Christmas/ cookies/ Dessert/ Polish Recipes

Rogaliki Cookies (Orange Walnut Rugelach) – video

20 December 2020 | Last Updated: 18 December 2023 By Aleksandra

Rogaliki are traditional Polish crescent cookies. These delicious cookies are perfectly crumbly and filled with orange walnut cinnamon filling. You’ll love them!

Rogaliki cookies on a chopping board and a white cake stand.

Ingredients:

Rogaliki cookies are also popular in many neighboring countries, like Ukraine or Russia. This is a Polish recipe but it was influenced by Jewish cuisine (rugelach cookies). These crescent cookies can be made with 3 different types of dough – crumbly sour cream pastry, softer sour cream pastry with yeast, and very soft yeast dough. Cream cheese dough is not very common. I adore these cookies made with shortbread pastry with sour cream so this is what you’ll see below. The most popular filling for rogaliki is just jam (any kind). It’s important to use a thick jam (or it will ooze out of the cookies) or thicken it on the stovetop. Another option is to thicken it with ground nuts and this is what I did – I combined sweet orange jam (I prefer sweet orange to bitter orange) with ground walnuts, cinnamon, and light brown sugar. The end result is just delightful!

  • instead of orange jam, apricot jam would also work well
  • instead of walnuts, you can use almonds or pecans
Labeled ingredients needed to prepare orange walnut rugelach.

How to make rogaliki step by step:

A little reminder:

How to measure flour: if you use a kitchen scale to measure out all the ingredients, it all goes easy breezy! But if you’re using measuring cups, remember that 1 cup of flour can weigh 120-150g, depending on how you’re filling your cup. Don’t scoop the flour directly into the measuring cup, which can compact it! 1 cup of flour in my recipes weighs 125g. To correctly measure the flour, you need to:

  1. Fluff the flour by stirring it in the bag/flour container with a spoon.
  2. Spoon the flour and sprinkle it into your measuring cup.
  3. Sweep off the excess flour with the back of a knife.
A collage of 3 photos showing preparation steps of pastry dough with sour cream.

Make the dough:

The dough is very simple to make – all you have to do is combine all the ingredients until the dough is smooth! It can be prepared by hand, in a stand mixer or food processor.

How to make it:

In a stand mixer: add all the ingredients (2 1/4 cups (280g) flour, 1/2 cup (60g) powdered sugar, 1 cup (230g) cold butter, cut into small cubes, 1 egg yolk, 1/4 cup (60g) sour cream) into the mixing bowl, mix with a paddle-shaped attachment over low speed. The dough will be crumbly at first, but will come together as it’s mixed. Gather the dough into a smooth ball.
In a food processor: add all the ingredients to the food processor bowl fitted with “S” blade and pulse to combine. The dough will be crumbly at first, but will come together as it’s mixed. Gather the dough into a smooth ball.
By hand: on a large chopping board stir the flour with salt and powdered sugar together, put the sour cream, egg yolk, and cold cubed butter on top and chop with a knife until crumble forms. Gather the dough into a smooth ball.
All methods: Divide the dough into 4 parts, shape each part into a flat disc and wrap in plastic foil. Put the dough in the fridge for 40 minutes.

Rolled out dough. Rolled out dough spread with orange jam and sprinkled with walnuts, sugar, and cinnamon.

Shape the cookies:

Grind 2 cups (170g) walnuts in a food processor until finely ground (or use 1 1/2 cups pre-ground nuts). Stir them with 1/4 cup (50g) light brown sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Divide 2/3 cup (180g) sweet orange jam/marmalade into 4 parts.
Take one part of the dough out of the fridge. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to form an 11-inch (27cm) circle. Sprinkle the dough with flour as you’re rolling it out.
Spread 1/4 of the jam over the dough then sprinkle with 1/4 of the nut-sugar mixture. Press the nuts slightly into the dough.

Shaping of crescent cookies. Rugelach cookies are being brushed with egg white.

Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into 12 wedges, like a pizza. Beginning at the wide outer edge and moving towards the center, roll up each wedge. Curve ends to form a crescent shape.
Transfer the cookies to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Brush the cookies with the leftover lightly beaten egg white and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
Bake at 375 °F / 190 °C / Gas Mark 5, no fan for about 22 minutes until golden (the cookies will be soft, they will finish baking on the baking sheet while cooling).
Leave on the baking sheet to cool.

Enjoy!

Orange walnut rugelach on a chopping board. White cake stand and white plants in the background.

Storage:

These cookies taste best served on day one of baking them, but they are also very good the next day! If you’d like to prepare them for Christmas or any other occasion, you can easily make them ahead. Store them for up to 5 days in an air-tight container.

You can also make the dough and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 3 months. Wrap it tightly in plastic foil.

Orange walnut rugelach on a chopping board. White cake stand and white plants in the background.

Did you make this recipe? RATE THE RECIPE or tell me in the COMMENTS how you liked it! You can also add a photo of your dish. It would make me very happy and will help other readers. Thank you!!

Rogaliki Cookies (Orange Walnut Rugelach) – video

Rogaliki are traditional Polish crescent cookies. These delicious cookies are perfectly crumbly and filled with orange walnut cinnamon filling.
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Rogaliki cookies on a chopping board.
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5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 22 minutes
Total Time 42 minutes
Servings 48 cookies
Calories 103kcal
Author Aleksandra

Ingredients

for the dough:

  • 2 1/4 cups (280g) flour spooned and leveled
  • 1/2 cup (60g) powdered sugar
  • 1 cup (230g) cold butter cut into small cubes
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/4 cup (60g) sour cream
  • big pinch of salt

for the filling:

  • 2 cups (170g) walnuts 1 1/2 cups ground walnuts
  • 2/3 cup (180g) sweet orange jam/marmalade
  • 1/4 cup (50g) light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

to finish:

  • 1 egg white for the egg wash
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar to sprinkle

Instructions

Make the dough:

  • In a stand mixer: add all the ingredients into the mixing bowl, mix with a paddle-shaped attachment over low speed. The dough will be crumbly at first, but will come together as it’s mixed. Gather the dough into a smooth ball.
  • In a food processor: add all the ingredients to the food processor bowl fitted with “S” blade and pulse to combine. The dough will be crumbly at first, but will come together as it’s mixed. Gather the dough into a smooth ball.
  • By hand: on a large chopping board stir the flour with salt and powdered sugar together, put the sour cream, egg yolk, and cold cubed butter on top and chop with a knife until crumble forms. Gather the dough into a smooth ball.
  • All methods: Divide the dough into 4 parts, shape each part into a flat disc and wrap in plastic foil. Put the dough in the fridge for 40 minutes.

Shape the cookies:

  • Grind the walnuts in a food processor until finely ground. Stir them with sugar and cinnamon.
  • Take one part of the dough out of the fridge. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to form an 11-inch (27cm) circle. Sprinkle the dough with flour as you’re rolling it out.
  • Spread 1/4 of the jam over the dough then sprinkle with 1/4 of the nut-sugar mixture. Press the nuts slightly into the dough.
  • Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into 12 wedges, like a pizza (cut the circle into 4 quarters, then cut each quarter into 3 parts). Beginning at the wide outer edge and moving towards the center, roll up each wedge. Curve ends to form a crescent shape.
  • Transfer the cookies to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake:

  • Brush the cookies with a lightly beaten egg white and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
  • Bake at 375 °F / 190 °C / Gas Mark 5, no fan for about 22 minutes until golden (the cookies will be soft, they will finish baking on the baking sheet while cooling).
  • Leave on the baking sheet to cool.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

  • Instead of orange jam, apricot jam would also work well.
  • Instead of walnuts, you can use almonds or pecans.
  • How to measure flour: Fluff the flour by stirring it in the bag/flour container with a spoon. Spoon the flour and sprinkle it into your measuring cup. Sweep off the excess flour with the back of a knife.
  • You can also cut each dough circle into 16 wedges (cut in 4 quarters and then each quarter into 4 parts) to make smaller cookies. Bake smaller cookies for 20 minutes.
  • Storage: These cookies taste best served on day one of baking them, but they are also very good the next day! If you’d like to prepare them for Christmas or any other occasion, you can easily make them ahead. Store them for up to 5 days in an air-tight container. You can also make the dough and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 3 months. Wrap it tightly in plastic foil.
  • Calories: 1 cookie (1/48 of the recipe). This is only an estimate!
Course Dessert
Cuisine jewish, polish
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