Nutella Rugelach
“Shanah tovah um’tukah.” (May you have a good and sweet new year.)
– Traditional greeting for the Jewish New Year.
What could be better than rugelach with nutella inside? That tender dough paired with that chocolate-hazelnut flavor is a winner. Sure, these scrumptious little pastries may be a teensy bit labor intensive but they’re oh-so-worth it, especially with Rosh Hashanah coming soon (September 18-20). Here’s hoping that these sweet treats will bring a sweeter new year than the last one was.
The Steps
- Cream together butter and cream cheese.
- Add sugar, vanilla and salt.
- Beat in flour.
- Chill dough.
- Make the filling.
- Roll out dough and layer on the nutella and the nut filling.
- Cut into wedges and roll into crescents.
- Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with salt, and bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes.
Reality Bakes
I wasn’t in a particularly meticulous mood so I didn’t measure out my wedges this time. Which resulted in uneven sizes of rugelach. And my rolling made these a little reminiscent of pigs-in-a-blanket, but nobody seemed to mind.
With traditional Rosh Hashanah desserts centering on apples, honey and pomegranate seeds, you might also consider this classic apple pie, or these beautiful pomegranate tarts.
Nutella Rugelach
Ingredients
- 16 tbsp (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar, divided
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out dough
- 1 cup hazelnuts (or walnuts)
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 1 jar Nutella
- 1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp water and a pinch of salt
- Coarse or granulated sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and cream cheese. Add the 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, vanilla and salt and beat at medium speed until mixture is light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low, and slowly beat in the flour until dough starts to pull away cleanly from the sides of the bowl. Be careful not to overmix. Tip dough out onto a floured work surface and divide into two halves. Shape each half into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- To make the filling, mix the hazelnuts (or walnuts), brown sugar, remaining granulated sugar, cinnamon and a pinch of salt in a food processor and pulse until finely ground.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one dough disk into a 9-inch round, less than 1/8 inch thick. Spread Nutella evenly in a thin layer over the surface, leaving a 1/4" border around the outside. Sprinkle half the nut and sugar mixture on top and gently press into the nutella and dough.
- Cut the round into 12 equal-sized wedges, like a pizza. (In fact, a pizza cutter is ideal for this.) Starting on the outside edge at the wide end of each triangle, roll up each slice to form little crescents. Pinch to seal the end and place on the prepared baking sheet, point side down. When all 12 crescents are rolled, refrigerate and repeat the process with the rest of the dough.
- Brush the tops with the egg wash. Sprinkle with sugar and bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
