Random Recipe and We Should Cocoa - Chocolate Rugelach

Soft and lighter than air with a dark chocolate crumbly filling, and a shiny sugar glaze  ... mmmmm!

SB needed a special something to take to a potluck dinner that he is attending this evening for his tree-hugger group. Wendy, the director of the home office requested something with chocolate. How fortuitous! Dom has told us that this month's Random Recipes is having a sweet collision with Choclette of We Should Cocoa. Sometimes the stars align.

When I sent SB to choose a cookbook, he went for the eye candy of Nigella Lawson ... he's a guy, what can I say? Anyway, when I asked him to look up chocolate in the index and choose a number, he chose the number '12' and there you have it! Rugelach! Rugelach! Thank you, Nigella! Indeed, the stars align!

Rugelach has been one of my 'bucket list' items for a good while and for whatever reason, I never seem to get around to these soft, sweet bites. Today was a day for finally getting the project done, but it was in such an unexpected way! I have only heard of rugelach that has jams and nuts as fillers. Nigella's recipe has a yeast element to the dough that is whizzed together in a food processor bowl. Making a chocolate/brown sugar/butter filler was a new one on me! Very tasty too!

Working my way through Nigella's recipe was such a simple process. I wondered why I was so reluctant to try making these treats! Honestly, I kept thinking 'What the heck was my problem?'. Well, whatever it was, it is no longer!

The dough is chilled for an hour and then rolled into 10-inch circles, cut with a pizza wheel and dressed with the chocolate/brown sugar/butter crumble. An easy roll up, a brush with a sweet egg glaze, and then they set for twenty minutes to let the yeast just begin to work ... poof in the oven and then a paint over with a sugar glaze while warm. So pretty and tasty! Honestly! Why was I so reluctant ???

Rugelach

Nigella Lawson's recipe from  Feast - Food That Celebrates Life

Makes 36 pieces

Dough Ingredients:

425 g all purpose flour

¼ tsp. salt

50 g sugar

2½ tsp. yeast

250 g cold butter

100 g. cold cream cheese

1 egg

60 ml sour cream

Making the Dough:

1. Measure the flour, salt, sugar and yeast into the bowl of a food processor and whiz to combine.
2. Chop the cold butter and cream cheese into chunks and process a few pieces at a time until the flour mixture looks like damp sand.
3. Combine the egg and sour cream in a small bowl and mix thoroughly.
4. Pour the egg mix down the spout of the food processor while running the machine and whiz until the dough balls up into a silky, gloppy ball.
5. Lightly flour a cold counter top.
6. Turn the dough out of the food processor and pat the dough into a long rectangle. Divide the dough into three equal pieces. Form them into individual balls and flatten them to discs. Wrap individually in plastic wrap and chill for one hour.
7. While the dough chills, make the crumble filling.

Crumble Filling Ingredients:

250 g dark chocolate

50 g light brown sugar

50 g butter, melted

Making the Crumble:

1. Break the chocolate into small chunks and pulse in a blender bowl until crumbly, but not completely powdered. There should be pieces of chocolate the size of split peas and lentils.
2. Place the chocolate bits and powdery mix in a small bowl with the brown sugar and stir together, breaking up the brown sugar blobs.
3. Melt the butter and cool it for a bit. Then add it to the chocolate mix and stir together to make a crumble that resembles streusel. Set aside.

Egg Wash:  Beat an egg and a generous pinch of sugar together in a small prep bowl and set aside.

Sugar Glaze: Mix 5 tbsp. confectioner’s sugar with 3 tbsp. boiling water until the glaze is perfectly smooth, white, and slightly runny. Set aside.

Making the Rugelach:

1. Working with one disc of dough at time, lightly flour a cool rolling surface.
2. Roll each disc to a circle that’s about 10 inches in diameter.
3. Cut 12 wedges.
4. Divide the crumble into three equal amounts and arrange each amount down the centers of the wedges.
5. Roll the wedges up wide end to narrow tip, tucking the crumble in and pressing it slightly.
6. Place the little crescents on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet (12 to a sheet)
7. Preheat the oven to 375° F and place the rack in the center of the oven.
8. Brush the rugelach with the egg wash and let them rest for 20 minutes. This lets the yeast work just a bit.
9. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until they are golden brown and shiny, but not overly browned where they sit on the cookie sheet.
10. Remove them immediately from the cookie sheet and cool slightly on a cooling rack. I slide the parchment paper from the cookie sheet under the rack to catch the glaze drips.
11. Paint the tops of the slightly cooled rugelach with the sugar glaze to make them shiny sweet.
12. Store closely covered to retain moisture. 

... shared with Random Recipes and We Should Cocoa ... go have a 'look-see' !