Ever had rugelach?  If so, you know the wonderfulness that is a rugelach!  If not, you’re in for a treat.  Rugelach is a crescent style rolled cookie made from a cream cheese dough and most commonly filled with apricot jam, raisins, nuts, cinnamon, and sugar.

A few things came together to make this pumpkin rugelach happen…I wanted to make a special treat for morning coffee, I already had pumpkin on hand, and bakery rugelach is high! About a $1.25 per
1 1/2 inch piece high! Being a 3 piece rugelach kind of person, not to mention 2 other people who are 3 piece kind of people…9 pieces would cost about $11.25 pre-tax for a morning baked good.  Okay, enough math…

This stuff is good! When viewing the recipe, remember that I’m southern, which means that I’m long winded.  My recipe might seem long but, I promise, it’s just comprised of a few easy steps.

Also, because I’d never seen or had pumpkin rugelach and it came out so well, I later searched it and found this delightful blog, WhitsAmuseBouche.

After rolling out dough, spread with cooked pumpkin filling.

Sprinkle with nuts and cinnamon-sugar before cutting into wedges and rolling into crescents.

When ready to bake, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.

Told you…Fabulous with coffee!

Pumpkin Rugelach
makes about 24

Dough:
4oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour


Pumpkin Filling:
1/2 cup pumpkin puree, canned is just fine
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk(egg wash)
2 tablespoons raw sugar

Make the the dough by combining cream cheese and butter in a bowl until well blended.  Stir in vanilla.  Add salt and flour to create a soft dough.   Remove dough from bowl and wrap with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate until ready to use, at least 1 hour.

In a saucepan on medium heat, combine pumpkin, 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and stir occasionally until mixture begins to bubble.  Reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, until mixture thickens and any water has evaporated.  Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and allow to cool completely before using.  In a small bowl, combine 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoons brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and set aside until ready to use

Place half of dough on a floured surface and roll out into a 9-inch round.  Spoon half of pumpkin mixture onto center of dough. Use an offset spatula or back of a spoon to spread mixture out evenly toward edge.  Sprinkle with half of the chopped walnuts and sugar-cinnamon mixture.  Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut the round into 4 wedges, then cut each wedge into 3 wedges to create a total of 12 wedges.  Starting from wide end, roll each wedge into a crescent.  Place “point down” on lightly floured tray.   Repeat process with remaining dough and ingredients.  Refrigerate rugelach for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Transfer rugelach to a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet.  Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake for 5 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for an additional 20 minutes, turning halfway though.  Allow to rest for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack for further cooling.