dark chocolate Rugelach

OK-I'm not going to lie-these are a big pain in the neck. Every year I make them and think-"what is wrong with me??? why would I do this???". Then I taste them and forget the pain of making them. I swear its like childbirth. If everyone remembered the pain there would be no children! but as humans-we forget the pain of the process and only focus on the end result.

So have fun with these-they are worth the trouble-if you are only making one tray of them. I would not suggest doing multiples as I do. Unless you are looking for a real arm workout. this will definitely get your biceps in shape. I recommend a very heavy rolling pin. Mine weighs about 5 lbs.

Bittersweet chocolate Rugelach:

1 cup walnuts

3/4 cup cold unsalted butter cut into 1/2" pieces, Plus three tablespoons melted for filling

8 Oz cream cheese

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cup currants

grated rind of 1 orange

3 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 large egg yolk

3 tablespoons fine sanding sugar*

Heat oven to 350.

spread walnuts on a baking sheet and toast till golden and fragrant-about 10 minutes. let cool

place 1 1/2 sticks butter and the cream cheese in a mixing bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the cream cheese is broken down but butter is still chunky. On low speed, add flour and salt. mix until crumbly and just beginning to hold together, about 20 seconds. there should be still some small pieces of butter visible. Divide dough into two parts. form a flat disk with the dough and wrap in plastic wrap. transfer to the fridge and chill for five hours or overnight.

Place the chocolate in the bowl of a food processor and process until the chocolate is very finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl. Finely chop toasted walnuts by hand and add to the bowl. Add sugar, cinnamon,currants,orange rind, corn syrup, and melted butter. Combine well.

Line a 9x13 in baking pan with parchment paper.

Place one disk of dough on a 9x13" piece of wax paper. roll the dough into a rectangle the size of the baking pan. Line the baking pan with the rolled out dough (place on top of the parchment that you Had lined the pan with). Spread dough evenly with chocolate mixture. Roll the remaining disk of dough the same as the base layer. Place it on top of the chocolate mixture-making sure it goes very close to the edges of the mixture.

Put the egg yolk in a little bowl and whisk in a little water. Brush the egg onto the dough with a pastry brush.

Sprinkle with the sanding sugar. Bake in 350 oven till golden-about 35 minutes.

*to get sanding sugar-put three tablespoons of sugar in a food processor and process til very fine.

Just some notes:

Make sure not to put the egg yolk in the chocolate mixutre. It is for brushing on the top of the pastry.

You can do it the way they tell you-or, do it as I do it which is to put the dough immediately between two sheets of wax paper and roll it out to the desired size BEFORE refrigerating it. Then I refrigerate it for the 5 hours or overnight and put the slab in the pan and then on top of the chocolate mixture. If you do it the way they tell you-the dough is VERY hard to roll out. I find it easier to roll it first then put it in the fridge. The wax paper will get stuck in the dough as you roll it-just make sure to keep pulling it off and resetting it (top and bottom) so that when you harden the dough in the fridge, the wax paper is not stuck in an crevices.