Gluten Free Rugelach
Tradition is beautiful. We officially created a new holiday favorite: gluten free Rugelach to enjoy during our family festivities. Dave eats, sneaks and hoards these delightful morsels. Yes, he does! Our family absolutely loves them. Dave and I hope our Rugelach becomes a part of your family’s holiday tradition, too.
Inspiration
The inspiration for this recipe came from my many years of living in New York. Rugelach is a holiday staple! I realized how much I missed having these delicious cookies available to my family in my new nest. So what is a girl to do? Hunt down an amazing, traditional Jewish recipe and do her best to imitate a classic and make it gluten free. The result surprised all of us. Wow! Special thanks to Melissa Roberts-Matar & Phyllis Roberts who shared their mother’s recipe made famous by her great-grandmother who worked in a small Catskill’s hotel. For the original recipe, click here.

Favorite Fillings
I added three different variations for fillings in the recipe section below; however, please feel free to adapt each recipe to meet your own traditions. Our favorite filling is fig preserves with pistachio nuts and cinnamon. YUM!!! Also, I included pictures of two ways to roll: as a log or as a wheel. Use the method that works best for you.
Share
How did your gluten free Rugelach turn out? Please share your ideas and successes along with a rating in the comment section below. We love hearing from you!
An important note: this recipe successfully uses Flour Farm Organic Gluten Free Flour Blend. Flour Farm may be purchased through our website or through our partners: Amazon.com & Azure Standard. If you choose to make this with another flour blend, please note that your results may differ.
Peace & LOVE – Teri
P.S. Flour Farm gives back. We are committed to bringing healthy food to members of our community. If you are looking for replacement ingredients, please consider supporting Flour Farm and 2nd Harvest by clicking on this Amazon Associate link. We donate 50% of the profit made from Amazon purchases to 2nd Harvest, which is a local organization dedicated to feeding our children, our community and helping those in need. You will be sent directly to Amazon.com; we do not store any of your information. Thank you and share the love.
– Teri & Dave
Photos by DuPree Productions; Recipe updated 7.20 for clarity
Making Gluten Free Rugelach in the Flour Farm Kitchen

Gluten Free Rugelach
- Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 33 cookies 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Our gluten free Rugelach is a delicious, rolled holiday cookie that was adapted from a traditional Jewish recipe. Use one of our filling variations listed below or use your own family favorite.
Ingredients
Choose Gluten Free, Non-GMO & Organic ingredients.
Substitutions: Do you need to swap out an ingredient? Click here for suggestions.
Note: If clicking the 2X or 3X scale boxes to the right, please know that weights listed in parentheses below may or may not change. Please take care to check amounts if increasing the recipe.
Dry
- 240g (8.5 oz) Flour Farm Organic Gluten Free Flour Blend (2 1/4 C spoon & level)
- 1/4 tsp Extra Fine Pink Himalayan Salt (1.5g)
- 1 tsp Xanthan Gum (3.5g)
- 1 T Cane Sugar (14g)
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda (2.5g)
Wet
- 227g (8 oz) Cream Cheese, softened (1 C)
- 227g (8 oz) Salted Butter, softened (1 C) – if using unsalted butter, increase salt to 1/2 tsp (3g)
Filling
- See notes below recipe for ideas or use a family favorite filling
Topping
- Whole Milk, for brushing
- Cinnamon & Sugar Mix (combine 2 T Cane Sugar + 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon)
Instructions
Equipment: Digital Scale (preferred), Rimless Baking Sheets, Unbleached Parchment or Silicone Mat, Measuring Cups and Spoons, Mixing Bowls, Hand Mixer, Cling Wrap, Pastry Brush, Cooling Rack
Before You Dive In – Prep: Please read!
- Bring butter and cream cheese to room temperature
- Move oven rack to center
- Line a baking sheet with unbleached parchment or silicone mat
- Combine cinnamon and sugar mix (2T cane sugar + 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon)
Make rugelach!
Step 1: Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
Step 2: In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer until fluffy – about 1 minute.
Step 3: Slowly add the dry mix to the wet mix while blending on low just until mixed. Turn the mixer off and gather the dough together to make a ball.
Step 4: Divide the dough into four even sections (about 175g or 6 oz each). Its easier to shape each section into either a rectangle or a disk depending on your desired cookie shape. Wrap each section in cling wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes to one hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, 177 C.
Step 5: Work with one section at a time. Roll out each section into your desired shape on greased parchment using cling wrap on the top to prevent the rolling pin from sticking (or use a pie bag.) The dough is very forgiving, so no need to be gentle. Continuously use your hands to maintain the shape of the dough as you first press and then roll out the dough. Roll out to 1/6 or 1/8″ thick. Flip the dough so that the cling wrap is on the bottom and peel the parchment off.
Step 6: Spread a thin layer of filling over the dough from edge to edge. I was a bit conservative the first few times I made these cookies, and I had to cut quite a bit of the ends off for lack of filling.
Step 7: Roll.
a. I found it easiest to roll each piece into one log and then cut the log into individual cookies before baking (if making a rectangle shaped cookie.) To roll, place the rectangle with the longest edge facing you. Lift the edge of the parchment or cling wrap to roll the dough tightly. The dough will give away and not stick to the parchment. Smooth out the ends. Place the roll wrapped in cling wrap on a cookie sheet and refrigerate while you work on the the other pieces.
b. If rolling from a wheel or pie shape, cut dough into 8 or 12 equal pieces depending on your size preference. Roll each individual piece starting from the widest edge and roll towards the center. Place cookies evenly spaced about 1.25″ (2.5cm) apart on a prepared baking sheet and refrigerate while working on the other pieces. Cookies should rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Step 8: Repeat steps 5-7 for each of the other pieces of dough. The last roll of dough should refrigerate at least 30 minutes before cutting into cookies.
Step 9: Remove logs (or cookies) from the refrigerator after resting for at least 30 minutes. Unwrap the first log and cut into 1.25″ or 3cm pieces. You should have about 8-9 cookies. Place cut cookies on the baking sheet evenly spaced about 1 inches (2.5cm) apart. Repeat for the other log rolls.
Step 10: Brush each piece with milk and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mix.
Step 11: Bake in the center of a preheated oven at 350 F/177 C for 30-40 minutes depending on your filling. Also, you will want to reduce your cooking time if spacing the cookies farther apart – so be watchful after about 20-25 minutes. Cookies are done when edges and bottoms appear golden brown. You may need to rotate your baking pan about half way through cooking time if your oven cooks a bit unevenly.
Step 12: Remove from oven and allow to cool on the pan for several minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Store cookies loosely wrapped on the counter for up to 2 days or freeze for up to a month. When reheating, its best to crisp them up in a preheated 300 F/149 C oven for about 5-10 minutes.
Enjoy!
Notes
Each recipe variation below will fill one batch of Rugelach.
Hazelnut & Chocolate Filling: Combine 1/2 C Cane Sugar (100g) + 1 C toasted & finely chopped Hazelnuts (130g) + 1 C Mini Chocolate Chips (200g) + 2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
Fig & Pistachio Filling: Combine 2 C Fig Preserves (472g) + 2 C toasted and finely chopped pistachios (260g) + 1 C chopped dried fruit such as cherries (128g) + 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
Cranberry & Walnut Filling: Combine 2 C Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce (472g) + 1/2 C packed Brown Cane Sugar (100g) + 1 C toasted and finely chopped Walnuts (130g) + 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
The nutrition information provided below is for the recipe as written for the cookie dough only.
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: dessert
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: Jewish
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 110
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 110mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 7g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 20mg
Keywords: gluten free rugelach
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