Delicious, Cream Cheese, Low Carb Rugalach
Every family has their own special Christmas cookie traditions. Of course, there are cookies that everyone loves like gingerbread men and sugar cookies. But then there are those more unique cookies that come out once a year and just remind you of the holidays. For me, rugalach is definitely one of those special cookies.
If you have never had rugalach, you are in for quite the treat. Rugalach is a small cookie that is made with cream cheese dough. The soft dough is rolled into a small circle, covered with a filling of poppy seeds, chocolate, nuts, or jam, and then cut into triangles (like you would cut a pizza). The triangles are rolled up from the fat side to the skinny tip, making what looks like a baby crescent roll. The cookies are baked to golden perfection and then enjoyed right away.
Chocolate rugalach reminds me of baking with my grandma every December. We would make the soft dough for the rugelach and then drink hot cocoa while we waited for it to cool. She always rolled out the dough and then would let me spread the filling across the circle, reminding me that it was okay to lick the spoon only after we were done spreading the filling. We would both roll the cute little triangles up, making bite-sized cookies that would just melt in your mouth. Yes, rugalach will always have a special place in my heart.
To keep this memory going, I had to craft a keto rugalach recipe that would taste just as good as my grandma's but still let me stick to my low-carb lifestyle. It took a few tries (and definitely a few fails!), but I finally got the recipe right. The soft, cream cheese dough tastes just like the one I would make in my grandma's kitchen, and the chocolate, pecan filling is truly irresistible.
The recipe for low carb rugalach and regular rugelach are made pretty much the same. When making a keto version of these Christmasy cookies, I opted to use a mix of coconut flour and almond flour. The coconut flour makes the cookies a little more firm and chewy while the almond flour gives them an even more nutty flavor. Xanthan gum is a must as the dough is quite soft. You need a binder to keep it all together. Xanthan gum will do the trick! You also need to make sure to chill the dough after mixing it to make it easier to roll. Do like my grandma and me and have a cup of keto cocoa while you wait!
I made my keto rugelach with a chocolate filling just because it is my family tradition. You can use a low carb raspberry jam or even just a cinnamon and erythritol mix instead. Rugalach is very versatile and you make all sorts of flavors. Just another reason to put it on your Christmas baking list!
After you bake these cute, little wintery cookies, I hope they become a holiday tradition with your family as well. Keto baking is simply the best! You get to enjoy the cookies that you have loved all your life while sticking to your adult diet plans. One bite of these keto chocolate cookies and I feel like I am right there with my grandma again. Those wonderful memories are what the holidays are all about! Enjoy.
| Servings: cookies |
- 6 ounces Lily's dark chocolate chips (finely chopped)
- 1/4 cup So Nourished granular erythritol
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- Place all of the ingredients for the cookie dough in a food processor and pulse together to make a soft, smooth dough.
- Divide the dough into two balls, wrap in plastic wrap, pat into a flat disc and place in the fridge to chill for at least an hour or longer.
- Make the filling stirring together all the ingredients.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare a sheet tray with parchment paper.
- Remove the cookie dough from the fridge. Roll each ball of dough into a 12 inch circle.
- Sprinkle the filling over each dough circle, covering them completely.
- Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 12 triangle pieces (just like a pizza!).
- Starting at the thick end, roll each triangle up enclosing the filling. Place the rolled triangle on the prepared sheet tray, tucking the point of the triangle under the cookie.
- Once all of the cookies are rolled, bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown on the outside.
- Let the rugelach cool and then enjoy!
NUTRITIONAL DISCLAIMER
The content on this website should not be taken as medical advice and you should ALWAYS consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. We provide nutritional data for our recipes as a courtesy to our readers. We use Total Keto Diet app software to calculate the nutrition and we remove fiber and sugar alcohols, like erythritol, from the total carbohydrate count to get to the net carb count, as they do not affect your blood glucose levels. You should independently calculate nutritional information on your own and not rely on our data. The website or content herein is not intended to cure, prevent, diagnose or treat any disease. This website shall not be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or recommendations on the Website or actions you take as a result. Any action you take is strictly at your own risk.
Dr. Rosmy Barrios, MD is an aesthetic medicine specialist whose work focuses on patients who are treated for obesity, metabolic syndrome, and other weight-related issues through nutritional analysis, keto diet programs, and supporting medications.
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