If you are looking for the best chocolate rolls recipe, this is it. Made with cream-cheese-based rugelach dough and layered with real chocolate, these rolls are soft, light, and fluffy. Simple and easy to make with my step-by-step video tutorial.
Table of Content
What is rugelach?
Rugelach is a Jewish crescent-shaped pastry made with a yeast-based dough and filled with chocolate, jams, fruits and other wonderful fillings. These are best on the day they are made but can also be frozen for months. They are buttery, flaky, and crisp with a wonderful buttery scent.
Traditional fillings often include poppy seeds and nuts or fruit jams, and yet chocolate is probably the most popular. One of my favorites is the fig jam with pecans. Ziv loves dates, while my kids' favorite, of course, is Nutella.
You can also make rugelach cookies with different fillings. The dough is a buttery cream cheese-based pastry dough with a variety of fillings as well. I shared the chocolate rugelach cookies with you.
About these rugelach rolls
If you haven't tasted traditional rugelach, then you are in for a treat with these chocolate rolls. They are soft, buttery and layered with chocolate, so the filling does not get lost on the baking tray.
Also, we brush these with sugar syrup as soon as they are out of the oven. That keeps these soft and moist for a long time. I always make a double batch of these and store them in the fridge. Both my kids will feast on these for afternoon snacks.
The recipe looks complicated, and yet it really is quite simple and easy. I have made a video and progress pictures to encourage you to try these. You can also try the original crescent shape Chocolate Rugelach.
Timeline for baking these rolls
To make it easier to understand and plan, here is a timeline for making these rugelach.
- Prepare the dough - 15 mins
- Proof the dough on the counter - 1 hour
- Chill the dough in the fridge - 1 hour
- Laminate the dough with chocolate - 10 mins
- Chill the laminated dough - 1 hour
- Form the chocolate rolls - 15 mins
- Proof the chocolate rolls - 1 hour
- Bake the chocolate rugelach rolls - 15 mins
Ingredients and substitutes
- Flour - I think all-purpose flour works best for this pastry.
- Yeast - There is not much and that's because we let the dough rise in the fridge overnight.
- Sugar - We use just a little in the dough, the rest of the sweetness comes from the chocolate.
- Chocolate - Make sure to use good quality chocolate. If you don't want to use chocolate, you can use a cocoa powder paste, which I have shared below in the notes.
- Eggs - We use three egg yolks, which add a brioche-like richness to the dough.
- Cream cheese - Rugelach is made with cream cheese, and yet sour cream works wonderfully too.
- Butter - I like to use good European butter, which is high in fat.
Real chocolate vs. cocoa paste filling
While using real chocolate in these rugelach chocolate rolls is the best in terms of taste, the cocoa paste is much easier to work with. To make it easier to work with chocolate, we let the dough chill until the chocolate sets. However, this then does not spread evenly as the cocoa paste does but rather it cracks in between the layers. And yet, it is still there in between layers and works beautifully when baked.
I always choose chocolate over cocoa paste. But, I will be honest and tell you cocoa paste is much easier to work with. Of course, in the recipe card below I have given you the recipe for both chocolate filling as well as cocoa paste filling. If you use cocoa paste you can also reduce the chilling time considerably.
Step by step instructions
Dough
- In the mixer bowl with a dough hook, combine water, yeast, sugar, egg, egg yolks, sour cream, and vanilla. Use a whisk to combine well.
- Then, add the flour and salt - combine well with a spatula.
- Start the mixer and knead until everything forms a nice ball.
- Then, knead for 2 minutes more.
- After 2 minutes, start adding the room temperature butter, one cube at a time.
- Knead until all the butter is incorporated. Then, knead 2 minutes more.
- This should now be a beautifully soft, elastic and shiny dough (see video).
- Place in an oiled bowl and cover with cling wrap.
- Leave the dough to rise on the counter for an hour. Then, place it in the fridge for another hour (the cold dough is easier to work with).
Chocolate filling
- Combine chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Melt for a minute or more until all the chocolate is melted.
- Leave at room temperature for the chocolate to cool.
- It works best if the chocolate cools but is still spreadable consistency.
Sugar syrup
- Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan.
- Heat on medium-low until all the sugar is melted.
- Then, cool a minute more until syrup consistency.
- Set aside until ready to use.
Laminate the dough
- Remove the dough from the fridge.
- Lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll the dough to a rectangle approximately 10 x 20 cm long.
- Spread the chocolate over ⅔ of the rectangle.
- Fold the rectangle like a book. Start with the third that has no chocolate and fold it over the center half. Then, bring the other side over the first (see video).
- Place it over a baking tray, cover with cling wrap and let chill for an hour.
Shape the rugelach
- Remove the dough from the fridge.
- You can divide the dough now into two or roll it a bit bigger then divide it into two.
- Working with one portion at a time (place the other in the fridge).
- Roll the dough into a long rectangle strip about 5 mm thickness, which will be about 10 x 18 cm long.
- Cut the dough into strips about 1 inch in width.
- Working with one strip at a time, roll into a coil and tuck the edges under.
- Place the formed rugalach rolls on a parchment-lined baking tray making sure to tuck the tail under.
Proof and bake
- Cover the formed rugalach with a clean kitchen cloth and let proof for an hour.
- Then preheat the oven at 170C / 340 F.
- For the egg wash combine the egg yolk and water.
- Brush the rugelach roll with this egg wash.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 to 18 minutes on until golden.
- When baked, immediately brush with sugar syrup.
- Then, transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
Rugelach is a pastry and it's best on the day it is made. However, it freezes well, so any leftovers are best kept in the freezer. These can be frozen for up to 2 months.
I am using 60% Callebaut chocolate. I love using good quality couverture chocolate. Chocolate is the star of this pastry so you want to use a good semi-sweet or dark variety.
Baking chocolate or compound chocolate is made with cocoa powder and vegetable shortening. While it definitely can be used, it will not be the highest quality chocolate pastry.
Absolutely, you can use any chocolate from 54% to 80% cocoa solids.
This pastry dough will work as a base for many different and wonderful fillings. Try Nutella, dates, and walnuts, or fruit jams.
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Printable Recipe
Rugelach Chocolate Rolls
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Video
Conversions Used
1 lb = 453 grams, 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 stick = 113g, 1 tbsp= 15 ml, 1 tsp= 5 ml,
Ingredients
For the dough
- 4 cup (500 g) All-purpose flour
- 2 ¼ teaspoon (7 g) Instant dry yeast (1 packet)
- ¼ cup (50 g) Sugar
- ½ cup (113 g) Butter ((1 stick) unsalted)
- 1 Egg (large)
- 2 Egg yolks
- 4 oz (113 g) Cream cheese or sour cream
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) Milk ((⅓ cup))
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla
- 1 teaspoon Salt
For the chocolate filling
Cocoa paste filling (alternate)
- 1 cup (86 g) Cocoa powder
- 1 cup (120 g) Powdered sugar
- ¼ cup (4.00 tablespoon) Butter ((¼ stick) melted more if needed)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 2 tablespoon Whipping cream ((if required to make a paste))
Egg wash
- 1 Egg
- 2 tablespoon Water
Sugar syrup
- ¼ cup (60 ml) Sugar
- ¼ cup (60 ml) Water ((¼ cup))
Instructions
Prepare dough
- In the mixer bowl with a dough hook, combine water, yeast, sugar, egg, egg yolks, sour cream, and vanilla - use a whisk to combine well.
- Then, add the flour and salt – combine well with a spatula.
- Start the mixer and knead until everything forms a nice ball.
- Then, knead for 2 minutes more.
- After 2 minutes, start adding the room temperature butter – one cube at a time.
- Knead until all the butter is incorporated. Then, knead 2 minutes more.
- This should now be a beautifully soft, elastic and shiny dough (see video).
- Place in an oiled bowl and cover with cling wrap.
- Leave the dough to rise on the counter for an hour. Then, place it in the fridge for another hour. (The cold dough is easier to work with)
Prepare the chocolate filling
- Combine chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Melt for a minute or more until all the chocolate is melted.
- Leave at room temperature for the chocolate to cool.
- It works best if the chocolate cools but is still spreadable consistency.
Prepare the sugar syrup
- Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan.
- Heat on medium-low until all the sugar is melted.
- Then, cool a minute more until syrup consistency.
- Set aside until ready to use.
Laminate the dough with chocolate
- Remove the dough from the fridge.
- Lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll the dough to a rectangle approximately 10 x 20 cm long.
- Spread the chocolate over ⅔ of the rectangle.
- Fold the rectangle like a book. Start with the third that has no chocolate and fold it over the center half. Then, bring the other side over the first (see video).
- Place it over a baking tray, cover with cling wrap and let chill for an hour.
Form the rugelach
- Remove the dough from the fridge.
- Now, you can divide the dough into two or roll it a bit bigger then divide it into two.
- Working with one portion at a time (place the other in the fridge).
- Roll the dough into a long rectangle strip about 5 mm thickness and 10 x 15 cm long.
- Cut the dough into strips about 1 inch in width.
- Working with one strip at a time, roll into a coil and tuck the edges under.
- Place the formed chocolate rolls on a parchment-lined baking tray making sure to tuck the tail under.
Proof and bake
- Cover the formed rugalach with a clean kitchen cloth and let proof for an hour.
- Then preheat the oven at 170C / 340 F.
- For the egg wash combine the egg yolk and water.
- Brush the rugelach roll with this egg wash.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 to 18 minutes on until golden.
- When baked, immediately brush with sugar syrup.
- Then, transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Enjoy!
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Prepare the dough the previous night, so it has enough time to rise in the fridge.
- Similar to making puff pastry or laminate doughs, a chilled pastry dough is your best friend here too.
- Once you spread the chocolate mixture, let the dough rest again in the fridge for a few minutes so the butter in the dough has time to firm again.
- That said, do not chill it too long as the chocolate will harden. If it hardens, the chocolate will shatter between the layers, which is not what you want.
- Aim at keeping the shape of the triangle at all times. That way, you will be able to cut the final shapes without much waste.
- You can measure the pastry and cut equal size triangles - 2 inches wide. Stretch the dough so you have more layers and it won't look bulky.
- Give the pastry time to prove. This will give you a wonderfully light and flaky pastry.
- Bake at 170 C / 340 F and the pastry should take about 15 to 18 minutes. However, keep a close eye after 15 minutes as they can brown easily.
- Brush them with sugar syrup as soon as they are out of the oven. This will give them a beautiful shine but also keep them moist.
- Cool them completely on a wire rack before you store them. But don't leave them out too long as they do dry out easily.
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
kim
This recipe was fabulous! These were so easy and were so scrumptious. I'll definitely be making again and again!
Veena Azmanov
Thank you so much, Kim. I am so happy you enjoyed these
Danielle Wolter
Oh my these look incredible! I love your step by step instructions as usual. Can't wait to try them.
Veena Azmanov
Thanks, Danielle. Yes, these are sure very easy
Adrianne
These chocolate rolls look fun to make and delicious to taste. I enjoyed reading about them. They sound like the kindof dessert that will go down a treat on the weekend, so I will give them a go, thanks for sharing.
Veena Azmanov
Absolutely, Adrianne. They are easy to make. You must try.
Tonje
These are so yummy - I ate four in one go!
Veena Azmanov
Ha... They are sure addictive. Tonje.
Dannii
These look so delicious. Anything with chocolate is good with me!
Veena Azmanov
I hear you, Dannii. You must try these.