Traditional rugelach rolled together with raspberry preserves, chunks of walnuts and chocolate chips.
It wouldn't be the holidays in the Ferraro house without homemade rugelach! Every year, at least 6 dozen are made, usually the more traditional ones and sometimes I get a little creative and try out new flavors (PS..stay tuned for more rugelach flavors coming for the holiday! And if you have any suggestions, please let me know!).
These chocolate raspberry rugelach lean more to the traditional but with a big punch of flavor. Odd, but I always keep a bag full of mixed nuts, sugar and chocolate in the kitchen and use it for all kinds of things...pancakes or waffles, streusel topping and in this case rugelach filling. One of the things I love so much about rugelach is that it's so versatile and you don't really need a recipe. Besides for the dough, of course, which if you asked me on the street, I can recite, ingredient by ingredient. But the filling is where you can have total creative control. Add whatever you want, a little of this, a lot of that..the only thing I suggest is so not overfill the rugelach too much. A little goes a long way.
You can see a few videos I made of rugelach with my cherry-pistachio rugelach and the fun video I made with The Nosher. A few tips I always use: use a pizza cutter to cut the rugelach into little triangles and chill the dough before rolling out! Other than that, easy peasy!
Chocolate Raspberry Wanut Rugelach
LittleFerraroKitchen.com
Ingredients
Dough
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- ½ lb unsalted butter room temperature
- ¼ c sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 c all-purpose flour sifted
Filling
- ¼ c brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ cup chocolate chips
- 1 cup walnuts
- ½ cup raspberry preserves
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- ¼ c cinnamon sugar mix together sugar+cinnamon
- Egg + water for egg wash
Instructions
- Cream butter and cream cheese in stand mixer with a paddle attachment until creamy. Add sugar, salt and vanilla. Mix well.
- Add flour and mix until just combined. Dump the dough onto a well floured surface and roll into a ball. Cut the ball in quarters and wrap each quarter in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Next, using a food processor, add the chocolate chips, walnuts, brown sugar and cinnamon. Pulse a few times until nuts and chocolate are processed finely, then pour into a bowl and set aside.
- In another bowl, mix together the raspberry preserves with orange zest. Set aside.
- Take one dough-ball out of fridge (leaving others chilled until ready to use) and on a well-floured surface, roll it out using a floured rolling pin. Roll it out to about 9 inches in diameter. *It will feel somewhat hard/stiff in the very beginning, but this is such a beautiful soft dough, once you start working it, it gets easier. Save excess dough to use again.
- Then, take 2 Tb of preserves and spread a thin layer on the dough and then sprinkle ¼ cup of walnut chocolate mixture lightly pressing down.
- Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut into 8 even triangle and take one of the wedges and roll from the outside-i like a small crescent.
- Once all of them are rolled up, place rugelach on cookie sheet, end-side down and brush with egg wash and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15-18 minutes until lightly golden brown.
Nutrition
Helen says
I used raspberry and hot pepper jelly mixed in. A lovely kick to the rugelach. I wish they could stay crispy longer.
Samantha Ferraro says
Helen, YOU may have the perfect Rugelach. Hot Pepper Jelly, Fantastic. You are very Inspiring, Happy Holidays, Samantha.
Amy says
Nothing better than chocolate and raspberry, really make it pop.
Samantha says
I totally agree! I also LOVE raspberry and lemon!! I just love raspberry with anything lol