Experience a buttery crisp pastry and perfect crunch as you bite into this Chocolate and Walnut Rugelach with a soft cinnamon-spiced spread and toasted walnut center.
I finally did it! Made rugelach for the first time. It’s been on my list of cookies to make for a while and now I wish I made this much sooner because it is SO GOOD! It’s flaky and crunches as you bite in yet soft on the inside. The chocolate filling is not overwhelming nor is too sweet but then again, this cookie is not meant to be overly sweet. There could be other varieties that are but this one instead, captures the buttery flavor of the pastry, the nuttiness from the toasted walnuts and the cinnamon-spiced chocolate in such a perfect balance.
As a whole, making rugelach is much easier than you can imagine. If you’ve made pie crust from scratch, you’ll notice how this is almost the same. The biggest difference here is that you use a food processor to do the mixing. The chocolate and walnut filling, for the most part, is made by hand. Be sure to follow the exact amounts of the ingredients in the recipe listed below.
Step by Step on How to Make Rugelach
All in all, I will definitely make rugelach again and look forward to testing different nut fillings such as pecans or pistachio, or a fruit jam. Spreads such as apple butter or pumpkin maple butter could be a nice variety too. The array of options in switching the flavoring is endless. And you may have seen this cookie made in a round or square shape so creating a crescent shape isn’t a must if you find other preferred ways.
If you’ve made rugelach in the past, I’d love to know what filling you used. Was your pastry made differently? And if you’re making this for the first time, let me know how your experience was in the comment section below.
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Chocolate and Walnut Rugelach
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 24 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Experience a buttery crisp pastry and perfect crunch as you bite into this Chocolate and Walnut Rugelach with a soft cinnamon-spiced spread and toasted walnut center.
Ingredients
RUGELACH DOUGH
- 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons (24 grams) granulated sugar, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and chilled
- 4 oz. (113 grams) cream cheese, cut into small cubes and chilled
- 3 large egg yolks (45 grams), divided
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- powdered sugar for rolling out dough
- organic cane sugar or any coarse sugar
CHOCOLATE AND WALNUT FILLING
- 1/4 cup (28 grams) chopped walnuts
- 4 oz. (113 grams) semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 tablespoon (14 grams) unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons (24 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- DOUGH: In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour, 1 tablespoon sugar and salt a few times. Add cubes of butter and cream cheese over the flour mixture. Process on low speed up to 30 seconds or until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 2 egg yolks and vanilla. Pour over the flour mixture and run the processor on low speed until the mixture starts to clump together into a ball of dough.
- Divide the dough into 3 equal portions and flatten. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.
- FILLING: Meanwhile, heat the oven to 250°F (120°C). Place chopped walnuts onto a small baking sheet, space evenly and bake for 5 minutes. Transfer walnuts to a food processor and process on low speed for about 20 seconds until walnuts are minced, set aside.
- In a small bowl, microwave chopped chocolate and butter for 30 seconds and stir. Microwave for an additional 15 seconds and stir. If the remaining chocolate is smaller than the size of a pea, continue to stir as the residual heat will continue to melt the chocolate. If the chocolate is larger than the size of a pea, reheat once more for 15 seconds and continue to stir until fully melted.
- Once chocolate is melted, mix in sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, salt and minced walnuts.
- ASSEMBLY: When ready to bake, heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two large baking sheets with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper; set aside.
- On a clean dry surface, sprinkle powdered sugar. Roll dough out into a circle about 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) thick. Note: work the doughs one at a time keeping the remaining two loosely covered on the lined baking sheet. Keep chilled in the fridge until ready to use.
- Spread 1/3 of the chocolate filling on top of each rolled out circle of dough leaving a 1-inch (2.5 cm) border from the edge. Using a sharp knife cut each circle into 8 spokes.
- Roll each piece of dough beginning with the outer edge and work towards the center. Shape into a crescent and place each piece onto the lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
- In a small bowl, whisk remaining egg yolk with the remaining tablespoon of granulated sugar. Brush coat over the tops of each rugelach. Sprinkle the tops with the coarse cane sugar.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden and crispy, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking. Allow rugelach to cool on the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool to room temperature. ENJOY!
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Cuisine: Jewish
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