Contains Dairy • Contains Eggs • Contains Gluten
Rogaliki are the crescent-shaped cookies that Russian and Polish Jewish grandmothers shaped by the dozens. Each tiny crescent — no bigger than your thumb — wraps a tender cream cheese dough around a sweet filling of jam, walnuts, or poppy seeds. They are the kind of cookie that disappears from the plate before you realize you have eaten six.
The name comes from the Slavic word for “little horns,” describing their curved crescent shape. In Jewish communities from Moscow to Minsk, from Odessa to Warsaw, rogaliki appeared at every simcha, every kiddush, every tea-time gathering. They are cousins of rugelach, sharing the same cream cheese dough tradition, but shaped differently and often filled with fruit preserves.
The magic of rogaliki is in the cream cheese dough. It bakes into something impossibly flaky — almost like a miniature croissant — while remaining tender and rich. The contrast between the crispy, golden exterior and the sweet, jammy interior is what keeps you reaching for one more.
What Makes This Special
- Cream cheese dough — buttery, flaky, and tender, with tang from the cream cheese.
- Multiple filling options — apricot jam, raspberry preserves, walnut-cinnamon, or poppy seed.
- Miniature size — perfect two-bite cookies, elegant for entertaining.
- Make-ahead friendly — dough refrigerates beautifully and cookies freeze perfectly.
Kosher Observance & Halachic Notes
Kosher Classification: Dairy
Contains cream cheese and butter. Serve only with dairy or pareve meals.
Hafrashat Challah
This recipe uses approximately 250 g of flour, which is below the minimum shiur for hafrashat challah. No separation is required. If you combine multiple batches that together exceed 1,200 g of flour, separation would then apply.
Checking Eggs for Blood Spots
Each egg should be cracked individually into a clear glass and inspected before adding to the dough. If a blood spot is found, discard that egg entirely.
Pas Yisroel
When a Jewish person lights the oven or contributes to the baking, this fulfills Pas Yisroel requirements, preferred or required by many communities.
Brachot (Blessings)
- Before eating: Mezonot
- After eating: Al HaMichya
Ingredients
Dough
| Ingredient | Grams | Volume | Baker’s % |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 250 g | 1⅞ cups | 100% |
| Unsalted butter, cold, cubed | 115 g | 8 Tbsp (1 stick) | 46% |
| Cream cheese, cold | 115 g | 4 oz | 46% |
| Granulated sugar | 25 g | 2 Tbsp | 10% |
| Fine sea salt | 3 g | ½ tsp | 1.2% |
| Vanilla extract | 5 g | 1 tsp | 2% |
| Total Dough Weight | ~513 g | — | — |
Filling Options (choose one or mix)
- Jam filling: 200 g apricot or raspberry preserves
- Walnut filling: 100 g finely chopped walnuts + 50 g sugar + 1 tsp cinnamon
- Poppy seed filling: 150 g prepared poppy seed filling (mohn)
Topping
- 1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp water (egg wash)
- Granulated sugar or cinnamon sugar for rolling
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the Dough
Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add cold butter cubes and pulse until pea-sized pieces form. Add cream cheese in chunks and vanilla. Pulse until the dough just comes together — do not over-process. Turn out, divide in half, flatten each into a disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour (up to 3 days).
Step 2: Roll and Cut
On a surface generously sprinkled with granulated sugar (not flour), roll one disc into a circle about 30 cm (12 inches) in diameter and 3 mm thick. Cut into 24 wedges (like a pizza).
Step 3: Fill and Shape
Place a small spoonful of filling at the wide end of each wedge. Roll from the wide end toward the point, then curve the ends inward to form a crescent. Place point-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with second disc.
Step 4: Chill
Refrigerate shaped rogaliki for 20 minutes. This firms the butter and ensures flaky layers.
Step 5: Bake
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Brush with egg wash. Bake 18–22 minutes until golden brown and the sugar coating is caramelized. Cool on the pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Storage & Make-Ahead
- Room temperature: 5 days in an airtight container.
- Freezing (baked): Up to 3 months. They taste nearly as good from frozen.
- Freezing (unbaked): Freeze shaped rogaliki on a sheet, transfer to bags. Bake from frozen, adding 3–4 minutes.
- Dough: Refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Dough is too soft to work with | Room too warm or not chilled enough | Refrigerate until firm. Work quickly. Return to fridge if it softens. |
| Filling leaks out | Too much filling or not sealed | Use just 1 tsp per crescent. Roll tightly and press the point to seal. |
| Cookies are dense, not flaky | Dough over-worked | Pulse only until it just comes together. Do not knead. |
| Uneven browning | Cookies too close or oven hot spots | Space 3 cm apart. Rotate pan halfway through baking. |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between rogaliki and rugelach?
They use nearly identical cream cheese dough, but rogaliki are cut as wedges from a circle and rolled into crescents, while rugelach are typically cut from rectangles. Rogaliki tend to be smaller and more uniform. Both are delicious.
Can I make these pareve?
Substitute margarine for butter and pareve cream cheese for regular. The texture will be slightly less rich but still very good.
What jam works best?
Thick, seedless preserves work best — they will not make the dough soggy. Apricot is the classic Eastern European choice. Raspberry, strawberry, and plum also work beautifully. Avoid thin, runny jams.
Can I use this dough for rugelach instead?
Absolutely. It is essentially the same dough. Roll into rectangles instead of circles, spread filling, roll into logs, and slice into pieces.
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