By Trang Doan - (updated ) - This post may contain affiliate links.
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This Fig Jam and Walnut Rugelach Recipe is packed with delicious Fall flavors thanks to the fig jam and cinnamon walnut rugelach filling. They are the perfect addition to your holiday cookies list this season.
Making rugelach always reminds me of the holiday season because every year my holiday cookies spread include at least one rugelach recipe. I’ve made a few before on the blog with different type of rugelach filing. These cinnamon rugelach and almond rugelach are definitely holiday cookies worthy, as are these new Fig Jam and Walnut Rugelach!
What is Rugelach pastry?
Rugelach are light and flaky pastries, very popular among American and European Jews. They are typically made in the shape of a crescent by rolling a triangular piece of dough around a rugelach filling. Their bite size crescent shape can be mistaken for crescent rolls or mini croissants, but they are more like cookies.
How to make Rugelach?
My go-to rugelach recipe is made with a simple butter and cream cheese dough. The cream cheese version is said to be an American innovation, while a version with yeast leavened and sour cream dough is said to be much older. The yeast leavened dough is then laminated with butter to be more like a croissant dough; this is much more complex. Traditional rugelach filling can include raisins, walnut, cinnamon, marzipan or almond paste, chocolate, fruit preserves, etc. But you’re only limited by your own imagination.
For these particular Fig Jam and Walnut Rugelach, I made them with the simple butter and cream cheese dough that can be whipped up easily in the stand mixer or food processor. I used store bought fig jam for the rugelach filling along with a mixture of ground walnut and cinnamon sugar. The delicious flavors of this rugelach filling make these Fig Jam and Walnut Rugelach the perfect holiday cookies that everyone will love!
More Rugelach Recipes
- Cinnamon Roll Rugelach
- Tropical Rugelach
- Marzipan Filled Rugelach
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it and don’t forget to tag me @wildwildwhisk on Instagram. I’d love to see what’s cooking up in your kitchen. Cheers!
📖 Recipe card
Fig Jam and Walnut Rugelach
This Fig Jam and Walnut Rugelach Recipe is packed with delicious Fall flavors thanks to the fig jam and cinnamon walnut rugelach filling. They are the perfect addition to your holiday cookies list this season.
5 from 5 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Eastern European
Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes minutes
Resting Time: 1 hour hour
Total Time: 48 minutes minutes
Servings: 24 pieces
Author: Trang
Ingredients
For the rugelach dough
- 4 ounce cream cheese – room temperature
- 4 ounce unsalted butter – room temperature
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- Extra flour for rolling
For the rugelach filling
- 4 tablespoon fig jam
- ½ cup walnut - pulverized
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Egg wash & topping
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream or milk
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
Cream the soften butter and cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl with the paddle attachment on medium high speed until fluffy. Add sugar, salt and vanilla extract and beat on medium to combine.
Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour, mix until just combined.
Scrape the dough out onto a well-floured board, and shape into a disk. Divide into two equal portions, shape each into a ball then flatten into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
Pulverize the walnut in a food processor or blender, combine it with brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, whisk to distribute evenly.
Remove one disk of dough from the refrigerator and roll out into a 9” circle. Spread 2 tablespoons fig jam over the dough circle, leaving about ¼” from the edge clean. Sprinkle half of the nut filling over the jam and lightly press it down into the dough.
Cut the circle into 12 triangles using a pizza cutter. First cut the circle into quarters, then cut each quarter into thirds. Roll the larger end of each triangle in to make a crescent shape cookie, try to keep the nut filling from falling out. Place cookies on a parchment line baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining disk of dough.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Beat one egg with a tablespoon of cream or milk to make egg wash. Combine 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar with ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon in a separate bowl for the topping. Brush egg wash all over the cookies, and sprinkle cinnamon sugar generously over the top.
Bake for 18 minutes, until cookies are slightly brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?If you made this recipe and loved it, please leave a comment and give us a 5 STAR review. Mention @WildWildWhisk or tag #WildWildWhisk on Instagram.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Irina
These were fantastic! Not my mother’s recipe for Romanian cornulete but they taste just as good, dare I say even better! I had to cook mine a good 6-8 min more than the recipe to get them to start to brown.Reply
- Trang Doan
Thanks for making these Irina! I’m so glad you like them and wow what a compliment to be compared to your mother’s recipe 🙂
Reply
- Sheryl Kelly
I made the recipe as directed and they were delicious! I’ll make these again.Reply
- Trang Doan
So glad you like these Sheryl! Thank you for trying it and taking the time to leave a review 🙂
Reply
- Kristin
Delicious and easy recipe – used pear & fig preserves of my own making which worked just fine. Was a bit concerned that I’d worked the dough excessively but it’s resilient and baked up still tender. My Jewish partner, etc. approved of them so that means I’ll bake them again. Thanks for the great recipe, Trang ~Reply
- Trang Doan
Thanks Kristin! So happy to hear they were approved by your partner!
Reply
- Heather
I made these with my homemade fig jam. They were great. I crushed my walnuts with a rolling pin, and it worked just fine. I do recommend kneading the dough. I kneaded one half and did the other without kneading. The kneaded disc was much easier to roll out and the slices were much easier to roll up into crescents.
Thank you for sharing your recipe. I’m definitely going to make it again.Reply
- Trang
Thanks for the tips Heather and for taking the time to leave a comment! And I’m glad you enjoy them 🙂 I’ll be sure to try kneading them more next time too.
Reply
- Judy
Are we rolling the triangles of dough with the filling on top? Won’t this disturb the filling?
Reply
- Trang Doan
Yes are you and yes it will, do your best to press the filling into the dough. Some will fall out but I’m usually able to keep almost all of the filling inside the dough.
Reply
- Sue I
Did you knead the dough before refrigerating it or just before rolling it out?
Thanks.Reply
- Trang Doan
I would knead before refrigerating, after refrigeration, the dough should be pretty firm and you won’t be able to knead it. But you could just let your mixer go a little bit longer after the dough comes together instead of kneading by hand.
Reply
- Sue I
Thank you they came out great!
Reply
- Trang Doan
Awesome!
- Sherylanne
Do these freeze well?
They turned out amazing!
Used Nutella and Walnut 😊 - Trang Doan
Yes, you can freeze them up to 3 months. You can also freeze the unbaked cookies if you want and pop them in the oven whenever you wish.
- Natalie
These rugelach look so delicious! I love the combination of figs and walnuts!Reply
- Trang
Thanks Natalie!
Reply
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