It’s safe to say that it’s very popular to love both Rugelach and ice cream. So the idea of bringing them together just in time for the holidays is rather inspired and intriguing. And now it has happened!
Rugelach is a very traditional pastry with Jewish roots and is often filled with ingredients such as chocolate, cinnamon, jam or nuts. The new Van Leeuwen’s Rugelach ice cream flavor, made from Breads Bakery Rugelach, will be available at select Van Leeuwen locations in the Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island areas of New York for $7.45 for a single scoop, $8.95 for two scoops, $10.45 for 3 scoops and $11.15 if you want to opt for the hand-packed pint.
“Ben and I met a few months ago and realized we were both huge fans of each other,” shared Gadi Peleg, owner of Breads Bakery, in an email interview. “I love ice cream and eat it every day, so the idea of collaborating on a flavor with Van Leeuwen was a dream. The idea for Rugelach ice cream came naturally and is truly an iconic New York flavor. It’s a perfect blend of our rich chocolate rugelach with their delicate sweet cream ice cream,” Peleg said.
“The buns are one of my favorite local places, and their rugelach is a New York tradition. Turning them into ice cream for Hanukkah was a really fun way to celebrate,” agreed Ben Van Leeuwen, CEO and co-founder of Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, in an email interview.
Interestingly, Rugelach and ice cream are such a brilliant pairing that this isn’t the first time such a collaboration has happened. In recent history, Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream partnered with Russ & Daughters to create raspberry rugelach ice cream sandwiches and Clementine’s Creamery created a Chipotle Cherry Rugelach flavor in partnership with pastry chef Fany Gerson.
If you don’t live in New York and want to create a flavor like this yourself at home, that can be a lot of fun too! I would start with a rich, creamy variety of your favorite ice cream flavor, then simply incorporate crushed or chopped Rugelach cookies, perhaps with a little added cinnamon and crushed nuts or chocolate chunks. Have fun with it!
