIDEO), Apple Strudel, or Bread Pudding.
• Beverages: Enjoy them with some coffee, tea, or Hot Chocolate. They also taste wonderful with a homemade Iced Caramel Macchiato and Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Make This Recipe in Advance

Make ahead: You can easily make these a few days in advance. Once they are completely cooled, store them in an airtight container at room temperature.

Storing: Store these Apricot Rugelach in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature, and up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Freeze: Wrap the unbaked rugelach dough in plastic wrap, then in another layer of foil. You can also freeze the cooled cookies in an airtight container. They will last for up to 3 months.

More Yummy Bite-Sized Desserts!

Watch how to make this delicious dessert

Full Recipe Instructions