How to Make Nutella Rugelach: Chocolate Hazelnut Pastries

There is something deeply satisfying about baking rugelach at home. The cream cheese dough yields a buttery, tender, flaky pastry that beats store-bought cookies. Homemade rugelach gives you control over the ingredients and fillings — from classic apricot or raspberry preserves to this decadent Nutella version. A thin layer of Nutella tucked into the rolled wedges creates a gooey, chocolate-hazelnut center that pairs perfectly with the tender pastry.

How to Make

Making Nutella rugelach is straightforward and can be broken into three main tasks: prepare the dough, assemble the filling, and shape and bake the cookies. Follow the steps below to produce bakery-quality rugelach at home.

Make the Dough

The ideal rugelach dough is rich, tender, and flaky. If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a large bowl with a pastry cutter or a stand mixer. Work quickly to keep the butter and cream cheese cold for the best texture.

Ingredients

• Flour and powdered sugar. Powdered sugar blends more smoothly with the flour and helps create a delicate crumb and tender texture.
• Unsalted butter and cream cheese (not reduced fat), very cold and cut into 1/4-inch pieces. Cold butter and cream cheese create flaky layers and make the dough easy to roll.
• Egg yolk and turbinado sugar for the egg wash and sprinkling — the yolk gives a deep golden finish and the turbinado adds a pleasant crunch.

Instructions

1. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, powdered sugar, and half of the butter until the butter is reduced to pea-sized pieces and the mixture looks sandy.
2. Add the remaining cold butter and the cold cream cheese. Pulse until the mixture is crumbly but moist and holds together when pressed.
3. Turn the mixture out onto a clean surface and press it into a dough. Divide the dough into three equal portions.
4. Shape each portion into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least one hour to firm up before rolling.

A Few Words About the Filling

Nutella alone is delicious, but you can enhance the filling with a few simple additions:

• Chopped toasted hazelnuts for crunch
• A light sprinkle of cinnamon for warmth
• Mini chocolate chips for extra chocolate intensity

Can I use another filling? Yes — fruit preserves, cinnamon-sugar, tahini, or other nut butters all work well. Thinner fillings like raspberry jam can run slightly during baking, which is traditional for some rugelach styles, so handle those carefully when rolling.

Shape and Bake

Rolling and Filling

1. Roll one chilled dough disk on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch circle. If the dough becomes sticky, chill it briefly and dust the surface and rolling pin with flour as you work.
2. Spread a thin layer of Nutella (about 3–4 tablespoons per circle) using a small offset spatula. Avoid overfilling, which can cause leaks during baking. If desired, sprinkle ground hazelnuts or mini chocolate chips over the Nutella.
3. Optionally add a pinch of cinnamon or finely chopped toasted hazelnuts for texture and flavor.

Shaping

1. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, slice the circle into 12–16 equal wedges, like a pizza.
2. Beginning at the wide end, roll each wedge tightly toward the tip to form a crescent.
3. Place the crescents on a large rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper, seam-side down.
4. Brush each cookie with beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with turbinado sugar for a glossy, crunchy finish.

Baking

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Use a rimmed baking sheet to catch any butter that may melt and ooze during baking. Bake the rugelach for 15–17 minutes, until they are puffed and deep golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool and set before serving.

Yields, Storing, Freezing and Making Ahead

This recipe yields about 36–48 small to medium cookies depending on how many wedges you cut from each disk. You can halve the dough recipe if you prefer a smaller batch.

Store baked cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to five days, or refrigerate for up to ten days. To refresh, warm in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 5–7 minutes until just warm.

Making ahead and freezing

The dough can be prepared up to five days in advance and kept refrigerated. Shaped, unbaked rugelach freeze well for up to three months — arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet, freeze until firm, then transfer to a sealed container or freezer bag with parchment between layers. Bake from frozen and add about 5 extra minutes to the baking time, but watch the cookies rather than relying solely on the clock.

To freeze baked cookies, cool completely, place in a freezer bag, and freeze for up to three months. Thaw at room temperature before reheating if desired.

Nutella Rugelach Recipe

Tender, flaky Nutella rugelach made with a cream cheese dough and a rich chocolate-hazelnut filling.