Raspberry White Chocolate Rugelach Bites

My Raspberry White Chocolate Rugelach Bites are loaded with raspberries, white chocolate, coconut, and pecans. Rugelach is a buttery, flaky pastry made with a cream cheese dough and filled with sweet fillings. I’ve changed up the traditional crescent shape to a fun cup shape so you can load it up with extra fillings. 

Driscoll’s Berries sent me Dorie Greenspan’s fabulous new cookbook, Baking Chez Moi: Recipes from My Paris Home to Your Home Anywhere, and challenged me to add a raspberry spin to Dorie’s rugelach recipe.

What nationality is rugelach?

Rugelach is a Jewish pastry often associated with Hanukkah. My non-Jewish family enjoys it any time of year, but especially at Christmas time.

What does rugelach taste like?

Rugelach is a crisp, flaky pastry filled with sweet and crunchy fillings. It’s small and easy to eat similar to a cookie.

Traditionally, rugelach dough is rolled into a circle; sprinkled with sugar, spices, and nuts; cut into triangles and rolled up like crescent rolls.

I decided it would be fun to create a cup instead, so you can load up the cups with even more luscious fillings. (For a traditionally shaped rugelach see my Orange Cranberry Rugelach.)  

Making Rugelach Dough

Rugleach dough is made with butter and cream cheese. Cut the butter and cream cheese into the flour to create a flaky crust. 

How To Cut In Butter

Cutting butter into flour is easy, just use a pastry blender or two forks if you don’t have a pastry blender. You’re just breaking the butter into small pea pieces and combining it with the flour.  

High heat explodes the pea-sized pieces of butter. The explosions create steam which gives your pastry flaky layers. If your oven isn’t hot enough or your butter isn’t cut into the pastry, the fat just softens and melts—no explosion, no steam, no flaky crust. 

If you prefer, you can also grate the butter instead of using a pastry blender. 

Shaping Rugelach Dough 

To make the cups, roll the chilled dough into a rectangle, then cut the rectangle into squares. You’ll need to roll each square just a little bit bigger, then fit each square into a mini muffin cup by pleating the sides. You could roll the rectangle bigger, but the dough is easier to handle if the dough isn’t rolled out as thinly.

After you’ve created the cups, loaded them up with white chocolate chips, coconut, raspberries, and chopped pecans in that order. The fresh, juicy raspberries are wonderful paired with the buttery, flaky crust, sweet coconut, creamy white chocolate, and crunchy pecans.

Can you freeze rugelach?

Yes, you can freeze rugelach. Freeze baked rugelach in Ziploc freezer bags for up to 2 months. 

Raspberry White Chocolate Rugelach Bites are a perfect addition to any holiday party. Whenever I take them to parties, they’re a big hit. I hope you’ll give this easy to make version a try. 

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Yield: 24 bites

Raspberry White Chocolate Rugelach Bites

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 ounces cold cream cheese
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 package (6 ounce) Driscoll's Raspberries
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
• powdered sugar, optional

Instructions

1. Let the cream cheese and butter rest on the counter for 10 minutes — you want them to be slightly softened but still cool.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and salt, cut butter and cream cheese into flour with a pastry blender or two knives until crumbly.
3. Shape into a square, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 1 day.
4. Preheat oven to 375°. Spray a 24 cup miniature muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
5. Working on a lightly floured surface, flour the top of the dough and roll it into a 12-inch x 8-inch rectangle. Cut in to 24 2-inch squares–6 rows by 4 rows. Roll each piece a little bit bigger, about 2.5 inches. Place each square in a muffin cup. (You will have to pleat it a little bit to get it to fit.)
6. Divide the white chocolate chips and coconut between the cups. Add two or three raspberries to each cup and sprinkle with the pecans.
7. Bake for 15 minutes until the bites are golden brown. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before serving. Sprinkle with powdered sugar right before serving if desired.

Notes

Wash your raspberries and set them on paper towels to dry completely before baking.

Recommended Products

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  OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Bladed Dough Blender and Cutter
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  OXO Good Grips Silicone Pastry Mat,Tan,One Size
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  Wilton Perfect Results Premium Non-Stick Mini Muffin and Cupcake Pan, 24-Cup

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