Chocolate Rugelach

We may have mentioned it once or twice, or a million times, but Selim definitely has the sweet tooth in this family. I could eat chips & dip for the rest of my life, but Selim could easily subsist on sweets, especially chocolate! We like to joke that he has a separate dessert stomach. It’s amazing – he can be stuffed after a dinner out or something big that we cooked at home, and then not five minutes later, he’s asking for the dessert menu or if we have any chocolate hidden in the house.

So when I decided to attempt rugelach for our Hanukkah dinner this year, I browsed a lot of recipes. I personally was enticed by the many recipes with nuts and cinnamon sugar, but I knew I had to make chocolate for Selim. I decided to stick with the more American preparation, that generally includes cream cheese in the dough, as opposed to a more yeasty Israeli preparation.

Chocolate Rugelach

(Adapted from the following sites- here & here & here!)

Ingredients: 

• 4oz  butter, softened
• 4oz regular cream cheese, softened
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp + 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cups flour (+ additional for dusting)
• 4oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp + 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 egg

Instructions: 

1. Allow the butter and cream cheese to sit out so they soften.
2. Combine the butter, cream cheese, regular sugar, 1 tbsp brown sugar, salt, and vanilla in the bowl of your stand mixer. Cream all of these ingredients together.
3. Slowly add the flour in while the mixer is running.
4. Once well-combined, turn out onto a floured counter and knead into a ball. Divide the ball into two equal pieces and flatten slightly into round discs.
5. Refrigerate dough for at least an hour.
6. Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1 tbsp brown sugar with the cocoa powder and 1/4 tsp cinnamon.
7. In another bowl, whisk together an egg with the remaining 1/4 tsp of cinnamon.
8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
9. After the dough has chilled, remove each disc, one at a time from the refrigerator to work on.
10. Roll out into a large circle. Sprinkle with the sugar-spice mixture, leaving a slight edge. (Remember to only use 1/2 of the mixture – or make more, whatever…!)
11. Now top with chopped chocolate.
12. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough like a pizza, into 8 pieces. Roll each one up, starting with the wider edge.
13. Place the rolled up rugelach on a lined cookie sheet. Brush with cinnamon egg wash.
14. Repeat steps 9 through 13 with each piece of dough. Keep dough refrigerated until using/ready to bake.
15. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
16. After removing from the oven, let cool on a wire rack.

Makes 24