Stage 1 – Prepare and Chill Rugelach Dough

1. In a food processor (on Amazon), pulse together your flour, butter, coconut sugar, vanilla extract, salt and egg. You’ll want to pulse instead of turning the food processor (on Amazon) on full-force because the cream cheese and butter cannot melt
2. After 6-8 pulses, the dough ingredients should mix together into a rather sticky, wet and clumpy dough. Take the rugelach batter out of the food processor (on Amazon) and onto a well-floured surface
3. Very lightly roll your dough together into one piece, then separate it into halves and shape each piece into a small disc
4. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap, then place into the fridge to cool for at least an hour. In the meantime, you can tend to the rugelach filling

Stage 2 – Prepare Rugelach Filling

1. Start by either using a double boiler or a steel mixing bowl over boiling water to create a bain-marie
2. When hot, add in your chocolate chips, then stir with a heat-proof spatula until fully melted
3. Next, add in your raisins, coconut sugar and cinnamon, then continue to stir around
4. Finally, pour your crushed walnuts into the mixture and continue to stir. By this point, the filling might start to get a little thick, so you can add in a couple tablespoons of water to loosen it up. You don’t want it to be too runny though
5. When your filling is ready, take it off the heat and let it cool at room temperature. You don’t want it to be too hot, otherwise it will melt the dough

Stage 3 – Roll Out Rugelach Dough

1. After an hour, take one disc of dough from the fridge and unwrap it from the plastic wrap
2. On a well-floured surface, begin to roll the dough out until it reaches about ~1/8 inch thickness (as thick as a US nickel or dime). Pro Tip: Because the dough is so fickle, roll it out on a cold surface. One way to do this is to place a baking pan in the freezer ahead of time, then roll the rugelach dough on the back side
3. Take the bottom of a cake pan onto your rugelach dough, and cut away any excess dough as you cut out the shape of a circle. If you notice the dough getting soft at this point, place it back in the fridge for a few minutes to let it cool down

Stage 4 – Create and Bake Rugelach

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit at this time
2. Next, begin spreading your filling on one side of your dough, leaving about 1/2 inch of space away from the circle’s edges
3. Using a pastry cutter or a knife, cut your circle into quarters and then cut the quarters in half to make 8 equally sized slices
4. Take one “slice” of your rugelach dough and roll from the outer “crust” inwards. Roll the dough as tightly as you can to capture as much filling as possible inside the pastry
5. With your rugelach fully rolled, place it onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper with the tip of the pastry at the bottom. Repeat for all slices of your dough
6. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, in the final 5 minutes, brush the rugelach with eggwash, then bake again
7. After 5 more minutes, take the rugelach out, let cool and enjoy!