Chocolate Rugelach
User Reviews
4.7
Chocolate Rugelach
Description
This Chocolate Rugelach recipe begins by pulsing flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor, cutting in very cold butter and cream cheese until the mixture forms coarse crumbs with small pieces of fat remaining. Sour cream is then added to bring the dough together without overworking, which ensures a flaky yet tender texture. After forming the dough into logs and chilling, it is divided and rolled into thin disks.
The filling blends semisweet chocolate with brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt, providing a sweet and slightly spiced chocolate layer inside each pastry. The dough is rolled around the filling, shaped into crescents, then brushed with an egg wash for a shiny crust. Sprinkles or coarse sugar add a decorative finish before baking at 350°F.
The resulting cookies are crisp on the outside with a soft, rich center of melted chocolate and lightly spiced sweetness. This recipe can be made without a food processor using a pastry cutter or knives, and can be frozen at dough or baked stage for convenience. They keep well at room temperature, where covering affects softness.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ heaping teaspoon table salt
- 1 cup butter very cold and cut into 16 pieces, unsalted
- 6 oz cream cheese very cold, cut into 16 pieces
- ⅓ cup sour cream
Chocolate filling
- 8 oz semisweet chocolate
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ -½ teaspoon ground cinnamon optional, I usually use ¼ teaspoon but add more for a stronger taste
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Topping
- 1 egg (any size)
- 1 teaspoon water
- coarse sugar for decorating, optional but recommended, or nonpareil sprinkles
- nonpareil sprinkles for decorating, optional but recommended, or nonpareil sprinkles
Instructions
- Combine flour, sugar, and salt in the basin of a food processor² (see note if you don't have a food processor) and pulse to combine.
- Sprinkle butter and cream cheese pieces over the top, add sour cream, and and pulse just into butter and cream cheese are cut into the dough. The mixture should still be quite crumbly and you will have chocolate chip-sized pieces of butter and cream cheese remaining. This is normal, don’t over-work your dough (see post or video for visual, if needed)!
- Transfer dough to a clean surface and work the crumbs together gently (don’t over-handle or the warmth of your hands will start to melt the butter) to form a log.
- Divide into 4 equal portions, flatten each into a disk that’s ½-1” thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour and up to 5 days.
- When dough has chilled, preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside and prepare your chocolate filling
- Chocolate Filling
- Chop or break chocolate bar into small pieces and heat in the microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring in between, until completely melted.
- Add brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and salt and stir until combined. Mixture will appear grainy, this is normal (the "grain" from the sugar will disappear when the rugelach bakes) Set aside.
- Working with one disk at a time, remove one round of dough from the fridge and transfer to a clean, lightly floured surface. Roll into a 10” circle and immediately spread ¼ of the chocolate mixture in a thin layer over the circle.
- Use a pizza cutter or knife to cut the dough into 16 even wedges (I cut mine just like I’m cutting a pizza).
- Starting from the larger side, roll one wedge over itself to form the rugelach and transfer to prepared baking sheet. Work quickly to roll each of the wedges as the chocolate will begin to harden fast and will make it difficult for you. However, even if the chocolate begins to solidify it should have been spread thinly enough that it should easily break as you roll and the rugelach should still look nice!
- Space cookies at least 2” apart on baking sheet.
- Prepare egg wash by whisking together egg with one teaspoon of water. Use a pastry brush to gently brush each cookie then sprinkle with coarse sugar or nonpareils.
- Transfer to 350F (175C) preheated oven and bake in the center rack for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
- Allow to cool completely on baking sheet before enjoying.
Notes
- You can use chocolate bars or chips; dark or milk chocolate both work for the filling.
- If no food processor is available, use a pastry cutter or knives to cut butter and cream cheese into the flour mixture before adding sour cream.
- Rugelach can be kept at room temperature uncovered for crispness or covered for a softer texture, and stored up to 5 days.
- Freeze dough disks for several months; thaw overnight in the fridge before use.
- You can also freeze assembled but unbaked cookies; brush with egg wash and sugar before baking from frozen, adding extra baking time.
- Baked cookies freeze well for several months.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 64chocolate rugelach cookies
Amount Per Serving
Calories 81 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1rugelach | |
| Calories | 81kcal | 4% |
| Carbohydrates | 7g | 2% |
| Protein | 1g | 2% |
| Fat | 5g | 8% |
| Saturated Fat | 3g | 15% |
| Cholesterol | 14mg | 5% |
| Sodium | 18mg | 1% |
| Potassium | 33mg | 1% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 4g | 8% |
| Vitamin A | 137IU | 3% |
| Calcium | 9mg | 1% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.7
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