You see rugelach just about everywhere in NYC, piled high in bagel shop windows, packaged on supermarket counters, and, the best kind, made daily in the city’s cool bakeries and slick Jewish delis. How had I never met this scrumptious bite-sized sweet before? I was hooked.
Rugelach, I’ve since learned, is an American adaptation of another Jewish favourite, kipfel. One is made from sour cream pastry and is cookie-like; the other is a pastry made from yeasted dough, and you can savour both delicious incarnations. Highlights include The City Bakery’s crumbly rolls spilling over with honey walnuts, Russ & Daughters’ jammy rounds with raspberry, cinnamon and sunflower seeds, and the legendary chocolate rugelach at Breads Bakery, made with soft babka dough and shaped like mini croissants.
These rugelach are made with flaky cream cheese pastry that’s laminated with Nutella, another New York obsession. The result is even more layers of chocolate (yes!) and a beautiful striped look. And they’re so moreish.