Chocolate Hazelnut Rugelach
32 Rugelach
8 ounces cream cheese (full fat), room temperature
8 ounces unsalted butter (two sticks), room temperature
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
The zest of one lemon
The juice of ½ a lemon
1 tsp vanilla paste
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp fine sea salt
1 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread, room temperature
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted and cooled, roughly chopped
¼ cup heavy cream
Granulated sugar to sprinkle before baking
1) In a small bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and the fine sea salt.
2) Using a standing mixer, cream together the room temperature butter and cream cheese. Add the confectioner’s sugar and mix to evenly combine. Add the lemon zest, juice and vanilla paste and mix to evenly combine. Add the dry mix and mix just until the dough comes together into a small ball. Divide the ball into two disks, wrap each in plastic and then refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.
3) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
4) On a well-floured surface, roll the first disk into a circle roughly 1/8” thick. Evenly spread ½ cup of the chocolate-hazelnut spread onto the dough and then sprinkle with half the hazelnuts. Lightly press the nuts into the chocolate-hazelnut spread. Use a bench scraper, or chef knife, to cut the dough into sixteen even triangles. Roll each triangle, starting at the wide end, tucking the end tip under the cookies.
5) Place the sixteen rugelach on one of the baking sheets. Brush the top with a small amount of heavy cream and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Do the same with the second disc of dough and place them on the second pan.
6) Place the pans in the refrigerator for ten minutes before baking.
7) Bake the cookies for 20-25 minutes until the edges are just starting to brown and the tops are dry and firm. Cool on a wire rack for five minutes, then remove the cookies from the sheet pan and replace them on the wire racks to fully cool.
