Poppy Seed–Chocolate Rugelach Pinwheels Recipe

This playful model of a beloved Jewish cookie is the creation of Zoë François, the skilled baker and superstar pastry chef. She makes them by rolling out tender cream cheese dough and spreading a candy poppy seed filling over high. Sprinkled with grated bittersweet chocolate after which rolled up pinwheel-style, the cookies are simple to tug off however appear like you set in way more effort. Rugelach are historically crescent-shaped and crammed with poppy seeds, fruit preserves, or nuts. This model, a riff on the traditional, features a poppy seed filling with bittersweet chocolate. The cream cheese dough bakes into a young cookie, whereas a coating of glowing sugar offers them crunch and shine. 

When is rugelach historically served?

Rugelach has Japanese European origins and was made by Jewish bakers who rolled up buttery dough with jam, nuts, or poppy seeds. As communities emigrated from Europe to America, they tailored their conventional recipes to work with native components. By the mid–twentieth century, cream cheese had changed some if not all the butter within the dough for American rugelach. Cream cheese enriches the dough with a refined tang and creates the cookie’s signature tender, delicate, flaky texture. Historically served throughout Jewish holidays together with Hanukkah, Rosh Hashanah, and Purim, rugelach are additionally loved all 12 months spherical for household celebrations — and just because they’re scrumptious.

What are some extra methods to brighten these cookies?

Rolling the dough logs in colourful sanding sugar earlier than slicing them into cookies is the simplest approach to give these rugelach a festive end. Use sanding sugar, which is barely coarser than granulated sugar, or glowing sugar, which has even bigger crystals and is a bit more glittery and crunchy. Select any shade or shade mixture you want. Should you want to skip the sugar, you’ll be able to drizzle the cooled cookies with melted chocolate (or dip one half of every cookie) for a easy embellishment. Use white chocolate for a contrasting look, milk chocolate for a mellow sweetness, or darkish chocolate to additional spotlight the bittersweet notes of the filling. Let the cookies relaxation on parchment paper till the chocolate units. For a extra elegant contact, embellish the baked cookies with edible gold leaf or edible glitter for a refined gilded impact.

Notes from the Meals & Wine Take a look at Kitchen

• Don’t skip chilling the dough log earlier than slicing — this step retains the filling distinct and preserves the pinwheel form. 
• You can also make the logs slightly bit prematurely. Refrigerate as much as in a single day, however don’t go for much longer than that: The filling will unfold an excessive amount of.

This recipe was developed by Zoë François; the textual content was written by Cheryl Slocum.