By Eileen Mintz , other
This past year I won the chance of demonstrating on KCTS-TV for their “Viewers Cook Chocolate” show. As a lover of great chocolate recipes, I couldn’t resist sending in a recipe that went over the edge. I did the “overkill” thing by glazing the top of the rugelach! It caught the attention of the judges and I made the top 10 and was chosen to cook on air. If you want to enjoy Chocolate Rugelach the way I did it on television, use the glaze. Otherwise leave it off and it will still become one of your favorites.
Chocolate Rugelach
Dough
1 cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
2 cups unbleached flour
1 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. rum extract
3 Tbs. dark chocolate sauce (use your favorite jar or can)
Filling
4 tsp. cinnamon
5 Tbs. melted butter, cooled
1 (12 oz.) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped, toasted pecans (toast in a 325º oven until medium brown)
2 Tbs. instant decaf coffee crystals
1 cup sugar
Mix butter and cream cheese together in mixer. Blend well.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until well blended.
Take out and form into five equal pieces and flatten by hand to form a patty.
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least four hours or overnight.
The next day (or four hours later), when you are ready to make and fill cookies, make the filling. Put all the filling ingredients into a food processor and pulsate until well chopped.
Take dough patty out of refrigerator and leave at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Roll patty into an 8-inch circle.
Brush lightly with vegetable oil.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar evenly (one cup sugar, one tablespoon cinnamon) and slice with a knife in half, then half again, until you have 12 even triangular slices.
Add one tablespoon of chocolate filling on edge and roll into a crescent shape.
Line up on two parchment-covered cookie sheets, brush tops with a little oil, and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon mixture. The two cookie sheets should be filled and then refrigerated.
Heat oven to 350º.
Pull out of refrigerator and bake for 20 minutes or until browned to a medium toasted color.
Cool on racks.
The rugelach freeze beautifully.
Yield: 60 pieces
Glaze
Heat until blended:
2 Tbs. of cocoa
1 Tbs. of oil
1 Tbs. of corn syrup
1 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. of water
Add 1 cup of powdered sugar and beat until blended with a rubber spatula. Put into a small Ziploc bag, cut the corner tip, and drizzle over rugelach.