Pear, Blue Cheese, and Walnut Rugelach
These sweet and savory rugelach make a great cocktail party appetizer! The pastry is infused with a mild and creamy buttermilk blue cheese, and it’s beautifully balanced with a seasonal pear filling and crunchy walnut topping.
Good morning my friends! How was your weekend? Mine was busy and very exciting. I had a great time in Chicago, learning all about Aldi, and then it was off the plane and right into the wedding festivities. It was all just beautiful and I enjoyed every second of it! If you follow me on Instagram then you’ve probably already seen some of the highlights!
So here we are on Monday morning, and as exciting as it is to travel, it always feels so great to get back home and into my normal routine. I was not able to get any baking done over the weekend, but I did whip these little treats up a few weeks back and I’m so happy to be able to share them with you now.
If you aren’t already familiar with rugelach, they are traditionally a sweet cookie, with a cinnamon or fruit filling. The pastry itself is super easy to work with; it’s a silky dough that’s made with cream cheese and it just melts in your mouth. When Stemilt invited me to develop a recipe that pairs fruit and cheese, I just knew that I wanted to use pears and blue cheese. They’re such a classic combo, with the added crunch of walnuts, and rugelach are a perfect vehicle for those incredible flavors. I just swapped out a little of the cream cheese for a mild and creamy blue.
One batch of this recipe will give you 4 dozen cookies, so they’re perfect for feeding a crowd! But if you’d like a smaller batch, feel free to halve the recipe. I’ve tried it myself and it works just great!
As you can see here, you just roll out the dough into a big circle and then spread it with the sweet pear filling. Cut it into wedges and then roll each wedge up crescent-style. Brush with egg, sprinkle with chopped walnuts, and bake! They look fancy but really it’s pretty simple!
These are fantastic when warm from the oven, so if you are able to keep them unbaked in the fridge or freezer until your guests start to arrive, you should definitely give that a try. But they’re still pretty rockin’ at room temp so don’t be afraid to leave them out on a platter as the party goes on!
Hope you enjoy, and if you’re looking for more great ways to pair fruit, cheese, and wine, definitely check out the Pairology tool on Stemilt’s site!
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Pear, Blue Cheese, and Walnut Rugelach
Ingredients
- 4 bartlett pears
- 2 tablespoons (29.57 g) unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons (44.36 g) light brown sugar, (loosely packed)
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, (2 sticks), softened
- 6 ounces (170.1 g) cream cheese,, softened
- 4 ounces (113.4 g) buttermilk blue cheese, (slightly softened)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- egg wash, (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon heavy cream, milk, or water)
- 1 cup (117 g) walnut pieces, finely chopped
Instructions
To Make the Filling:
- Peel and core the pears. Shred with a box grater or food processor.
- Heat a small skillet on medium high heat with the butter.
- Add the pears, brown sugar, and salt and cook until slightly softened.
- Drain off any excess liquid and refrigerate until chilled.
To Make the Dough:
- Cream the butter, cheeses, and honey in a large mixing bowl until smooth.
- Add the flour and salt and mix until combined.
- Divide the dough into 4 equal balls and refrigerate for one hour.
- Roll each ball to a thickness of ⅛ inch, and top with an even layer of pear filling.
- Cut into quarters, and then cut each quarter into thirds.
- Starting at the widest end of each triangle, roll gently towards the point and then shape into a crescent.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes minimum.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Brush the rugelach with egg wash and top with chopped walnuts.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Can be served warm or at room temperature.
This Rugelach is an absolute winner. And the flavors they are gorgeous. I’m really glad you made this great recipe.
Thank you so much! I’m really glad I did too! We enjoyed the heck out of it 😉
Thanks Allies, I tried this recipe, at new year party. Nothing left.
It is an emasing combination
Hooray! I’m so glad you liked it Nada and it sounds like your guests did too. That’s so great to hear! Thank you so much for letting me know 🙂
That’s awesome CakeSpy! I loved rugelach for years but only recently learned how easy they are to make. I always assumed they were a lot of work but they’re really pretty simple! So glad you enjoyed; thanks for stopping by 😀
Allie, these look so tasty! The pear, blue cheese, and walnuts are such an interesting flavor combination!
Thanks Lisa! I just love that combo- it’s such a classic! And so good with a glass of wine 😉 Thanks so much for stopping by and for the sweet comment!
I am not familiar with rugelach but I want to be right away. Love the pairing of blue cheese and pears in it! I could eat a dozen lol
You would love rugelach! Girl you should totally do a coconut version. They’re tdf! Like a little croissant only think creamy instead of flaky.
I’m salivating over these! And love that GIF! Glad you had a great weekend. XO
Thanks Liz! So happy you like it; hope your weekend was lots of fun too! I heard Mixed was amazing!
They look amazing Allie! And I’ve always been a pear fan. Mmm….
Loved seeing all your pictures from the weekend. 🙂
Aw, thanks Melanie! It was a blast… and now I’m ridiculously behind, lol! That’s ok it was worth it! Hope you’re having a great week, my dear!
I want to try this right now!!! Amazing!
Thanks Amanda! We loved them with a glass of red wine but I think they’d be great with champagne too! 😀
This is such a great idea, Allie! I love, love, love rugelach, but have never thought to try making them savory. These sound delicious! Hope you had a wonderful time in Chicago, and maybe next time you are in town we can meet up!
I would love that! My trip was super quick (less than 24 hours!) but now I’m dying to go back and spend more time. You’ll be the first to know if I’m there again!
Wow Allie this looks incredible! At first I thought it was something sweet -like a caramel crumble, but on closer inspection it turned out to be better! Sounds like you had a fun weekend, travelling can make you feel like such a busy body. The stillness of getting back home can be so nice! I bet the wedding festivities were beautiful too.
Oh, just gorgeous! It was a fun weekend and yes, it’s good to be back home. It’s taking me a while to get caught up though! So happy you liked this recipe, Tashiana, thank you so much for the sweet comment!
Yay, so glad you had a great weekend 🙂 It’s always nice travelling and then getting to come home too. This rugelach looks absolutely amazing! I’ve never tried them before but I love the sound of the sweet cream cheese pastry with the pear filling! They sound so delicious and the big batch makes them perfect the holidays or any party! Pinning 🙂
That’s just what I had in mind, Kelly! These are great for a party. So happy you liked, hon! Thanks for pinning. xoxo
Pastry infused with blue cheese sounds like a plan to me. Great recipe!
Thanks Chineka! It’s a bit different but I really liked how it all came together. Especially with wine 😉
This looks wonderful…the flavors compliment each other perfectly! What a great idea…thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much Jodee! I’m so glad you liked the recipe. And thank you for sharing on Google+ too! xoxo
Ahhh…rugelach! I’ve only tried chocolate and strawberry rugelach, but the pair of blue cheese and pear sounds awesome. Can’t wait to make these yummy treats.
Thank you Linda! I made chocolate and pecan last year and they were fabulous. But this version is totally different yet equally delish! So happy you liked, thank you for the sweet comment!
What a jam packed week / weekend – so much fun! This rugelach looks incredible – what a gorgeous recipe to make during the holiday season!
Thank you sweetie! It was jam-packed all right. Whew! It’s good to be back home but now I’m so behind! Trying to take it a step at a time, lol! So happy you liked the recipe Cate! Thanks so much for the sweet comment 🙂
Oooh, this is so beautiful! I love rugelach but have never made it. All the flavors here are making me want to play hooky from work and bake it right this second, though 🙂
Amy you’ve gotta try making rugelach! They are right up your alley. I bet you could come up with some really interesting flavor combinations 😉
I think this is over the top for unique and elegant. What a spectacular appetizer!
Thank you Carol! I really loved the sweet/savoriness of them, and the walnuts added a great crunch. Thank you so much for the great feedback!
Loving this, Allie! It’s such an elegant and tasty treat.
So glad you had an amazing weekend. It sounds like loads of fun!
Oh ya, I had a great time! Back to reality now, lol 😉 So happy you liked the recipe Jen! Thanks for the great feedback- hope you’re having a great week dear!
Love this yummy appetizer. It really would go perfect with a nice glass of wine!! 🙂
That is exactly what I had in mind, Renee! Great minds think alike 😉 So glad you enjoyed sweetie; thanks for the comment!