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The Easier Way To Make My Grandma’s Infamous Rugelach Cookies
What Is Rugelach?
Ingredients & Substitutions
How To Make Rugelach
My Recipe Tips
Rugelach Cookies Recipe card
Recipe Reviews

The Easier Way To Make My Grandma’s Infamous Rugelach Cookies

Maya holding a plate of rugelach cookies and Besti sweetener.

These cookies are based on a recipe my grandma made often as a kid, rugelach. She called them rogaliki, and it was my absolute favorite dessert. She was also known for them (much like her chicken fritters that so many of you are obsessed with!) — everyone around always asked her to make them.

Grandma used white flour and sugar for her rugelach cookies, and rolled them up. But after 4 attempts to make my healthier dough roll without breaking, I decided to try a different approach: thumbprints!

My creation looks very different, but the flavor is almost identical to what I remember, with a hint of nuttiness from the almond flour. Here’s why I think you’ll love this rugelach recipe:

All the flavor, none of the fuss – You still get that ultra buttery flavor (even more so than my favorite almond flour cookies) and dried fruit filling, but the thumbprint shape makes them much easier than traditional rugelach.
Shortbread taste and texture, but softer – This dough is just barely sweet, as the filling brings most of the sweetness. These cookies bake up with crisp edges and a tender center that’s less dense than classic shortbread.
Better-for-you, clean ingredients – I swapped the traditional white flour and sugar for almond flour, einkorn, and Besti. It took a few tries to nail the balance, but this combo gave me the same buttery bite and structure — and healthier than most versions.

These cookies aren’t much like common American cookies I’ve tried, but they are unbelievably delicious. If you’re up for something new, make this rugelach recipe with me — you won’t regret it!

What Is Rugelach?

Rugelach (pronounced ROO-guh-lakh) is a traditional Jewish pastry from Eastern Europe, usually made with buttery dough rolled around sweet fillings like jam, nuts, or dried fruit. The classic version is spiral or crescent-shaped, but I made mine thumbprint-style to keep the rich, nostalgic flavor with less fuss. They’re perfect for Hanukkah or other winter holidays!

Buttery rugelach cookies with cranberry, raisin, and walnut filling.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Here I explain the best ingredients for my Jewish rugelach recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.

Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour & Einkorn Flour – I tested these with almond flour alone, and while they were still good, the texture wasn’t quite as crisp. The blend of almond and einkorn makes them buttery, tender, and lightly crisp on the edges. If you haven’t heard of einkorn flour, it’s an ancient wheat that’s less processed and lower in gluten than modern wheat, and I tolerate it much better. I polled readers recently, and many of you said you’re open to using it. If you need to keep the recipe gluten free, you can replace the einkorn flour with more almond flour, or my second-best personal preference, tapioca flour.
Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – This is my go-to healthy sweetener, with no calories or aftertaste. It makes the dough soft and chewy. My grandma used regular granulated sugar and you certainly can if that fits your needs.
Butter – Gives the dough that rich, classic flavor. I use this grass-fed unsalted one, so I can control the salt level myself.
Sour Cream – This was my grandma’s secret to make the dough soft and tender. Full-fat Greek yogurt or cream cheese also work, but yogurt makes the dough slightly less rich and cream cheese makes it firmer, less tender.
Vanilla extract for flavor, baking powder for texture, and a touch of sea salt for balance.
Rugelach Filling – My grandma’s signature blend of raisins, dried cranberries, and chopped walnuts, all tossed in melted butter and more Besti. Feel free to swap in other nuts (like pecans, pistachios, or almonds) or other dried fruit (like dried apricots or even figs). Sometimes I mix some cinnamon with the nuts and fruit, too. You can also choose a different filling, like strawberry chia jam, chocolate chips (for chocolate rugelach), or even my sugar-free Nutella.

Labeled recipe ingredients: Almond flour, Einkorn flour, butter, Besti sweetener, sour cream, baking powder, vanilla, cranberries, raisins, walnuts, and salt.

How To Make Rugelach

I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.

Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, einkorn flour, baking powder, and salt.
Cream the butter and Besti. Use a hand mixer to beat them together in another bowl, until nice and fluffy. Mix in the sour cream and vanilla.

Make the dough. Gradually beat in the dry ingredients, until the dough is uniform. It will be sticky!
Chill. Cover the bowl and pop it in the fridge, until it’s very cold and firm.
Make the filling. Meanwhile, stir together the walnuts, dried fruit, and Besti in a separate bowl. Toss with the melted butter to coat evenly.

Mixing dry and wet ingredients together in a bowl to form a dough.

Stirring filling ingredients together in a bowl.

Shape the cookies. Scoop the rugelach dough onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, flatten slightly, and use your thumb to make a well in the center of each one. Use your fingers to make the wells wider, as shown below. If the edges crack, I just pinch them back together.
Fill and bake. Spoon the filling into the wells and press gently, so it doesn’t fall out easily. Bake the rugelach until golden brown on the edges. Let them cool completely to firm up and improve the texture. Sometimes I sprinkle them with extra Besti after cooling.

Filling cookies with fruit and nut filling.

My Recipe Tips

Cold butter won’t cream properly, so let it soften at room temperature. If you forget to set it out, I have a trick to do this quickly. Fill a stainless steel bowl with boiling water and let it sit for a few minutes. Meanwhile, cut the butter into pieces and put on a plate. Empty and dry the bowl, then place inverted over the plate for a few minutes. The residual heat will soften the butter!
When you’re beating in the dry ingredients, stop as soon as the dough comes together. Overmixing can make the texture tough, especially with einkorn since it contains gluten.
The dough is sticky at first, but once chilled, it should be like a play-dough consistency. Try not to handle it too much, or it’ll warm up and get sticky again.
When shaping the dough, keep the rugelach cookies on the thinner side. I flatten them to about 1/4 inch thick before adding the filling for the best texture. I use a this medium cookie scoop and fill it flat, which makes the perfect size. After scooping, I press a well in the center with my thumb a few times and shape the cookies to be about 2 inches wide with slightly thicker edges.
These cookies do spread, so give them space. I space them about 2 inches apart, so they don’t run into each other on the pan.
This rugelach recipe is delicate when warm, but firms up beautifully as it cools. I leave them on the pan for a bit before transferring to a cooling rack.
Want them rolled like traditional rugelach? After a dozen kitchen tests, I found this only works using 100% einkorn flour (or white flour) — not the almond flour blend. If you want to try it, just replace the almond flour with more einkorn. Once the dough is chilled, roll it out to about 1/8 inch thick, cut into triangles, add the filling to the center, and roll them up starting from the wide end. They take a bit longer to bake.