Rugelach are a beloved Jewish holiday treat! These Chocolate Rugelach are perfect pinwheels of flaky yet tender pastry swirled with a decadent chocolate filling.
(This post was originally published in October 2015, but was updated with a new recipe, new photos and updated content in 2022).
Jewish rugelach (pronounced rug-a-lah) originated in the Jewish communities of Poland (rogaliki). They're small enough to be considered cookies, but their texture is reminiscent of pastries. The name is Yiddish for "little twists," and their shape can vary. They're usually either formed into tapered crescents (most common) or into logs which are sliced into chubby rolls for baking.
In general, rugelach are comprised of a simultaneously flaky and tender cream cheese dough topped with a sweet filling of typically fruit jam, chopped nuts, poppy seed paste, or in this case chocolate, and then rolled.
The crescent shapes are a bit more time-consuming to assemble, as each crescent must be rolled individually. Meanwhile, the version of chocolate rugelach I'm sharing today is a bit easier and less time consuming to put together. You only roll each section of dough once after adding the filling, and then can easily cut into segments for baking.
These chocolate rugelach are crisp and flaky on the outside, and tender on the inside. These picture-perfect morsels practically crumble then melt in your mouth.
The chocolate filling has just a hint of cinnamon, which carries through to the cinnamon sugar crust on top. The dark color of the chocolate provides a beautiful color contrast to the dough in perfect spirals.
Rugelach reminds me a lot of Armenian Gata. Rugelach uses cream cheese in its dough, while gata uses sour cream to add tenderness and tanginess. Both are shaped into long rolls with a tasty filling, and then cut into smaller pieces and baked upright with the cuts on the sides.
Armenian gata are definitely larger. They would never be called cookies. Conversely, due to rugelach's much smaller shape, they easily walk the line between pastry and cookie.
Ingredient notes
- Cream Cheese: Cream cheese is one of the distinct ingredients in rugelach dough that differentiate it from other types of pastries. It adds a tangy flavor and tenderness to the dough. Use full-fat (regular) cream cheese instead of the lighter Neufchatel option, which is usually softer in texture. Make sure your cream cheese is cold right out of the fridge before you cube it up and use it in your dough.
- Chocolate: Use good quality bittersweet chocolate (I usually use 70% cocoa) for great results. You'll be adding some brown sugar to the chocolate so it will be sweetened a bit more before assembling your chocolate rugelach.
- Ground Cinnamon: Cinnamon isn't always included in chocolate rugelach recipes, but it is a great enhancement to the chocolate and adds a bit more complexity to the flavor. I also like finishing the rugelach with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, but you can skip this (and stick with plain egg wash) if you'd prefer.
How to make it
Begin by making the dough. To the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, add flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse a few times just to combine. Then add cold chunks of butter and cream cheese (PHOTO 1). Pulse again about 25 to 35 times until the mixture just comes together into a ball of dough (PHOTO 2).
Transfer the dough to a clean work surface. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces (about 200 grams each), and shape each piece roughly into a rectangle about ½ inch thick (PHOTOS 3-4).
Wrap each with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
Next, make the chocolate filling. Melt chopped chocolate (PHOTO 5) in a double boiler on the stovetop or in the microwave. Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon, if using. The mixture will be grainy from the sugar, but that's normal (PHOTO 6).
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove one piece of cold dough from the refrigerator. Unwrap it and place it on a lightly floured work surface. If it’s too cold to roll out, let it sit for a few minutes to soften just enough to roll evenly, but not too long to completely soften it.
Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour. Then roll it with a rolling pin into an 8-by-11-inch rectangle with the long side facing you. Trim the edges a bit if it’s very uneven.
Spread ¼ of the melted chocolate mixture (about ¼ cup) evenly over the dough leaving a ¼-inch border around the edges.
Immediately starting from the edge closest to you, tightly roll the dough into a cylinder.
Place the rolled dough, seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling to create 4 long logs. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm.
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) with the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; you can also reuse the baking sheet you had used for chilling the dough as one of them.
Remove the chilled dough logs from the refrigerator. Transfer them to a cutting board, trim off the ends and discard. Then cut each trimmed roll into 8 pieces, each about 1 ¼ inches wide.
Transfer all the rolls to the baking sheets with the seam-side down (PHOTO 7). Lightly brush the tops and sides of the dough (not the cut sides) with egg wash. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and then sprinkle over the chocolate rugelach tops (PHOTO 8).
Bake for about 18 to 22 minutes, rotating the pans part way through baking, until golden brown (PHOTO 9). Cool the chocolate rugelach for a few minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (PHOTO 10).
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Expert tips and FAQs
Store leftovers at room temperature for about 3 to 5 days. Placing them in an airtight plastic container can cause them to soften, so I recommend arranging the leftovers in a baking pan with high sides and then covering with a tea towel.
Sliced unbaked chocolate rugelach can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 3 days before baking.
When assembling your chocolate rugelach and spreading the melted chocolate onto the dough, work quickly. I made the mistake (while taking process photos) of taking too long. The chocolate started to harden before I was able to roll it up! You want the melted chocolate mixture to be just warm enough to remain soft and spread easily, but not so hot that it will melt the dough.
If you don't have a food processor you can use a pastry cutter to cut the butter and cream cheese into the dry ingredients.
To freeze unbaked rugelach: Arrange the sliced unbaked rugelach in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid, about 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer frozen rugelach to a freezer bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer after finishing with egg wash and cinnamon sugar. Frozen rugelach will require a couple extra minutes of baking time. Frozen unbaked rugelach will keep for up to 3 months.
To freeze baked rugelach: Cool rugelach completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Allow the rugelach to come to room temperature before serving.
Other recipes you may like
- Armenian Gata
- Rotweinkuchen (German Red Wine Cake)
- Mexican Chocolate Pie
- Cranberry Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
- Chocolat Chaud (French Hot Chocolate)
- Karpatka (Polish Carpathian Mountain Cake)
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also follow me on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Chocolate Rugelach
Ingredients
Dough:
- 2 ½ cups (325 grams) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 ounces (226 grams / 2 sticks) cold unsalted butter cut into chunks
- 8 ounces (226 grams / 1 package) cold cream cheese cut into chunks
Filling:
- 8 ounces (226 grams) high quality semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate roughly chopped
- ¼ cup (50 grams) packed light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
Topping:
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- To make the dough: To the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, add the flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse a few times just to combine. Then add the cold chunks of butter and cream cheese. Pulse again about 25 to 35 times until the mixture just comes together into a ball of dough.
- Transfer the dough to a clean work surface. Be careful not to overwork the dough as the warmth from your hands can melt the butter. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces (about 200 grams each), and shape each piece roughly into a rectangle about ½ inch thick. Wrap each with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
- To make the filling: Melt the chocolate in a double boiler on the stovetop. Alternatively, place the chopped chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30-second intervals until mostly melted. Stir, allowing the residual heat in the bowl to melt the remaining chocolate.
- Stir in the brown sugar and cinnamon, if using. The mixture will be grainy from the sugar, but that's normal. Keep just warm enough so the chocolate doesn’t cool and harden.
- To assemble: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove one piece of cold dough from the refrigerator. Unwrap it and place it on a lightly floured work surface. If it’s too cold to roll out, let it sit for a few minutes to soften just enough to roll evenly, but not too long to completely soften it.
- Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour and roll it with a rolling pin into an 8-by-11-inch rectangle with the long side facing you. Trim the edges a bit if it’s very uneven.
- Spread ¼ of the melted chocolate mixture (about ¼ cup) evenly over the dough leaving a ¼-inch border around the edges.
- Immediately (so the chocolate doesn’t cool and harden), starting from the edge closest to you, tightly roll the dough into a cylinder. Place the rolled dough, seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough and filling to create 4 logs. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) with the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; you can also reuse the baking sheet you had used for chilling the dough as one of them.
- Remove the chilled dough logs from the refrigerator. Transfer them to a cutting board, trim off the ends and discard. Cut each trimmed roll into 8 pieces, each about 1 ¼ inches wide. You’ll hear a crunch as you cut through the now-hardened chocolate which is pinwheeled through the dough.
- Transfer all the rolls to the baking sheets with the seam-side down. Lightly brush the tops and sides of the dough (not the cut sides) with egg wash. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and then sprinkle over the rugelach tops.
- Bake for about 18 to 22 minutes, rotating the pans part way through baking, until golden brown. Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Storage Instructions: Store leftovers at room temperature for about 3 to 5 days. Placing them in an airtight container can cause them to soften, so I recommend arranging the leftovers in a baking pan with high sides and then covering with a tea towel.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: Sliced unbaked rugelach can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 3 days before baking.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions:
- To freeze unbaked rugelach: Arrange the sliced unbaked rugelach in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid, about 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer frozen rugelach to a freezer bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer after finishing with egg wash and cinnamon sugar. Frozen rugelach will require a couple extra minutes of baking time. Frozen unbaked rugelach will keep for up to 3 months.
- To freeze baked rugelach: Cool rugelach completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Allow the rugelach to come to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
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