And we can’t stop, and we won’t stop. Pretty sure Miley is referring to these Chocolate Halva Rugelach!
Sometimes when I tell people I’m Jewish, they pause for a moment and ask: “But you do Christmas, right??” Well, no. I mean ugly sweater parties and Santa bar crawls, yes and yes. But I always knew Hanukkah presents were from my parents, not Hanukkah Harry, and the only lights we had were from the glow of a menorah. And before you ask, no tree either. But holiday cookies? Oh we had those.
My Mom would bake dozens of her popular M&M cookies, Bubbe’s famous brownies, and of course, rugelach.
I’m pumped to be participating in The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap this year, which raises money for Cookies or Kids Cancer! (Put on by Lindsay and Julie.) Because spiked eggnog (or Manischewitz Sangria) is fun and all, but the holidays are about the kids, right??!
Over 500 bloggers each send cookies to three fellow participants, and donate to the cause. So you get to bake cookies and get cookies in the mail. Yayyyy! What could be better than cookies and a mitzvah, right??
Last year I made Chocolate Chili Rugelach and this year I’m adding an Israeli twist as a nod to my trip to Israel last summer with halva. And more chocolate! Because I can.
Making it rain. (Sugar.)
Chocolate Halvah Rugelach
Ingredients
- For dough:
- ½ cup sugar plus more or sprinkling
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for rolling out dough
- 2 sticks cold unsalted butter 1 cup, cut into chunks (cold ingredients lead to a flaky cookies!)
- 6 oz cold cream cheese cut into chunks
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- For filling:
- 1 cup tahini paste
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- Milk as needed
- 8 oz chocolate I use semi sweet chopped into small pieces
- 1 egg for egg wash
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Place flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Then add cold butter, cream cheese, sour cream and vanilla in a food processor and pulse just until combined. You should have a crumbly dough. Do not overmix.
- (If you don't have a food processor, let butter and cream cheese come to room temperature. With a stand or hand mixer with beater attachment or a whisk, cream together butter, cream cheese and sugar just until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Then add in sour cream, vanilla and salt and combine. Lastly, add in flour and mix with a spoon or your hands just until combined. This method will lead to a chewier rugelach vs. the flakier cookie with cold ingredients.)
- Lightly flour a clean surface and dump dough onto the surface. Divide the dough into four equal sized balls (I use a scale) and flatten each into a disk. Dough will be slightly sticky. Wrap each disk in saran wrap and chill for two hours or (ideally) overnight. It also freezes well for up to 2 months.
- To make filling, combine tahini paste, salt, cocoa powder and powdered sugar in a medium bowl until combined. Add milk as needed to make a spreadable paste.
- Roll out each ball on a lightly floured surface into a 9-10 inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick, keeping the other balls in the fridge until you are ready for them. You can use a pie pan to make an even circle. Make sure to use enough flour to prevent sticking on both sides to prevent sticking, but not so much that the dough gets dry.
- Spread about ¼ of the filling ingredients onto the circle and then sprinkle with 1/4 of the chocolate pieces an more sugar.
- Cut the circle into 12 triangles with a pizza cutter or sharp knife (or 8 for bigger rugelach). The easiest way to do this is cut the dough into quarters, and then cut each quarter into 3 pieces. Roll up each triangle from the wide end, and secure the tip into the cookie so you have a little spiral. Place cookies on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet with the dough point down, and freeze for 30 minutes to prevent spreading. Then wash with egg, sprinkle with more sugar or raw sugar and sesame seeds.
- When ready to bake, pre heat the oven to 350 F. Then bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, and then finish cooling on cooling racks. EAT!
Notes
11 Comments
I loved these rugelach, Amy! The Miley lyric is spot on. I could not stop eating them. Delicious!
Aw thanks, LeAndra! I’m so thrilled! Happy Holidays!
What is tahini paste? Is it halva?
It’s ground sesame paste. It’s usually by the peanut butter or in the international aisle!
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How many days could the dough be good for in the fridge? I made the dough, but was unable to finish that day due to unplanned events. It has been 5 days.
I would definitely make them today or freeze the dough. It freezes well for up to 2 months!
I was still able to use the dough and these rugelach were wonderful!! In the future, if I can’t finish them within 24-48 hours of making the dough, I just need to put it in the freezer. Thank You for your help!!
Great to hear!!!
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