Around these parts, rugelach is known as the king of Jewish pastries.

Probably because we sell more of them than other Jewish pastry made in the kitchens of Zingerman’s Bakehouse. The name is Yiddish and comes from the root word meaning “twist,” a reference to what some varieties look like. They come from Eastern Europe and some say they’re the cousins to croissants (sharing a common Viennese pastry relative). Most Jewish pastries are closely connected to certain holidays, and rugelach is somewhat tied to Hanukkah, but they’re also eaten all year long.

The pastry chefs begin with a cream cheese pastry dough rolled out flat.

They dress the dough with cinnamon and sugar than spread on the sweet filling. They roll up the pastry, cut them into bite size pieces then bake the cookies until their golden brown, crispy and flaky.

The classic flavor is made with currants and toasted walnuts. The toasting of the walnuts brings out the nutty sweetness of the nuts (a step most commercial kitchens skip because it takes time and time is money). The apricot is made with Italian apricot preserves and are just a touch sweeter than the classic flavor.