Chocolate Cream Cheese Rugulah

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Chocolate makes this unique, a cream cheese dough makes it easy.For chocolate addicts, use chocolate hazelnut filling. For a "Black Forest" rugulah, use raspberry or cherry preserves as filling.

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  • 30

Ingredients

  • Dough:
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter or margarine
  • 1/2 cup cream cheese
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Filling:
  • 1 cup chocolate hazelnut paste (*)
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup pecans (finely chopped) - optional
  • Garnish:
  • 1 egg white - whisked
  • confectioner's sugar for dusting

Preparation

Step 1

*) Chocolate hazelnut paste can be found in gourmet stores and supermarkets in the jams and peanut butter section. Nutella is a well-known brand. Kosher brands are available.

Cream the sugar with the butter (or margarine) and cream cheese. Blend in the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla. Stir to make a soft dough, adding a little flour as necessary if dough is too sticky. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and pat into a flattened disc. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30-60 minutes or overnight.

Stack two baking sheets together and line the top one with parchment paper. To prepare the pastries, remove dough from fridge. Have filling ingredients nearby. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Whisk the egg with sugar in a small bowl. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out a portion at a time into a circle of about 10 inch diameter. Using a pastry wheel, cut the portion of dough into 10-12 wedges.

Smear on some hazelnut paste, sugar, cinnamon, and pecans. Roll each pastry, from the outer edge into the center, into a small, snug crescent. Using a pastry brush, brush pastries with egg wash and sprinkle with fine sugar.

Place pastries, about 2 inches apart, on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake on middle rack of oven, until nicely golden brown, about 25-32 minutes.

Makes about 30 pastries. Once cooled, you can also dust these with confectioners’ sugar.

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