Chocolate Rugelach
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A much-loved Jewish holiday treat, chocolate rugelach are miniature pastries posing as cookies.
A much-loved Jewish holiday treat, rugelach (pronounced rug-a-lah) are miniature pastries posing as cookies. They’re made by rolling a buttery, flaky dough around a sweet filling of fruit, nuts, chocolate, or pretty much anything your heart desires. Yiddish for “little twists,” rugelach can be crescent-shaped, like my classic walnut and raisin rugelach, or rolled into logs, much like a strudel, and cut into slices before baking. While they look like fancy bakery cookies, they are totally doable at home. The key is to think ahead: the dough needs to be refrigerated for at least an hour before rolling, and then quickly chilled again before slicing and baking.
Looking for more Jewish holiday sweets? Consider mixing it up with tender, moist honey & spice cake for Rosh Hashanah, pillowy sufganiyot for Hanukkah, apricot hamantaschen for Purim, and ridiculously good chocolate toffee matzo crack for Passover. Who knew the Jewish holidays could taste so sweet?
“The recipe produced delicious cookies. It was easy to follow and the ingredients were easy to get. I couldn’t be more pleased.”
What You’ll Need To Make Chocolate Rugelach
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides structure for the dough. Measure by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off to ensure accuracy.
- Sugar: Adds sweetness and helps with browning the dough; it also adds sweetness to the filling.
- Butter: Gives the dough a flaky, rich texture.
- Cream Cheese: Makes the dough pliable, easy to work with, and reliably tender.
- Egg Yolk: Adds richness and helps bind the dough.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate: Gives the filling a rich chocolate flavor. Use good quality chocolate, such as Ghirardelli.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Begin by making the dough. Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade.
Pulse a few times to combine.
Add the chunks of butter, cream cheese, and egg yolk.
Process until the dough starts to come together into a well-moistened, crumbly mass, 20 to 30 seconds.
Transfer the dough to a clean work surface.
Gather the crumbly dough into a ball and knead, dusting the work surface and dough lightly with flour as necessary, until it comes together into a smooth ball.
Shape the dough into a rectangle, then cut into 4 equal portions.
Flatten each piece of dough into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle.
Wrap each section of the rugelach dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to 3 days.
Next, make the filling. Place the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl and melt in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until almost melted. Stir, allowing the residual heat in the bowl to melt the chocolate completely. (Alternatively, melt the chocolates in a double boiler on the stovetop.)
Add the sugar and salt.
Mix well; the mixture will be grainy.
How To Roll Chocolate Rugelach
When you’re ready to roll the cookies, remove one section of dough from the refrigerator, unwrap it, and place it on a lightly floured work surface. (If necessary, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes until it’s pliable enough to roll, but not too soft.) Dust the top of the dough lightly with flour, then use a rolling pin to roll it into an 8 x 11-in rectangle. Don’t make yourself crazy over it, but try to make it as even as possible around the edges; it will make it easier to roll. (Go ahead and trim slightly with a pizza cutter or sharp knife if it’s very uneven.)
Using an offset spatula or back of a spoon, quickly spread 1/4 of the chocolate filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/4-inch border around the edges.
Starting from the long side, roll the dough tightly into a cylinder.
Place the filled rolled dough, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and chocolate filling. Place the rolled dough logs in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes, or until firm to the touch.
Take the rolled dough out of the refrigerator. Using a serrated knife, slice off the uneven ends of each roll and discard. Then slice the rolls into 1-in-wide pieces.
Place each slice, seam side down, on the prepared sheet.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Cool the rugelach on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
How To Store and Freeze Chocolate Rugelach
Rugelach are best on the day they are made. Store any extra cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for longer storage.
The unbaked sliced rugelach can be frozen for up to 3 months. Before freezing, let the sliced rugelach set on a baking sheet in the freezer for approximately 20 minutes, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.)
To freeze after baking, let the rugelach cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.
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Chocolate Rugelach
A much-loved Jewish holiday treat, chocolate rugelach are miniature pastries posing as cookies.
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- Heaping ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-in chunks
- 6 oz cold cream cheese, cut into 1-in chunks
- 1 egg yolk
For the Filling
- 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate, best quality such as Ghiradelli, roughly chopped
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Make the dough: Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the chunks of butter, cream cheese, and egg yolk. Process until the dough starts to come together into a well-moistened, crumbly mass, 20 to 30 seconds. Transfer the dough to a clean work surface. Gather the crumbly dough into a ball and knead, dusting the work surface and dough lightly with flour as necessary, until it comes together into a smooth ball. Shape the dough into a rectangle, then cut into 4 equal portions; flatten each piece of dough into a ½-inch-thick rectangle. Wrap each section of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
- Make the filling: Place the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until almost melted. Stir, allowing the residual heat in the bowl to melt the chocolate completely. (Alternatively, melt the chocolates in a double boiler on the stovetop.) Mix in the sugar and salt. The mixture will be grainy; that's okay.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll the cookies: Remove one section of dough from the refrigerator, unwrap it, and place it on a lightly floured work surface. (If necessary, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes until it's pliable enough to roll, but not too soft.) Dust the top of the dough lightly with flour, then use a rolling pin to roll it into an 8 x 11-in rectangle. Don't make yourself crazy over it, but try to make it as even as possible around the edges; it will make it easier to roll. (Go ahead and trim slightly with a pizza cutter or sharp knife if it's very uneven.) Using an offset spatula or back of a spoon, quickly spread ¼ of the chocolate filling (about a ¼ cup) evenly over the dough, leaving a ¼-inch border around the edges.
- Starting from the long side, roll the dough tightly into a cylinder. Place the filled rolled dough, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and chocolate filling. Place the rolled dough logs in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes, or until firm to the touch.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Take the rolled dough out of the refrigerator. Using a serrated knife, slice off the uneven ends of each roll and discard. Then slice the rolls into 1-in-wide pieces. Place each slice, seam side down, on the prepared sheet. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until lightly golden. Cool the rugelach on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Rugelach are best enjoyed fresh on the day they are baked but any extra cookies can be stored in airtight container for up to 3 days, or frozen for longer storage.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The unbaked sliced rugelach can be chilled and stored for up to 3 days in the refrigerator before baking.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The unbaked sliced rugelach can be frozen for up to 3 months. Before freezing, let the sliced rugelach set on a baking sheet in the freezer for approximately 20 minutes, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) To freeze after baking: Let the rugelach cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (36 servings)
- Serving size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 144
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Sugar: 8 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Sodium: 51 mg
- Cholesterol: 23 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I do not know what I did wrong, but in the first batch I was able to spread the chocolate ok since it was still a little warm, then the chocolate hardened on top of the dough (the dough came directly from the fridge), and was impossible to roll…. I think my chocolate unintentionally tempered and thus got hard. any suggestions so this does not happen?
Hi Maria, I’m sorry you had a problem with the chocolate hardening before you were able to roll up the dough. I’ve added a note to the recipe to work quickly so that the cold dough doesn’t cool down the chocolate too much. Also, feel free to put the chocolate back in the microwave for 15 or 20 seconds to warm it back up before spreading it if it’s been sitting for a while. Hope that helps!
Made these rugelach cookies for the holidays and they were delicious. Tasted like they came from a bakery. Used 3 different fillings and they were all yummy. Received rave reviews. Takes some time to make but so worth it. Will definitely be making again!
Jenn- can I freeze the dough prior to filling it or is it better to complete the process and freeze prior to baking?
So glad you like them! Yes, it’s fine to freeze the dough. 🙂
I would love to make the filling have an orange flavor by using a bit of orange extract mixed into dark chocolate. What quantity of extract, an ingredient increases or decreases would you use on the filling in that case to make sure it would be the right consistency?
I have your cookbook out, and it prompted me to come look at other cookie recipes here. I want to complement you not just on your recipes, but your cookbook is an amazing must have. The layout is gorgeous with a perfect font size, margins, spacing and the binding is wonderful. No surprise, your work always has a lovely touch!
Hi Lisa, thanks for your very nice words about the cookbook – so glad you like it! For the rugelach, instead of using orange extract, I would suggest adding a teaspoon of orange zest to the chocolate. I think it will give it a more authentic orange flavor and also won’t throw any liquid ratios off. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
I have now made this wonderful recipe 3 times and my husband says they are his very favorite! I have made this recipe using the chocolate filling as written in the recipe and they are delicious. I have also made half the batch with an apricot, raisin, cinnamon sugar and pecan filling. Everyone loves both varieties!! I like to slice and freeze individual pieces and bake just a few at a time when we have the craving!! They are tender, flakey and the perfect little treat for an afternoon pick-me-up!! What could be better!!!
I made this recipe and the chocolate melted in the oven and burned on the baking sheet. Is there any way to prevent this?
Hi Emma, Are you saying that the chocolate oozed out while baking? Did you make any adjustments to the recipe?
Yes! The chocolate oozed out. There was still chocolate in the rugelach but some had oozed out and burned. For the chocolate I used half chocolate chips (the kind used for chocolate chip cookies) and half baking chocolate (the kind in a bar). Could this be the reason why?
Hi Emma, some leakage is normal; it’s just the nature of rugelach. Next time, try rolling them a little tighter.
Everyone loved these little treats! Dough is nice and flaky and not too sweet.
Thanks for the recipe!
The chocolate cooled before all 4 rolls could be rolled. I had to throw out 2 rolls. Perhaps the recipe should be revised with finely chopped chocolate instead of melted chocolate.
Have a gritty taste when eaten. Fell apart when rolling. Not sure what I did wrong
crumbled. awful.
Do you have a fruit filling I could use?
I would like 2 make 2 batches, one with the chocolate filling and one fruit
Thank you
Hi Liz, I don’t have a fruit filling to suggest but you could use jam or preserves of your choosing. I’d make sure that you spread on a very thin layer and keep in mind that some of the jam will likely ooze out while the rugelach are baking. Please LMK how they turn out if you try it!