Chocolate Rugelach Recipe

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Chocolate Rugelach Cookies

Christmas is around the corner, and what better time to bake some specialty cookies! Rugelach cookie recipe has been on my “to-bake” list for quite a long time now. I guess finally, all the stars aligned for me to bake these fancy, tender cookies.


Chocolate Rugelach with coffee

Let me tell you one thing, though. It feels like a lot of work for these dainty little cute cookies, but all the effort is absolutely worth it when you take a bite of the rugelach.

cranberry pistachio rugelach

I started with the rugelach cookies with cranberry-pistachio filling. The whole counter was a mess, the dough was getting sticky, I didn’t know what I was doing, and I all wanted was to get it done as quickly as possible and relax.

eggless chocolate rugelach

But by the time I got to the cookies with peanut butter chocolate filling, I got the hang of it and this version was done in no time. So I have changed my mind about not baking rugelach cookies again and want to try a variety of fillings now, especially since the kids loved it.

eggless pistachio rugelach

I combined three recipes in total to develop my version of rugelach cookies. First, the basic rugelach recipe was from my favorite and most trusted recipe site, Taste of Home. Then, I got the idea for the chocolate rugelach recipe from The Kitchn.

pistachio rugelach cookies

The cookie dough doesn’t have sugar, and it’s a bit salty. If you have a sweet tooth, be sure to make the filling sweeter and drizzle the rugelach with some icing or ganache. I didn’t do either because I’m trying to watch our sugar consumption.

How To Bake Chocolate & Pistachio Rugelach Cookies?

Here is the step-by-step instruction on how to make delicious Chocolate/Pistachio Rugelach cookies from scratch:

Add Cream Cheese And Butter In A Large Bowl
1. Add Cream Cheese And Butter In A Large Bowl.
Beat Well
2. Beat Well.
Add Flour And Salt To The Creamed Mixture
3. Add Flour And Salt To The Creamed Mixture.
It Looks Like Crumbs
4. It Looks Like Crumbs.
Form Dough And Divide Into Four Parts
5. Form Dough And Divide Into Four Parts.
Place Each Portion On A Plastic Wrap
6. Place Each Portion On A Plastic Wrap.
Wrap It Tightly
7. Wrap It Tightly.
Flatten Each Disc And Refrigerate
8. Flatten Each Disc And Refrigerate.
While Dough Is Chilling Mix Together The Cranberry Filling
9. While Dough Is Chilling Mix Together The Cranberry Filling.
Cranberry Pistachio Filling Is Ready
10. Cranberry Pistachio Filling Is Ready.
After Chilling Remove One Disc At A Time From The Fridge
11. After Chilling Remove One Disc At A Time From The Fridge.
Flour The Surface To Roll The Dough
12. Flour The Surface To Roll The Dough.
Roll Out Dough On A Floured Surface
13. Roll Out Dough On A Floured Surface.
Brush It With Butter And Spread Half Of The Cranberry Filling
14. Brush It With Butter And Spread Half Of The Cranberry Filling.
Divide The Dough Into Twelve Wedges
15. Divide The Dough Into Twelve Wedges.
Roll Each Wedge From Outside To The Center Of The Circle
16. Roll Each Wedge From Outside To The Center Of The Circle.
Rolled Rugelach
17. Rolled Rugelach.
Repeat The Same Process For The Second Disc And Bake
18. Repeat The Same Process For The Second Disc And Bake.
Baked Rugelach With Cranberry Filling
19. Baked Rugelach With Cranberry Filling.
Now Roll Another Disc And Add 1/4 Cup Peanut Butter
20. Now Roll Another Disc And Add 1″4 Cup Peanut Butter.
Spread The Peanut Butter
21. Spread The Peanut Butter.
Sprinkle Half Of The Chocolate Chips
22. Sprinkle Half Of The Chocolate Chips.
Slice It Into 12 Wedges
23. Slice It Into 12 Wedges.
Roll Each Wedge From Outside To Inside And Bake
24. Roll Each Wedge From Outside To Inside And Bake.
Baked Choclate Rugelach
25. Baked Choclate Rugelach.

Chocolate Rugelach Recipe

Prep TimeCook TimeMakes
1 Hr25 Mins48 Cookies
AuthorCategoryMethod
BeveragesMixing
Chocolate Rugelach Recipe Bored of making the same old chocolate chip cookies and oatmeal cookies? Why not try these fancy rugelach cookies with 2 flavors this Christmas season to make the cookie tray even more special?
Ingredients:
Rugelach Recipe:
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
Peanut Butter Chocolate Filling:
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
Cranberry-Pistachio Filling:
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped pistachios
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
Procedure:
  1. In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth.
  2. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to cream cheese mixture and mix well.
  3. Divide dough into fourths. Wrap each portion; refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle.
  4. Meanwhile, prepare the cranberry-pistachio filling. In a small bowl, mix together all the ingredients except butter.
  5. I wanted to use 2 discs of dough for each flavor. I started with the cranberry-pistachio filling. Just remove 2 discs of dough from the fridge. Working with one portion of dough at a time, roll each into a 12-in. circle on a lightly floured surface. (See My Notes)
  6. Brush with some of the melted butter. Sprinkle with half of the cranberry mixture, pressing lightly to adhere. Cut dough into 12 wedges. Roll up wedges from the wide ends; place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets, point side down.
  7. Repeat the same for the second disc of dough too. Finally, make the rugelach and place it on a baking sheet/s.
  8. Bake at 350F/180C for 22-25 minutes or until golden brown.
  9. Remove cookies from oven to cooling rack and brush warm cookies with melted butter.
  10. While the first flavor of rugelach is baking, you can start preparing the peanut butter chocolate rugelach. Warm 1/2 cup peanut butter in a microwave until it liquefies but isn’t boiling.
  11. Roll the 3rd disc of dough into a 12-inch circle and spread about 1/4 cup of peanut butter over the rugelach dough; sprinkle with 1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips.
  12. Cut dough into 12 wedges. Roll up wedges from the wide ends; place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets, point side down. Repeat the same for the 4th disc of dough and bake at 350F/180C for 22-25 mins.
  13. Remove cookies from oven to cooling rack and brush warm cookies with some melted butter.
Taste:
  1. This rugelach cookie is one of the most tender cookies that I have ever baked. The cream cheese gives that lovely texture to these cookies. It had a similar texture to these Italian ricotta cheese cookies.
  2. The cookie dough doesn’t have any sugar absolutely, so it was not as sweet as the usual cookies we are used to, which was not an issue for my family except my mom, who has a very sweet tooth. If you are like my mom, you may have to increase the quantity of sugar in the filling and also drizzle some icing on top of the cookies once it is cool enough.
My Notes:
  1. While rolling the dough into a circle, I first tried rolling the dough in between two wax papers, but that didn’t work out for me. Dusting the flour with some flour and then rolling the dough made it easier. See which method works for you because it might vary.
  2. As mentioned in the Taste and Texture section, these cookies are not too sweet, so you might have to increase the quantity of sweetener if you prefer sweeter cookies. You might also try dusting some icing sugar on the rugelach cookies or drizzle some icing.
  3. Spreading Nutella instead of peanut butter might be another wonderful option.
Nutrition Facts
Chocolate Rugelach Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 102Servings 24
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8.3g11%
Saturated Fat 4.1g20%
Cholesterol 15mg5%
Sodium 89mg4%
Potassium 47mg1%
Total Carbohydrates 5.4g2%
Dietary Fiber 0.5g2%
Sugars 0.7g
Protein 2.3g
Vitamin D 3mcg13%
Calcium 6mg0%
Iron 1mg4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition Facts
1 cranberry pistachio rugelach
Amount Per Serving
Calories 121Servings 24
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8.1g10%
Saturated Fat 4.8g24%
Cholesterol 20mg7%
Sodium 112mg5%
Potassium 36mg1%
Total Carbohydrates 10.8g4%
Dietary Fiber 0.5g2%
Sugars 2.3g
Protein 1.8g
Vitamin D 4mcg20%
Calcium 10mg1%
Iron 1mg3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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