This Israeli-Style Rugelach Hack Is Actually Genius

I could be getting some reading done or finally organizing my pantry, but instead, while scrolling Instagram the other day, I stumbled upon some delectable-looking rugelach made by Israeli content creator Shiran Matetyahu (@shiran_matetyahu).

Israeli rugelach are made with a time-consuming yeasted dough, and are deliciously squidgy and dense. But instead of making a yeasted dough from scratch, Shiran uses store-bought malawach dough. Malawach is a Yemenite flat bread, and both fresh and frozen varieties are very common throughout Israel. The latter is also relatively easy to find in the U.S.; I buy it at my local Shop Rite, but have also seen it at Stop & Shop and kosher markets (and my kids absolutely love it!).

In Shiran’s video, she makes a homemade chocolate filling and layers it on top of one malawach round; she places another malwach on top and then spreads the second layer with chocolate-hazelnut spread. I wasn’t feeling quite as ambitious, so I just did two layers of chocolate-hazelnut spread. You could also use non-dairy Israeli chocolate spread, which is available online or in kosher supermarkets.

I had several people taste test the final result, and the gooey treat was universally loved. In fact, my daughter ate five of them and asked me to please make another batch while she was at dance class. They are definitely on the sweeter side, which you could offset with a homemade filling. But for a fraction of the work, you get a crispy, flaky, gooey pastry.

One more note: Store-bought malawach is pareve (non-dairy!), so with a non-dairy spread inside these are an absolutely perfect dairy free dessert when you need one.

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