Chocolate Rugelach

5 from 2 votes

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These chocolate rugelach are a marriage of a cream cheese pastry wrapped around a rich, dark chocolate and orange filling. Rugelach are classic part of Jewish baking.

Prep Time1

Cook Time25

Total Time1 25

Course: Cookies

Cuisine: Jewish

Servings: cookies

Calories: 130kcal

Author: Joanne Stekler

Equipment

Food processor

Ingredients

Rugelach pastry dough

2 cups ( 250 grams) all-purpose flour plus more for dusting the countertop
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
9 tablespoons (128 grams or 4.5 ounces) cream cheese cold, roughly cut into four parts
12 tablespoons (170 grams) unsalted butter cold, cut into ½ inch cubes
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon cold water or vodka

Chocolate filling

4 ounces (113 grams) bittersweet chocolate
4 tablespoons ( 57 grams ) unsalted butter
5 tablespoons (30 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
5 tablespoons (30 grams) powdered sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest
pinch salt

Assembly and finishing

1 egg lightly beaten

Instructions

Pastry dough

Add the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder to the food processor and process to combine.
2 cups ( 250 grams) all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon baking powder
Add the cream cheese and pulse 10 times.
9 tablespoons (128 grams or 4.5 ounces) cream cheese
Add the butter cubes and pulse 20 times. You should not be able to see any large cubes of butter.
12 tablespoons (170 grams) unsalted butter
Add the cream and water and pulse another 10 times. You should be able to pinch the mixture together between your fingers.
1 tablespoon cold water or vodka, 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Divide the mixture evenly into two plastic kitchen bags. Keeping your hands on the outside of the bag, knead the mixture for a minute or two, pulling the bag away from the dough as needed, until the dough forms a smooth ball. Divide this first bag into two balls, flatten them slightly into disks, and place them in the refrigerator to rest. Repeat with the other half of the dough in the other bag. To freeze the dough at this point, wrap the disk in two layers of plastic wrap and place them in a freezer bag for 3 to 6 months.

Chocolate filling

While the dough is resting, melt the chocolate and butter together in a double boiler or heatproof bowl over a pot of barely simmering water.
4 ounces (113 grams) bittersweet chocolate, 4 tablespoons ( 57 grams ) unsalted butter
When the chocolate has nearly completely melted, remove the bowl from the pot (dry off the bottom) and stir in the cocoa powder, confectioners' sugar, orange zest, and salt. Let cool briefly.
5 tablespoons (30 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder, 5 tablespoons (30 grams) powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon orange zest, pinch salt

Assembly and finishing

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare two cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper or silicone mats.
Lightly dust your countertop with flour. Remove a ball of dough from the refrigerator and roll it out to a thin circle about 9 inches in diameter.
Add ¼ cup of chocolate filling to the dough circle and spread it with a knife or offset spatula to about one half inch from the edge.
Use a bench scraper or knife (being careful of your countertop) to cut the circle into quarters and then cut each quarter circle into four wedges (i.e. each wedge will represent about one-sixteenth of the circle).
Take one wedge. Starting at the outside edge, roll tightly towards the center of the circle.
Place the cookie on a cookie sheet so that the final tip of the wedge is face down on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining 15 wedges on one cookie sheet and put this sheet in the freezer while you roll out the second circle. Rugelach will not spread significantly, but do not crowd them on the baking sheet.
Repeat with the second dough circle. When you have finished filling and rolling this second sheet, remove the first cookie sheet of rugelach from the freezer and put in the second.
Brush the first sheet of rugelach lightly with the beaten egg wash. Then bake for 23 to 25 minutes, until the rugelach are a golden brown.
1 egg
Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and then move to a cooling rack. Once cool, rugelach can be stored at room temperature for a week or two or frozen for 3 to 6 months.

Notes

This recipe will make 32 rugelach.

The rugelach dough can also be made in a stand mixer or by hand, but I find that the food processor gives the most consistent results.
You can use only all-purpose flour if you don't have cake flour. Using the cake flour reduces the protein content and makes the dough slightly more tender.
If you want this to be sweeter, you can sub semi-sweet or milk chocolate for the bittersweet chocolate in the filling. Or sprinkle some granulated sugar on over the egg wash before baking.
The time stated here is the amount of time it takes me to make this recipe. The first time or two you make rugelach, please allow for a longer amount of time. You'll get the hang of it by the time you finish your first batch!

Nutrition