Chocolate rugelach with store-bought puff pastry skip the kneading and the rising: spread melted dark chocolate with cocoa and sugar over the pastry sheets, cut into triangles, roll up and bake for about 20 minutes at 400°F (200°C). Two sheets make 24 rugelach. With margarine-based puff pastry and dairy-free dark chocolate they are pareve, so they work after a meat meal too.
Why thaw the pastry in the fridge, not on the counter
Puff pastry is thin layers of dough and fat. In the oven, the water in the dough turns to steam, the fat keeps the layers apart, and the pastry rises into flaky leaves. At room temperature the fat softens, the layers stick together, and the pastry turns sticky and hard to handle. In the oven it comes out flat and greasy. So move the package from the freezer to the fridge about 8 hours ahead, or from morning to evening. If the pastry warms up while you work, chill it for 10 minutes. Work on a cool surface and take out one sheet at a time.
How to roll them without the chocolate leaking
The filling should be a thick spread, not a liquid. Let the melted chocolate, cocoa and sugar cool for about 10 minutes, until it spreads like a paste. Spread a thin layer over the whole sheet, leaving a 1/2 inch (1 cm) border bare. Extra chocolate runs out in the oven and burns on the tray. If the filling sets too firm while it waits, warm it for 10 seconds in the microwave.
Cut each sheet into 12 triangles and roll each one from the wide base toward the tip. Set them on the tray tip side down, so they do not unroll in the oven. Chill the tray for 15 minutes before baking: cold pastry rises better and the layers stay separate.
Brush with beaten egg, sprinkle with sesame seeds or sugar, and bake until golden underneath as well. More no-knead sweet bakes: No-Yeast Cinnamon Rolls and No-Knead Chocolate Yeast Cake.
Chocolate Rugelach with Store-Bought Puff Pastry
24 rugelach from store-bought puff pastry, filled with dark chocolate, cocoa and sugar. No kneading, no rising, about 20 minutes in the oven. Pareve.
- Servings 24 rugelach
- Prep 25 min
- Cook 20 min
- Total 45 min
Ingredients
For the pastry
For the filling
For the topping
Instructions
Melt the chocolate with the oil in the microwave in 20-second bursts, or in a bowl over a pot of hot water. Stir in the cocoa and sugar and let it cool for about 10 minutes, until it spreads like a paste.
Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a tray with parchment paper.
Unroll one sheet of pastry and spread half the filling over it in a thin layer, leaving a 1/2 inch (1 cm) border bare.
Cut the sheet into 12 triangles and roll each from the wide base toward the tip. Place them on the tray tip side down. Repeat with the second sheet.
Chill the tray for 15 minutes.
Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds or sugar.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until puffed and golden underneath as well. Cool on a rack.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make sure the rugelach are pareve?
Check two labels: the puff pastry should be margarine-based, not butter, and the dark chocolate should be marked dairy-free (pareve). Cocoa, sugar, oil and egg are all pareve.
Can I freeze puff pastry rugelach?
Yes, before baking. Freeze them on a tray, move them to a bag, and bake straight from frozen, adding about 5 minutes.
What can I use instead of the chocolate filling?
A ready-made dairy-free chocolate spread, or thick jam with cinnamon. Runny jam leaks out in the oven.
How long do the rugelach keep?
Up to 3 days in a closed container at room temperature. Three minutes in a hot oven brings back the crispness.
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