Living in New York has given me access to the gold standard of Jewish delis on the East Coast. I must admit that I was perfectly content with a Noah’s bagel for breakfast back in California (I didn’t see the light back then!). However, I’m not here to join the NY vs. CA bagel discourse. While I love my lox bagels and babkas, I am actually here to discuss rugelach. Rugelach are cream cheese pastries rolled with a variety of different fillings. At first glance, they look like mini croissants. I’ve done some research and apparently rugelach means “little twists” in Yiddish!
It must have been the spiral aesthetic that reminded me of a much beloved Filipino chocolate called Curly Tops. They were a big #PASALUBONG treat box inspiration because they would frequently make their way back from the Philippines to America with my family to share amongst ourselves. Ricoa produces Curly Tops and Flat Tops, and it is the first company to manufacture chocolate products in the country. If you’re wondering about the difference between the two in taste, here is what Esquire PH had to say:
“Curly Tops have a darker color, which could mean they are made with more cocoa or made with cocoa beans with a darker roast. They also have a smoother texture.
Flat Tops, on the other hand, have a lighter color and harder texture. They don’t easily melt but are malleable when you handle them.”
I would liken the taste of Curly Tops to a Hershey’s milk chocolate bar. If there are no Filipino grocery stores near you, I was able to buy a few bags from Sarap Now and they ship nationwide. When you’re preparing the ingredients for this recipe, I would recommend chopping up the chocolate in advance so you have plenty of time to focus on the pastry. Also, leave out your cream cheese on the kitchen countertop for at least 2 hours to get to room temperature. It always takes longer than the butter!
The dough is easy to work with, and it’s so therapeutic to roll out each ball of dough, brush on the apricot jam, sprinkle the chocolate and proceed to cut into slices. I love to use a pizza cutter for this part since it glides so smoothly through the dough. I prefer an egg wash with just egg yolks because it lends a beautiful golden brown color to the finished pastry. Curly Tops chocolate rugelach are tender and melt in your mouth. They’re just perfect with coffee for a morning snack!
Curly Tops Chocolate Rugelach
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup apricot jam
- 8 ounces Curly Tops chocolate, finely chopped
- egg wash (2 egg yolks beaten with 1 tablespoon of water)
- 1/4 cup sparkling sugar, for garnish
Instructions
- Place the butter and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Add the sugar and cream together until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Mix in the flour and salt just until combined, divide the dough into 4 equal portions, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out each portion of dough to a circle about 1/8-inch thick.
- Spread each circle with a thin layer of jam, and top with the chopped Curly Tops chocolate.
- Cut each circle into 12 equal wedges, and roll them up, starting at the wide end, bending each pastry into a crescent shape.
- Place the pastries on parchment-lined baking sheets, and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Brush the pastries with egg wash and sprinkle with sparkling sugar.
- Bake for 27-29 minutes, or until golden.
I ate like 10 of these one day and it was the best day of my life
Yay! I’m glad you enjoyed these! 😊