rugelach

noun

rug·​e·​lach ˈrü-gə-ləḵ 

variants or less commonly rugalach

plural rugelach

: a pastry made with cream-cheese dough that is rolled around a filling (such as nuts, jam, or chocolate) and baked

Examples of rugelach in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There were explainers on challah braiding, Eastern European pickling, and how-tos on hand-rolling couscous and rugelach. —Brad Japhe, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025

Christmas-y gingerbread sticks to the countertop, and the rugelach — a sweet Jewish holiday treat — accidentally goes into the oven without the cinnamon sugar topping. —Chloe Veltman, NPR, 23 Dec. 2024

And don’t forget to save room for Katz’s chocolate rugelach at dessert. —Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Dec. 2024

These ten titles are bursting with tasty food, from rugelach to pho, as well as amusing and captivating storytelling on everything from the history of refrigeration to Julia Child’s kitchen, transporting readers from Cambodia to Bethlehem to McDonald’s franchise locations around the globe. —Devorah Lev-Tov, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Yiddish rugelekh, rogelekh, plural of rugele, rogele, diminutive of rog corner, of Slavic origin; akin to Polish róg horn, corner

First Known Use

1941, in the meaning defined above