This easy-to-make Orange Cranberry Rugelach is a crisp, flaky pastry spread with orange marmalade, tart dried cranberries and chopped toasted pecans, then rolled up in a pretty crescent shape.
Rugelach is a delicious Jewish pastry. The name means creeping vine because of the rolled-up shape of the cookie. I would often see these crescent shaped cookies at the store, but when Chaya, Sweet and Savory Says It All, posted a request for Chanukah recipes I thought it was the perfect time to try these beautiful flaky little Jewish treats.
Megan, Megan’s Cookin’, suggested I use Dorie’s rugelach recipe, Dorie Greenspan’s Rugelach Secrets. Trish, The Mad Chemist, posted a Cranberry Raisin Rugelach recipe that sounded fabulous. So I combined the two recipes and made a delicious Orange Cranberry Raisin Rugelach for my 12th cookie of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies.
Update: I recently attended a fun blogger get together and brought this Orange Cranberry Rugelach so I could update the post with new pictures. It was a big hit at the party, and I’m sure it would be a big hit at your party too.
Orange Cranberry Rugelach
Ingredients
- 4 ounces cold cream cheese cut into 4 pieces
- 1 stick 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- â…” cup orange marmalade
- ¼ cup chopped pecans finely chopped
- ¼ cup chopped golden raisins and dried cranberries
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon cold water
- 2 tablespoons sugar preferably coarse sugar
Instructions
- Let the cream cheese and butter rest on the counter for 10 minutes, so it's slightly softened but still cool.
- Combine flour and salt, cut butter and cream cheese into flour with a pastry blender or two knives until crumbly. Shape into two disks, wrap the disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 1 day. (Wrapped airtight, the dough can be frozen for up to 2 months.)
- Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
- SHAPE THE COOKIES: If the dough is too firm to roll easily, leave it on the counter for about 10 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 12-inch circle.
- Stir marmalade until it liquefies. Spread a thin layer of marmalad over the dough, and scatter half of the nuts and fruits on top.
- Cover the filling with a piece of wax paper and gently press the filling into the dough, then remove the paper and save it for the next batch.
- Using a pizza wheel or a sharp knife, cut the dough into 16 wedges, or triangles. (The easiest way to do this is to cut the dough into quarters, then to cut each quarter into 4 triangles.)
- Starting at the base of each triangle, roll the dough up so that each cookie becomes a little crescent. Arrange the roll-ups on one baking sheet, making sure the points are tucked under the cookies, and refrigerate.
- Repeat with the second disk of dough, and refrigerate the cookies for at least 30 minutes before baking. (The cookies can be covered and refrigerated overnight or frozen for up to 2 months; don't defrost before baking, just add a couple of minutes to the baking time.)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
GLAZE
- Stir the egg and water together, and brush a bit of this glaze over each rugelach. Sprinkle the cookies with the sugar.
- Bake the cookies for 20 to 25 minutes until they are puffed and golden. Transfer the cookies to racks to cool to just warm or to room temperature.
Notes
My cookie boxes were a big hit! It was so fun to have so many new and different flavors to try. If you missed any of the wonderful recipes I’ve linked to them below. Wishing you all happy holidays and a sweet new year!
- Molasses Cinnamon Crisps with Cinnamon Chips
- Alice’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Orange Nutella Pinwheel Cookies
- Lime Meltaways
- Cranberry Crumb Bars
- Pecan Squares
- World Peace Cookies
- Cherie’s Snickers Peanut Butter Cookies
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oatmeal White Chocolate and Cranberry Cookies
- Bitterkoekjes – Almond Macaroons
- Orange Cranberry Rugelach
For more delicious 12 weeks of Christmas cookies visit:
April from Abbys Sweets
Denise from Keeper Worthy Recipes
Megan’s from My Baking Adventures
Kim from Stirring the Pot
Nagi@RecipeTinEats
Oh my, these look yummy! I want to try them too.
Annamaria @ Bakewell Junction
Barbara,
These look so delicious. I can’t wait to try them.
Annamaria
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
Merry Christmas mum!! I hope you have a fantastic time and that your days are filled with joy! 😀 xxx
Adri
I love Rugelach, and these sound wonderful I could eat every last one!
Liz
Picture perfect, Barbara! I love this filling combination. Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas!
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc.
looks fabulous Barbara!
Carol
Rugelach is something I’ve never made-boy does it look good. I love cranberry and orange too. I’m still finalizing my Christmas cookie baking-nothing like the last minute huh? If things go well, I might give these a try.
Merry Christmas to you and your family, Barbara and may 2016 be the best year ever!
Hugs,
Carol
kristy
Howdy Barbara ! Your rugelach looks really tempting. I’m going to try making this soon. Love how the crust turns out. I’m sending in an early season greetings. Wishing you & your family a MERRY CHRISTMAS & may it be a blessed one. ((hugs))
Blessings, Kristy
Rosa
A lovely Christmas treat and delightful flavour combination!
Cheers,
Rosa
Valerie
Oh so pretty!!! And they look like they'd taste good too.
Cookin' Canuck
These look and sound wonderful! I still need to dive in and make some.
sanjeet
The cookie boxes look amazing! I love rugelash. Wonderful flavor pairing!
Work from home India
Kat
All your Christmas cookies look wonderful. I love the box idea. I usually do trays, but hard to wrap etc. The Rugelach is on my list to try so thank you for sharing!!