Healthy White Chocolate Apricot Rugelach Recipe

I am going to share this healthy white chocolate apricot rugelach recipe with you, and it will blow your mind. I remember the first time I made these, and I knew that they would be the perfect fit for any occasion. The main thing I have come to appreciate about apricots is their rich nutritious benefits. Below are the health benefits of apricot.

Are you looking for an easy-to-make treat that is sure to wow your guests? This Vegan Rugelach Recipe fits the bill perfectly. I make these every year at the holidays, and they are always a hit! This healthy rugelach recipe is great for breakfast or can be a quick snack at any time. 

Healthy White Chocolate Apricot Rugelach Recipe

I must tell you, these are one of my favorite cookies ever! They are perfect for breakfast with coffee as well as an after dinner treat.  You can choose your favorite flavor of jam, you do not have to use apricot, I’ve tried these with raspberry jam, or strawberry jam and they are all delicious. I’ve also made them with nutella, and boy are they good!! These rugelach (cornulete cu gem) are simple perfection. They are easy to make and beyond delicious. When you bite into these, it’s an explosion of flavors in your mouth. Although you don’t see the pecans in the pictures I did sprinkle some to give them a bit of crunch, but it’s optional.

Growing up my mother used to make these rugelach cookies for every holiday or whenever we wanted something sweet. It was the go to cookie for us. It’s loved by all family members. These rugelach cookies are so flaky, not too sweet because there’s no sugar in the dough, but sweet enough from the jelly and the white chocolate, they simply melt in your mouth.

Healthy Rugelach Recipe

• Total: 1 hr 55 min

• Prep: 10 min
• Inactive: 1 hr 30 min
• Cook: 15 min

• Yield: 4 dozen cookies
• Nutrition Info

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2-pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 9 tablespoons
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup raisins
• 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup apricot preserves, pureed in a food processor
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk, for egg wash

Directions

1. Add the cheese and butter to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until light. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the salt, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour and mix until just combined. Dump the dough out onto a well-floured board and roll it into a ball. Cut the ball in quarters, wrap each piece in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. To make the filling, combine 6 tablespoons of granulated sugar, the brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, the raisins, and walnuts.
3. On a well-floured board, roll each ball of dough into a 9-inch circle. Spread the dough with 2 tablespoons apricot preserves and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the filling. Press the filling lightly into the dough. Cut the circles into 12 equal wedges-cutting the whole circle in quarters, then each quarter into thirds. Starting with the wide edge, roll up each wedge. Arrange the cookies, points tucked under, on a baking sheet(s) lined with parchment paper. Chill for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
5. Brush each cookie with the egg wash. Combine 3 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle on the cookies. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven to a wire rack and let cool. Arrang

Vegan Rugelach Recipe

With just 6 ingredients, this easy vegan rugelach recipe is a classic holiday favorite.

Delicious flaky pastry crust is rolled around a sweet cinnamon filling then baked until the vegan rugelach are buttery and golden. It’s everything you could possibly wish for in a vegan holiday cookie recipe.

I like to make a double batch, because these babies go quickly.

What is rugelach?

Pronounced ruhg-uh-luhkh, they are small pastries in the shape of crescents.

Rugelach are traditionally filled with ingredients such as cinnamon, walnuts, brown sugar, poppy seeds, apricot jam or other fruit preserves.

The dough is rolled out into a circle and sprinkled with filling ingredients before being cut into thin triangles and rolled up into a horn or croissant shape.

Origins of the cookie can be traced back to the Jewish communities of Poland, and they are also a popular recipe for Hanukkah.

As a child, I grew up knowing them as a Christmas cookie my Polish grandmother would bake for us every year. So rugelach will always remind me of her.

While some versions call for sour cream and eggs or yeast, my grandmother made her classic rugelach with cream cheese and butter.

After going vegan, I adapted her recipe to make a dairy free cookie, and you honestly cannot tell the difference at all!

What do you fill them with?

Cinnamon Sugar Filling: Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of sweetener (brown, white, coconut, or granulated erythritol all work), 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and an optional handful of very finely crushed pecans or walnuts onto the rolled-out dough.

Fruit Filling: Instead of the cinnamon filling, spread 1/4 cup apricot jam on top of the rolled-out dough, and sprinkle on a handful of nuts if desired. Or use other flavors of jelly, such as raspberry, grape, or strawberry.

Chocolate Rugelach: Spread melted chocolate chips or 1/4 cup of your favorite chocolate spread or this Nutella recipe onto the dough. This one isn’t exactly traditional… it’s the Chocolate Covered Katie version!

Savory Rugelach: As a fun twist (no pun intended), try serving these pastries as an appetizer instead of dessert. Fill them with savory ingredients like homemade pesto, grated vegan cheddar cheese or mozzarella, finely chopped sundried tomatoes, minced garlic and herbs, onion jam, spinach and vegan feta, etc.

Other Filling Options: add peanut butter and jelly, apple butter or pumpkin pie spice, chopped raisins, fig spread or date paste, marzipan and crushed almonds, or whatever else your heart desires to your dairy free rugelach.

Vegan rugelach ingredients

The recipe calls for just five or six basic ingredients. My vegan version is similar to traditional cream cheese rugelach, just substituting plant based options for the usual cream cheese and butter.

Especially with dairy free brands, taste and texture can vary greatly depending on the brand. I’ve had good results with Miyokos, Earth Balance, Tofutti cream cheese, Country Crock, and Melt butter sticks.

Most vegan butter options are salted, so you might want to add a pinch of salt to the dough if using unsalted vegan butter.

I’ve tried the recipe successfully with spelt or all purpose flour, as well as Bob’s all purpose gluten free flours. While other flours might work, I can’t recommend them because I haven’t tried.

Easy pie dough option

As an alternative to the cookie dough below, you can use the dough of a 9-inch pie crust for the base instead of the flour, cream cheese, and butter.

This quick rugelach with pie crust also lets you skip the stand mixer and rolling out the dough. The resulting pastries are a bit crispier than the softer cream cheese version.

How to make vegan rugelach

If you have an electric stand mixer or a hand mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese together until smooth (about 2-3 minutes).

Or if you don’t have a mixer, the dough can technically be combined in a mixing bowl using a lot of arm strength, patience, and a pastry cutter or a fork. Another option is to use the pie dough base above, which does not require a mixer.

Blend in the flour to achieve a cookie dough texture, then place the dough in plastic wrap or a large bag. Form it into a ball.

If time permits, refrigerate the dough for a few hours or overnight to chill. This will yield a softer cookie. Or freeze the dough to defrost and use at a later date.

Baking the cookies

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the ball into two smaller balls, and return one of them to the fridge.

Roll the second ball out on a floured surface until it turns into a 9-inch circle. Mix together your fillings of choice.

Sprinkle or spread the filling ingredients evenly over the circle, going all the way to the edges. Press gently to adhere any loose fillings (finely crushed nuts or chopped dried fruit, sugar, etc.) into the dough.

Use a knife or pizza cutter to slice the circle into each of 16 equal pie shaped pieces. Going from the wider outside edge, roll each slice up tightly. Place the filled crescents on the prepared baking sheet.

I like to brush each cookie with a little nondairy milk. This acts like a vegan egg wash and gives the finished cookies more of a shiny appearance. This is not required and the cookies will still taste just as good without it.

Bake on the oven’s center rack for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden. Time can vary based on how gooey specific fillings are or specific brands of ingredients.

Let the rugelach cool, then cover in powdered sugar if desired, or drizzle some melted chocolate over top.

Once cool, store leftovers in an airtight container or refrigerate. The cookies can also be frozen for a month or two.

Health Benefits of Apricots

1. Good Source of Vitamin A

Apricots are packed with Vitamin A, which is also known as retinol. It’s fat soluble, and helps in the enhancement of vision, among other things. And it keeps the immune system in check, protecting your skin in the process. Retinol and Beta Carotene (also present in apricots) also reduces the chances of you developing a serious eye-related disorder called Neovascular ARMD – an age-related macular degeneration that causes loss of vision over the years.

2. Rich in Fiber

Whether you eat it dried, or fresh, apricots are a good source of dietary fiber. Given that the retinol in apricot is fat soluble, the fruit dissolves in the body easily, and the important nutrients are easily absorbed by the system. And it breaks down fatty acids fast, which means your digestion is in order. And not only that, the fruit protects you from gastrointestinal concerns by cleaning out the intestines regularly.

3. Good for Your Heart

Given that the fruit is high on fiber content, it helps to reduce the bad cholesterol content in the body, and that means your heart is protected. And at the same time, it increases the good cholesterol. Plus the potassium content in the fruit balances the electrolyte levels in our system, keeping our heart muscles in order. All you have to do is eat one or two fresh apricots every day, or a handful of dried ones.

4. Treasure Chest of Antioxidants

Ripe apricots are natural sources of antioxidants. When consumed daily, it helps the body to get rid of toxins that we tend to collect over time. Antioxidants in turn also kill free radicals that damage our cells.

5. Good for Your Blood

Any plant produce that contains iron has non-heme iron, and that includes apricot. This type of iron takes its time to be absorbed by the body, and the longer it stays in the system, the better your chances in preventing anemia. It’s recommended that you take some vitamin C along with it to ensure better absorption of the non-heme iron.
 

^{The fruit with a seeded centre.}

6. Good for the Skin

The combination of Vitamin C, A, and phytonutrients ensures good skin. And did you know that the antioxidants in the apricot also slow the ageing process? So apart from a good skin care regime, don’t forget to eat some apricots every day.