Gluten Free Rugelach

Have you heard of rugelach? 
They are a traditional Eastern European pastry with a Yiddish name that means little twists or rolled things. Traditionally they are made with butter, sour cream or cream cheese, flour and sugar.
This is a gluten free (and vegan) version of the real thing that is quite tasty.

I very seldom post dessert recipes on my blog.
I have to be honest, I'm not much of a baker. I leave the gluten free baking to the experts!

But this gluten free/grain free recipe is so easy even I can make it. It tastes amazing and is made with healthy ingredients that are good for you. 

I participated in an organic, gluten free, vegan pot luck. One of the hosts made this dessert. Everyone who attended the event loved it.  I asked for the recipe, and today I'm sharing it with you.

This pastry has a rich creamy cocoa filling with just the right amount of cinnamon and a soft tender dough that is made in the food processor in one minute! The recipe is not baked rather it is chilled in the refrigerator.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: none
Chill time: 4 hours or more

Ingredients for the dough:  

1 cup of dates, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes, drained and pits removed ( or use pitted)

1 cup of raw pecans

Cinnamon for dusting

Ingredients for chocolate filling :

4 Tablespoons of cocoa powder

3 Tablespoons raw honey ( or agave nectar for vegans)

1 teaspoon of coconut oil

Put soaked and drained pitted dates and pecans in the food processor. Process until a ball of dough forms. ( do not over process)  Remove from processor and set aside in the refrigerator. 

Make the chocolate filling by mixing the cocoa powder, sweetener,  and coconut oil together and set aside.  

Cut a large square of Syran wrap and place it on your work surface. Sprinkle the Sryan wrap with cinnamon and flatten the dough ball on the Syran wrap and press the dough or roll the dough into a large square ( not too thin as you will need to roll it up).

 Spread chocolate sauce on top of the flattened dough and then grab the Sryran wrap at one end and start rolling it up with the dough to make a log.. Wrap the Syran wrap around the dough completely and refrigerate for at least 4 or more hours. Remove from refrigerator when ready to serve and slice the log into individual portions.

**I found a video with a different recipe but the exact same process- the video is about 10 minutes but worth watching because although it is easy, the process is difficult to explain if you haven't seen it demonstrated. Again, I think the Youtube video below will be very helpful and worth the watch if you want to make these delicious rugelach!

My Notes:
1. Since they are raw, they may be a little sticky
2. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve
3. The dough is so delicious - just dates and pecans
4.The filling is simple- cocoa , raw honey, and coconut oil
5. I forgot to take a photo of the finished sliced cookie ( we gobbled it up so fast) I used a different photo for the finished product but it gives you an idea of what it should look like.

Youtube Video_ How to work with this kind of raw dough to make these rugelach

This recipe will be shared on Beth Fish Reads- Weekend Cooking where anyone can share a food related post ( appears on Saturday)  and my daily lists of blog carnivals