An old-world recipe for Polish Rogaliki cookies, also known as rugelach. These raspberry pistachio rogaliki cookies are my favorite! They’re made with a soft and buttery yeast dough, filled with ground pistachios and raspberry jam, then baked until golden. Enjoy these Polish cookies warm with a cup of coffee or tea

Ingredients for Rogaliki Cookie Recipe

Here are my tips for the main ingredients you’ll need to make these delicious Polish cookies. Find the full list of ingredients in the printable recipe card below.

• All-Purpose Flour – regular flour works best for the soft and buttery yeast dough.
• Unsalted Butter – I recommend always using unsalted butter for baking recipes. This gives you more control over the amount of salt in the recipe.
• Eggs – have the eggs at room temperature for the best results.
• Dry Active Yeast – instant or fast-rise yeast will also work well.
• Whole Milk – heat the milk to between 120°F ad 130°F. Too hot and it will kill the yeast; too cold and the yeast will not activate properly.
• Raspberry Preserves – use preserves that are on the thicker side.
• Pistachios – I love to use salted, roasted pistachios for this recipe. The light hint of saltiness pairs nicely with the sweet raspberry filling.

Making the Yeast Cookie Dough

These raspberry pistachio rogaliki cookies are made with a soft and buttery yeast dough. It’s super easy to make, too!

1. Heat the milk in the microwave or on the stovetop to between 120°F and 130°F. Pour the warm milk into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle in about a tablespoon of sugar and the dry active yeast.
2. Allow the yeast to stand for about 5 minutes, until it’s foamy. Next, add in the eggs and egg yolk; sour cream; melted and cooled butter; the remaining sugar; salt; and vanilla extract. Whisk everything together for a minute, until the eggs are well beaten.
3. Next, begin adding the flour. Add approximately ½ cup at a time, whisking well after each addition. Once the batter starts to thicken, switch to a spatula.
4. Once a dough ball forms, flour your work surface and turn out the dough. Continue adding the rest of the flour and knead the dough until it’s smooth and elastic, about 5 to 7 minutes.
5. Place the dough back into the mixing bowl, cover with a towel, and set it into a warm corner of the kitchen to proof. Proof the dough for about 1 to 1 ½ hours, or until doubled in size.

Making the Pistachio Filling

Polish rogaliki cookies can be made with a variety of fillings. I love this version with ground pistachios and raspberry jam!

1. For the pistachio filling, place the pistachios into a food processor or blender and add the sugar. Pulse the nuts for a few minutes, until the oils from the nuts start to come out. This will cause the sugar and ground pistachios to form small clumps.
2. Pulse just enough to finely grind the nuts but stop short of creating pistachio butter.

How to Shape Rogaliki Cookies

These cookies are so much fun to make! I used to make them with my mom all the time growing up for all the special occasions and holidays!

1. Once the dough has proofed, gently punch it down and transfer onto your work surface. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and gently shape each quarter into a ball. Roll each dough ball out into a 10 to 12-inch circle.
2. In a small ramekin, whisk together 2 eggs with a tablespoon of water to make the egg wash. Use a pastry brush to apply the egg wash over the dough, leaving a 1 ½-inch border around the edges.
3. Spread a quarter of the ground pistachios over the egg wash; the egg wash will help keep the nuts in place.
4. Use a pizza cutter or a sharp knife to slice and divide the circle into 12 equal wedges.
5. Drop a teaspoon of raspberry preserves at the outer edge of each wedge, right above the pistachio filling.
6. To shape the cookies, gently fold the dough over the raspberry preserves and press on both sides, sealing the raspberry preserves inside. Next, gently roll the cookie into a croissant shape.
7. Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicon, with the tail end of the dough tucked underneath. If the tip is not tucked underneath, the cookies will unroll when baked. Space the cookies about 1 to 1 ½-inches apart.

Proofing & Baking Instructions for Rugelach

Use the remaining egg wash and brush it over the shaped cookies. If you have any ground pistachios leftover, sprinkle those over the top.

The cookies need to proof for about 30 to 45 minutes, until they’re fluffy. Meanwhile, begin preheating the oven to 350°F.

Bake the proofed cookies in a preheated oven at 350°F for about 18 minutes, until they’re golden-brown and fluffy. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe Variations for Rogaliki

You can find Polish rogaliki cookies, or rugelach, with a variety of different fillings. Here are few variations of the recipe you’ll love!

• Apricot Jam with Powdered Sugar – skip the pistachio filling and use apricot jam instead of raspberry preserves. Do not apply the egg wash! After baking, drop the warm cookies into a large mixing bowl of powdered sugar and toss to coat. Gently lift them out of the sugar and onto a wire rack to cool.
• Chocolate Chips or Nutella (hazelnut spread)
• Apple Preserves
• Cherry Preserves
• Apricot preserves with chopped pecans
• Blueberry Preserves with chopped almonds

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